HDMI cables promise so much.  Instead of 3 component video cables and audio cables running to your a/v receiver or to your high definition TV, one HDMI cable will do.  Instead of a 1080i image resolution limit, as with component video, HDMI was designed for 1080P and higher.  Instead of 6 audio channels at lower-than-CD resolution, HDMI gives them at greater-than-CD resolution.  Instead of having to run a separate ethernet cable, future HDMI enabled devices will be networked via the same HDMI cable that carries audio and video.  And, the copy protection that Hollywood enjoys courtesy of the HDMI interface, the entire reason HDMI came about in the first place, is no doubt why the studios are willing to give us movies in high-definition.  They weren’t going to let high definition DVD (e.g. Blu-ray) happen via the component video outputs. Component video didn’t provide a satisfactory copy protection solution.

Yet, anyone who makes his living designing or installing audio/video systems knows that HDMI can add days of unpaid installation time, can cause massive frustration, and can leave customers wondering about who they hired and the wisdom of their a/v investment.  In a massively frustrating and seemingly unknowable way, HDMI often doesn’t work!

Consider what goes wrong with HDMI cables; problems which, by the way, our old component video and audio cables don’t have.  Cable boxes don’t display on TVs when HDMI is used to directly link the two.  Video doesn’t show up on TV screens when HDMI is run through a switcher (e.g. an A/V receiver) on its way to the TV.  Or, consider this teaser, which cost me personally about 8 hours of troubleshooting.  A cable box runs HDMI to a receiver, as does a Blu-ray player. Then, from the receiver, HDMI is run to the TV.   If the customer wants to watch the cable box, the only way is to first bring up the picture from the DVD player!  The knowledgeable folks at Denon recently informed me that this is a known problem.

It’s a rare installer of HDMI who hasn’t had these problems.  Of course, he checks the source component, checks the switcher, checks the display device, and he checks the cable and they all check out fine when used with other associated equipment!  It’s certain combinations of equipment—for the most part unknowable until you try them—that don’t work!  As I was recently informed while attending the above referenced Denon training, a lot of this has to do with poorly manufactured HDMI cables.  They’re not made to the standards that they need to be and, as of now, there is almost no way for the buyer to know.  (Kudos to DPL Labs (www.dpllabs.com) for establishing HDMI ratings for HDMI enabled equipment and for HDMI cables.  Consumers need more manufacturers to sign on to this program.)

Aside from needing quality cables, consumers often need firmware updates to get HDMI to work.  I’ve seen such an update work for a Time Warner cable box.  That customer was lucky Time Warner had an update available.  Just this week I saw a homeowner pay out an additional $580 for a component video and analog audio solution because the necessary firmware update, to get HDMI to work between his Fios box and his TV, isn’t yet available.  The customer is out $580 while the installer spent 8 hours of unpaid labor trying an HDMI amplifier, failed firmware updates, the suggestions of three tech support departments, and various other solutions since repressed by his tormented mind.

But wait—it gets better.  Indications are that component video outputs—which reliably give high-definition (i.e. 1080i) resolution—are being phased out.  This means you may not see them anymore on DVD players or cable boxes or satellite boxes or on A/V receivers.  Furthermore, even if they are present on future products, they will not output HD signals!  And, if you do install HDMI cable and if it does work now, it’s likely still not the kind of HDMI cable that you need to pass full resolution 3D video—OK, you may not care—or that you need to carry the Internet.  I know of only one vendor of such cable.  For those of you pre-wiring your walls, one solution to all this mess is to make sure your a/v designer specs high quality data cable to handle your high resolution audio and video needs, as well as your networking needs.