HDMI...1394...DVI again...

[MCF]

OK, what the difference and will any one of the three (if they are all really different) carry both video and audio signals?

[Ihatehershon]

OK, what the difference and will any one of the three (if they are all really different) carry both video and audio signals?


HDMI will pass Audio and Video. DVI will pass only Video. And 1394 is only for Audio.

Cheers
Jay

[godfatherofsoul]

OK, what the difference and will any one of the three (if they are all really different) carry both video and audio signals?

HDMI carries both signals for sure. 1394 or firewire carries both as well though it is not near as commonly used and DVI only carries video. HDMI stands for High Definition Multimedia Interface and DVI stands for Digital Video Interface. Most DVI and HDMI outs on cable boxes are not being used (yet) but some companies are using them more and more...

Cheers

[edtyct]

As GFS says, IEEE1394, or Firewire (iLink in Sony-speak), has very little play in home A/V, mostly for recording to D-VHS, though it has some presence in pro video. Many of the 1394 outputs on STBs aren't functional at all. Comcast activated its DVI output last year, and HDMI is on the rise as well, though sometimes the audio version is stunted, even if it has a legitimate place to go. DVI and HDMI, the most likely home candidates for serious video transmission, have the potential for sending the cleanest signal to fixed-pixel displays, since they can keep it largely in the digital domain, thereby avoiding analog-conversion artifacts.

Ed

[Slosh]

Just to add on what little I know:
HDMI is 10-bit video vs. DVI's 8-bit. The new HDMI standard (version 1.2?) will also tranfer 5.1 audio including DVD-A but not SACD, but some people have claimed it introduces a lot of jitter.

Bottom line is none of these digital video connections are ready for prime time just yet.

[csukasem]

Can anybody for it sure say that, on picture quality only, HDMI is superior to DVI ??!!

Thanks

[csukasem]

Can anybody for it sure say that, on picture quality only, HDMI is superior to DVI ??!!

Thanks

[edtyct]

When HDMI and DVI are doing the same job on a level playing field, no difference is evident. DVI actually has a higher bandwidth capability than HDMI as currently constituted--whatever that's worth--although dual-link HDMI can eventually pick up the slack for 1080p when it becomes common. More important, HDMI is more versatile than DVI, allowing for the full range of RGB and YCbCr signals, whereas DVI is more RGB-based, in keeping with its origins as a computer format. A DVI sink with an adaptor can't produce correct color space for an upconverted HDMI DVD signal decoded erroneously as Rec. 709 (true high def.) as opposed to the proper Rec. 601 (standard def), whereas many HDMI sinks can compensate for this error. The common result is a depression in the color of green, which thankfully many Japanese displays exaggerate in the first place. Many DVI devices have also been strapped to computer black levels, which in a video--as opposed to a PC--context often results in crushed blacks. But, by and large, when DVI and HDMI operate at the top of their game, without such pitffalls, the picture quality is indistinguishable.

Ed

[csukasem]

..... But, by and large, when DVI and HDMI operate at the top of their game, without such pitffalls, the picture quality is indistinguishable............

Thanks,Ed. I am using Denon 5900 which has only DVI. So you are saying that my thinking of upgrading my DVD would not be worth ??!!

Sukasem C.

[edtyct]

Sukasem,

If you have the Denon 5900 DVD player, upgrading is certainly unnecessary so far as output is concerned, as well as almost any other reason. What display are you using with it? I trust that you're not experiencing any obvious troubles with DVI.

Ed

[csukasem]

Sukasem,

If you have the Denon 5900 DVD player, upgrading is certainly unnecessary so far as output is concerned, as well as almost any other reason. What display are you using with it? I trust that you're not experiencing any obvious troubles with DVI.

Ed

Ed,

So sorry that I was lost for a big while. I am using Marangz VP12S2 projector and 80" screen + many kinds of accessories and so far very pleased with the picture.

Thanks a lot for your information.

Sukasem C.