HDTV Connection Type
In the
early days of HDTV Broadcasting, little dissent was raised on the kind
of connection type to use. Borrowing from the early
progressive DVD Player market, Component Video (a.k.a. Y-Pb-Pr) was the
de facto standard and millions of HD-Ready and HDTV sets were shipped
with this analog input connection.
We've come a long way in the digital world where nearly all the content producing
studio has waged a war on digital media distribution, the fear of
music and video piracy becoming the driving factor in the design of the
latest and greatest electronic equipment.
Although
Component Video connection still comes standard with nearly all HDTV sets sold
today, the move to digital format (closing the Analog Hole) seems to
have some unintended consequences, the further merging of the computer
to entertainment products like TV sets that double as a PC monitor,
computers that receive content, storage and archiving servers for media
content on demand, the possibilities seemed endless. Enter content
protection, or encryption.
Digital
panels use two connection types, DVI and HDMI. DVI was the most common connection type used on matrix
displays such as plasma, LCD, DLP, and LCOS, but the transition to HDMI
which (dual licensing ensures HDMI accompany HDCP) was
pre-ordained in the effort to disable perfect data
replication. The lock-down has been swift and nearly complete as
the larger and more expensive flat panels featured HDMI to win over
savvier consumers. While the video standard is backwards
compatible to DVI, HDMI also carries audio to eliminate extra
cabling. Added complexity of HDCP "handshake" can be
crippling to some models, and non-HDCP based DVI displays are unable to
display images using HDCP encryption which could be confusing to owners
of monitors and TV sets that were released prior to the implementation
of the encryption scheme, but early adopters are.....adapting.
User forums like AVS Forum and
other community based sites help to educate the
masses.
The need
to utilize content protection as well as the differing video codecs
limit the longevity of nearly all video equipment requiring seemingly
constant upgrading to stay current, but the final standards are in
sight. The current digital format, HDMI will likely be around for
quite a while. Referenced below is a quick chart on video
connection types:
 |
Composite
Video (Analog yellow RCA) - NTSC SD Video
480i |
 |
S-Video
(Analog 9-pin Mini-Din) - Standard Definition Video 480i |
 |
Component
Video (Analog Green/Blue/Red 3x RCA) -
Standard Definition 480i
High Definition 480p/720p/1080i (consult TV
manual compatibility) |
 |
VGA
(Analog 15-Pin D-Sub) - High Definition 480p/720p/1080i/1080p and *some PC
connectivity.
VGA
(Analog 5x BNC or RCA, R/G/B/H/V) - High
Definition same as VGA.
*VGA and RGBHV is interchangeable |
 |
DVI
(Digital Single or Dual Link) - High Definition 480p/720p/1080i/1080p and *some PC connectivity |
 |
HDMI
(Digital) - High Defintion 480p/720p/1080i/1080p and *some PC
connectivity |
Digital
Connections and Content Protection
During the transition period, all sets will still be sold with Component
Video inputs which majority of HDTV owners still use, but make sure that
any new sets purchased also includes one of the following inputs:
DVI
with HDCP
DVI is most common on today's flat panel PC monitors and front
projectors. In the transition period, DVI also became the
standard in HDTV sets. It's important to note that not all DVI
connections are HDCP compliant, and older sets may not be able to
display video via this digital connection. Make sure you consult
the user manual to confirm HDCP compliance before you purchase any
display with DVI that you plan to use with an HDTV tuner.
HDMI
This implementation of the HDMI connection has been swift and common
nearly to all displays labeled as HDTVs, but not so in the computer
monitors that bare resemblence. This is poised to change as PC
graphics cards adopt HDMI as the connection type and in the process
become HDCP compliant. HDMI is a requirement for the adoption of
HD-DVD and Blu-Ray DVD formats, in effect an encryption system that
will be used with future entertainment and home theater PCs
(HTPC).
It is
also important to note that HDMI is also an audio format, accompanying
the HDMI video in tandem, and plans are to expand the HDMI capability
in newer versions of the controlling chip. With higher video and
audio bandwidth, it is poised to appear in nearly all A/V
receivers/processors which will add some complexity to the single
cable configuration when routing sound to external home theater A/V
systems. HDMI is designated to deliver multi-channel audio for
both music and video if connected
through a A/V Processor with decoding capability and HDMI version 1.3,
and if this sounds computer nerdy, well, it's just as complicated to
explain.
** There
are on going consumer laments regarding the crippling of the component
(Y-Pb-Pr) connections to only enhanced definition 480p (not standard but
not high definition) on HDTV displays pre-digital implementation to
close what media companies call the analog hole. There are
multitudes of component based HDTV on the market, just enough to make
the shut-down a sticky proposition. Component video sources seem
preferred by professional and commercial installers.
-Kei
Clark
Updated 6/2/07
References Linked AVS Forum
HDTV
Basics
Display
Technology and TV Types
