There's No Such Thing as 'Wireless HDMI'

An anonymous reader writes "CE Pro magazine interviewed Steve Venuti and Les Chard of HDMI Licensing, LLC to get a preview of all things HDMI at CES. The duo addressed some of the more controversial issues surrounding HDMI, including 'Wireless HDMI' (There's no such thing); Consumer Electronics Control (There will be interoperability); competitor DisplayPort (No traction in CE); and the complications of HDMI ('It is not an HDMI problem. It's a digital issue.')"

"It's a digital issue"

[Sylos]

Yup, that's why we have analog..

Bah humbug

[hcdejong]

Blatant lies like It is not an HDMI problem. It's a digital issue make me want to avoid HDMI like the plague. I'd like to replace my 22 year-old TV and rubbish VHS VCR with a digital system, but I've been putting it off for three years now because I can't bring myself to expend the time and headaches involved in figuring out a system that works.

terrible connector

[Anonymous Coward]

Are they gonna fix the issue of a limp friction-fit connector at the back of enormous TVs trying to hold back the weight of a thick cable? Who thought that one up? It's hideous.

Re:"It's a digital issue"

[djlemma]

Too bad we won't have analog much longer..

At least not in the US.
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/digitaltv.html [fcc.gov]

Re:CES is the new LinuxWorld

[pla]

Amazing how big CES has gotten in the last 7 years. Now it's the center of the universe. Don't forget to mention DVR for OCAP.

Don't know if you meant that as sarcasm, but for at least 15 years, I've always waited until after the January CES to make any large tech purchases... Not because I always want the cutting edge (in fact, I usually avoid most of the newest of the new at the CES), but because it drives the price of the last year's toys over a cliff.

Or looked at a bit more cynically - It happens after the holiday season for a reason. ;-)

Re:Bah humbug

[Jeff DeMaagd]

I think it's reasonable to say that, supposedly there are plenty of devices that aren't really HDMI compliant electrically, being a bit out of spec. Or if you get a bum cable, then maybe you're going to have problems. I am disappointed that they didn't make the connector more positive, most connector designs hold the cable in a bit better, and the VGA and DVI cable had screws. But it's done pretty well for me there too.

Personally, I don't think HDMI problems are as big of a deal as people make it out to be. Remember the "Internet Bullhorn Effect", which causes people to think problems are bigger than they really are. I have a 50ft HDMI cable between my HD player and my projector and have had zero problems. I also only paid $55 for the cable too.

In other news...

[rhizome]

Industrialists say smog isn't a pollution problem, it's an air problem.

Re:what it is

[Anonymous Coward]

Time to time I wonder why I keep reading /.. Thank you for reminding me about that -- and thanks for the answer.

What's a "digital issue?" There were none with CDs

[dpbsmith]

And why should there be such a thing as a "digital issue?"

I don't remember any "modulation issues" when FM radio was introduced. You just bought the damn radio and it worked, except the sound was better than AM.

I don't remember any "magnetic issues" when cassettes were introduced. You just bought the damn cassette player and it worked, except the sound wasn't quite as good as LPs... but the cassettes were compact and there weren't any ticks, pops, or scratches.

And for that matter I don't remember any "digital issues" when CDs were introduced. You just bought the damn CD player and it worked, except that the sound was better then on cassettes. (And for 98% of all ears on 98% of all recordings in 98% of all real-world consumer situations, it was much better than LPs, too).

If the customer is using HDMI and having "issues," then they're HDMI issues.

Re:Bah humbug

[AJWM]

My original: "but wire is cheap."

Your strawman: "you think copper wiring is cheap"

I think you need to lay off the crack yourself, it's apparently affecting your reading comprehension skills.

Re:So they plan to spring the trap in 2009?

[UserChrisCanter4]

Yes, but if you've upgraded to HDMI then the DRM isn't an issue. You've got the secure path, the ICT won't be activated, and you'll get the full 1920x1080 signal.

The people that get burned are folks who bought HDTVs before HDCP/HDMI had hit the market; they've got connections fully capable of feeding 1080p signals in, but they'll be screwed when the image constraint tokens starts getting activated.

It's all laid out.....read it

[speedlaw]

HDMI is part of a whole. The idea is to cease analog outputs. No HD will be allowed without HDCP. Note any upscaling DVD players only upscale via HDMI, analog outputs are limited to 480. HDCP is not a requirement of HDMI, but having a license for HDMI means that if I make some sort of HDCP stripper, the agency that licenses HDMI can come after me for violation of their license. It is true that HDMI does NOT require HDCP, but HDMI is not an "open" format or standard, like an RCA jack. So, the industry is not totally stupid. Knowing most consumer electronics lasts 2-8 years, we gently introduce HDMI, allow the analog equipment to mostly wear out, and once the analog ports disappear by industry agreement, you will see the image constraint token used. Think of this like Macrovision. It's a pain in the behind to the casual user, but trivial to the pirate. As the older stuff dies, the new stuff will just happen to have ICT, and HDMI only for any HD output. Anyone who thinks that the voluntary ICT hold back is permanent is deluded. The lockdown is proceeding apace. The only fly in the ointment is the lack of interest in Vista and the new HD disc formats.

If not Cu, then what metal?

[tepples]

My original: "but wire is cheap."

Your strawman: "you think copper wiring is cheap"

What metal cheaper than copper are your HDMI wires made of?