Question on HDMI input: (1 Viewer)

[KennyHo]

Hello, I have a 50" Hitachi LCD HDTV. On the back has an input called DVI-HDTV. I was wondering if this is the same input as HDMI? Can a blue ray DVD player be fully utilized on my TV?

 

[Charlie Campisi]

It's not the same as hdmi, but is compatible and should have the HDCP (copy protection) to allow it to be used with the new high definition formats. DVI does not carry audio, so you need a separate audio connection. Not a big deal. You also need either a cable that converts hdmi to dvi or a converter to attach to an hdmi cable. Again, not a big deal.

 

[ChrisWiggles]

You can think of DVI as a subset of HDMI. It may or may not be HDCP compliant, while all HDMI should be HDCP compliant. DVI is limited in most instances to 8-bit RGB whereas HDMI adds 8,10,12-bit YCbCr capability in the specs. As long as it is HDCP compliant you should be fine with next-gen HD-DVD and BRD formats.

 

[KennyHo]

My TV says it is HDCP compliant. If I find a converter to convert DVI to HDMI, will the quality be upgraded to 12 bit HDMI instead of 8 bit from the DVI?

 

[Lew Crippen]

You are looking at this backwards Kenny.

The output from BluRay will be HDMI while the input to your display is DVI (HDCP). What you need is a cable that converts HDMI to DVI.

While it might be possible to convert your TV input, I do not know of anyone who has done so (nor even if it is technically possible).

Just get a cable that does the conversion (not very much money) and you should be happy.

 

[KennyHo]

I am not sure what the back fo a blue-ray DVD has, but does anyone know if the next gen. dvd players have dvi AND hdmi outputs/inputs? I was hoping that when I buy a blue ray in the future, I can use the dvi output on the dvd into my tv's dvi, and also utilizing the hdmi input from the dvd.

 

[ChrisWiggles]

No, you're missing the point, if you go HDMIDVI in either direction, it just reverts to basic DVI. There's no "conversion" as DVI is a subset of HDMI (basically) so it really just operates as a normal DVI connection. There's no need for HDMI *AND* DVI input/outputs as it's redundant once you have an HDMI input/output. It's the same thing.