SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ.: HDMI is gaining ground, while DVI is losing, according to research from In-Stat. The group says penetration of High-Definition Multimedia Interfaces doubled in 2008, from around 6 percent two years ago to more than 12 percent last year. The number of HDMI-equipped laptops increased 76 percent during that time, but its integration in TV sets is what’s making it take off, In-Stat’s Brian O’Rourke said.
“HDMI’s success continues to be led by the consumer electronics segment,” O’Rourke said. “HDMI has been adopted nearly universally in digital televisions, which account for the single largest HDMI application.”
Both interface technologies transmit uncompressed digital video, but HDMI incorporates audio and digital rights management as well. HDMI has become the preferred connection type between TVs, set-tops, DVD players, PCs, game consoles and so forth. O’Rourke said the next major area of growth for HDMI would be digital camcorders, digital still cameras and portable media players.
In-Stat predicts shipments of HDMI-equipped gear will increase more than 20 percent annually through 2013, while DVI connections drop 8 percent annually during that period. Micro-sized HDMIs are being developed to target cell phones. A standard for transferring HD video from cell phones has been developed by Silicon Image, In-Stat said.
“Vendors hope to drive adoption of HDMI into mobile phones, where the more than 1 billion annual shipments are a tempting target,” O’Rourke said.
In-Stat noted the decline of DVI two years ago, saying that DVI would decline from 112 million device shipments in 2007 to 3 million in 2011. A total of 143 million HDMI-equipped devices were expected to ship in 2008.
