Kreisen has added HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) and HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) support to its lineup of HD products. HDMI is an uncompressed, all-digital interface for audio and video, and has been limited up till now to high-end display models. But Kreisen will now incorporate it into its mainstream 27- to 40-inch HD LCDs.
The company predicts that HDMI will become the standard digital interface for the consumer home theater market, and reports by including it in products at virtually all price points, the interface will become widespread much more quickly. HDMI technology can transmit up to 5 GB of uncompressed HD video and multi-channel audio through the same cable.
Kreisen, of San Jose, Calif., reported it's the only widely supported, uncompressed, all-digital interface for audio and video, to date. HDCP creates a protection between two digital devices via authentication procedures to prevent the capture and copying of data.
HDMI was designed to address a weak link in HD content delivery--the fact that many devices still use analog interfaces to deliver digital signals. As a digital interface, HDMI preserves the integrity of the digital signal and improves transmission quality from device to device. In addition, it's designed to simplify home theater wiring by using a single cable for both audio and video.
According to market analyst In-Stat, about 3 million DTV sets were equipped with HDMI interfaces in 2004 (an 18 percent market share). In-Stat projects this figure to rise to 20 million sets (42 percent market share) in 2006.
LATEST ARTICLES