Then it strikes you. You have many more movies and shows stored in your laptop or desktop, but suddenly your Eureka moment is rudely interrupted with images of you and your friends huddling over the solitary laptop, craning your necks in an attempt to catch a glimpse of the actress obscured by the silhouette of a fellow enthusiastic film aficionado. Dejected, you resign yourself to a night dictated by the choices offered by the TV channels. ‘ These choice however, are nothing much to speak of and with the censor board’s paranoia, the best dialogues and scenes (wink wink) are bowdlerized mercilessly. In short, it promises to be an anti climactic end to a hitherto perfect night. Does this not strike you as familiar? If it does, then you must appreciate the topic in focus as much as I do. No longer does your glorious collection of movies and music (let us steer clear of the source of such an indubitable treasure) need to be relegated to your laptop or smart phone. Now you can simply connect your laptop with a compatible television and banish the trials of old. The method used to facilitate this work of magic is called HDMI. HDMI stands for High-Definition Multimedia Interface and it is a compact audio/video interface for transferring uncompressed digital audio/video data from a HDMI-compliant device to a compatible digital audio device, computer screen, video projector, and digital TV. A digital audio/video source for HDMI can include a HDMI-compliant set top box, HD DVD player, DVD player, AVCHD camcorder, Blue Ray Disc player, PCs, video game consoles such as the Nintendo Wii, tablet PCs, and smart phones. HDMI, in a proper setup, can make much difference in the home theater system experience. The presently available HDMI can carry 1080p high definition signals and supports eight channels of uncompressed audio which is enough to support a 7.1 surround sound system. For all the myriad benefits the HDMI promises, it is still dependent on the use of cables, which let’s face it, is a right old bother. So as with all technology, HDMI runs the risk of being rendered obsolete due to it not being wireless compatible yet. Alternatives such as Bluetooth compatible TVs and external hard drives are already proving to be a decent, if not fledgling alternative. In the present, however, HDMI compatible TVs and laptops have proven to be a personal boon for the likes of me. If you are one of those who is certain that he has the best taste in shows, movies and music, HDMI proves to be an excellent enabler for the “cultural education” of your mates. So the next time you have a get together and can’t decide on a movie, remember to show a bit of gratitude for that innocuous looking HDMI cable that enables you to be as picky as you please.
