| You've just bought a new HDTV, complete with | | | | And the quality of the processor in the DVD |
| HDMI connector and are delightedthat you had | | | | player doing the "up-converting" is important here, |
| the foresight to buy a DVD player with HDMI | | | | if it's not up to scratch that could have a |
| interface a while ago,even though you couldn't use | | | | negativeimpact on picture quality. |
| HDMI at the time. | | | | Secondly, any equipment with HDMI (or DVI for |
| So you can ignore those component outputs and | | | | that matter) connectors mustsupport an |
| inputs and plug an HDMI cablebetween your two | | | | anti-piracy measure known as HDCP (High |
| favourite bits of home theater kit. After all, HDMI, | | | | Bandwidth Digital Content |
| being alldigital, is bound to be better than | | | | Protection). This takes the form of a code which |
| component, isn't it? | | | | is embedded into the digital videosignal when its |
| Well, no, actually. Not necessarily. It's true that | | | | sent from a content player, such as a DVD |
| convering a DVD signal to analog,sending it over | | | | player, and must be de-coded by the HDTV or |
| component video and then switching it back to | | | | HD projector. This puts additional pressure on the |
| digital in the TV willresult in a slight degradation of | | | | TV's videoprocessor with no benefit to picture |
| picture quality. And it's true that HDMI removes | | | | quality and so could, potentially, result in aslight |
| thisissue. However, the degradation in the signal | | | | loss in picture quality. |
| over component is virtuallyimperceptable and | | | | Using component video connections means that |
| HDMI does introduce a few problems of its own. | | | | no anti-piracy protection isnecessary. |
| Firstly, although DVD players "up-convert" video | | | | None of this means that you should avoid HDMI. |
| from 420p resolution to the nativeresolution of | | | | However, it does mean that youshouldn't take it |
| the HDTV (720p or 1080i), the signal still has to | | | | for granted that HDMI will always be better than |
| be "re-clocked" in thetelevision before it is | | | | component. Theonly way to find out which is best |
| displayed. Some experts suggest that this | | | | for your equipment is to try both and see |
| re-clockingintroduces more artefacts than the | | | | whichone you prefer. |
| process of digital-to-analog-to-digitalconversion. | | | | |