hdmi

Is standard definition dead?

Even though most people have more DVDs than Blu-rays and there are more standard-definition (SD) channels than high-definition (HD) on all cable/satellite providers, it's highly unlikely most people send their televisions standard-definition signals.

Nearly all current DVD players, and all Blu-ray players, convert the SD from a DVD to HD. Nearly all cable/satellite boxes upconvert the SD channels to HD. Since this upconversion happens before the signal is sent to the TV, most properly hooked-up HDTVs today only ever receive HD signals.

The only readily available SD source is Nintendo's Wii.

There is a practical thought behind this esoteric question. If no SD is ever sent to a television, is the standard-def processing of a TV, and the associated SD inputs, irrelevant?

What do you think? Do you still have, and regularly use, any SD sources?

It also might be good to check that you're actually watching HD on your HDTV.… Read more

New no-dongle HDMI solution for iPad and iPhone

When Steve Jobs introduced the iPad 2, he made a big deal about how you could connect it to your HDTV using an HDMI cable and mirror what was on the iPad 2's screen. The only problem was you had to purchase Apple's $39 Digital AV adapter, as well as an HDMI cable, to make that happen.

That's about to change.

Today we met with RedMere, an Irish company that makes the chip that allows manufacturers to create ultrathin HDMI cables. We got an early look at a reference design for a new slim HDMI cable with a 30-pin connector that plugs directly into your iPad 2, iPhone 4, or iPod Touch 4G and passes full HD video and sound.

No word yet on which companies will be making the new cables (RedMere just makes the chip inside the cable), but we should hear soon. As for price, nothing on that, either, but we'd hope to see these guys for less than $40--and hopefully less than $30. … Read more

Why all HDMI cables are the same

Updated October 11, 2012

Right now you can buy a 6-foot-long HDMI cable for $3.50. Or $19.99. Or $99.99. Or $699.99. Salespeople, retailers, and especially cable manufacturers want you to believe that you'll get better picture and sound quality with a more expensive HDMI cable.

They're lying. You see, there's lots of money in cables. Your money.

Dozens of reputable and disreputable companies market HDMI cables, and many outright lie to consumers about the "advantages" of their product.

Worse, the profit potential of cables is so great, every retailer pushes high-end HDMI cables in the hopes of duping the buyer into spending tens, if not hundreds, of dollars more than necessary.

Here's the deal: expensive HDMI cables offer no difference in picture quality over cheap HDMI cables. CNET has mentioned this before, but here's the science of why. … Read more

Get a Yamaha home-theater receiver for $149.99

A home theater isn't really a home theater unless it has speakers, preferably of the 5.1-channel surround variety. Of course, you can't just plug them directly into your TV; you need a receiver to act as the hub and amplify the audio.

Receivers can cost a small fortune, but here's your chance to score a killer deal: Newegg has the Yamaha RX-V367 5.1-channel digital home theater receiver for $149.99 shipped. That's after applying coupon code EMCKFJH22 at checkout. (Note: you must be a Newegg newsletter subscriber to use the code.)

The RX-V367 is … Read more

CNET to the Rescue: The case of the smoking motherboard

I roped Eric Franklin into joining the show today, and I'm glad I did. He shares a hobby with me: home-building PCs. Today we talk about his smoking motherboard and why we both spend so much money on tower cases. Also: best tools for backing up PCs to network drives, how to buy HDMI cables, and for those of you keeping score, the progress report from my Synology network-attached storage device.

If you have a tech question for CNET to the Rescue, call us with your questions to get on the next show: 877-438-6688 or e-mail rescue@cnet.com. No question is too basic, so if you've got a tech problem that's been getting under your skin, please call us and we'll try our best to help you out.

Episode 39: The case of the smoking motherboard

How to connect an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch to your TV

Your iOS device is good for accessing media on the go, but there may be times when you want to share your movies, photos, and music, or play games on a TV. Connecting your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch to your TV is simple, but you have to select the right cables first.

HDMI adapterApple's Digital AV Adapter is the highest-quality video transfer, and is the only cable that will do mirroring with the iPad 2. It's also compatible with the iPad, iPhone 4, and iPod Touch (fourth generation). When you've connected your television with the … Read more

CES: Philips intros first wireless HDMI Blu-ray player

LAS VEGAS--If you always wished you had a Blu-ray player equipped with wireless HDMI to stream video from across the room to a wall-mounted TV, Philips has a new solution: the BDP7580 wireless HDMI Blu-ray player.

Due out in April with a price tag of $499.99, the BDP7580 offers 3D playback, NetTV, Netflix, and Blockbuster streaming, as well as Philips MediaConnect, which allows you to stream content from your PC to your TV via a Wi-Fi connection. NetTV is Philips' integrated Internet TV feature that offers a built-in browser for accessing standard Web sites, including Facebook and Twitter. The … Read more

Get a 3-pack of HDMI cables and an HDMI switchbox for $10 shipped

Looking to connect a Blu-ray player, game console, Roku box, and other video goodies to a TV that has only one or two HDMI ports? I've got just the connectivity bundle you need.

Or, rather, Meritline does. You can get a three-pack of 6-foot HDMI cables and a three-port HDMI switchbox for $9.99 shipped. That's after applying coupon code MLC195169010740NL1 at checkout.

(Note: Meritline's codes tend to expire after a certain number of uses, and there's no way to know how many this one has left. But even at the regular price of $15.99, … Read more

CES: Aluratek device turns your TV into a Web-surfing PC

LAS VEGAS--A new gadget from Aluratek takes the idea of an Internet-enabled TV and ramps it up a few notches.

Being demonstrated this week at the Consumer Electronics Show, the new device lets you use your TV as a full computer with the ability to surf any Web site. The device is so new that it doesn't yet have an official name. The working title is Plug PC, but that may change based in part on the response it gets from the crowds at CES.

How does it work? Plug PC contains an embedded copy of Ubuntu Linux. Just … Read more

Netgear adds HD to Push2TV display device

LAS VEGAS--Exactly a year ago, Netgear debuted its first Intel Wireless Display-based display device, the Push2TV, which enables consumers to stream whatever is being viewed on a laptop to the TV without the need for cables or wires, via a click of a mouse.

Today the company announced the second generation of the product, the Push2TV HD TV adapter (model PTV2000), which now offers full-HD 1080p video resolution and other improvements, including:

30fps video: Image quality is now improved with full motion video.

Dual-band wireless connectivity: Supports multiple wireless bands to minimize wireless interference.

Extend mode: Users now can browse … Read more