Windows PCs Keep Up the Pace with HDMI

In excess of 474 million devices incorporating HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) are estimated to ship by the end of 2010, according to data made available by market research firm In-Stat at the beginning of the year. This would take the installed base of HDMI-enabled devices over the 1.5-billion mark. The latest iteration of Windows comes with support for a range of HDMI devices, enabling customers to enjoy superior media experiences from their Windows 7 PCs on their HDTV, for example, according to Brandon LeBlanc, Windows communications manager on the Windows Client Communications Team.

“In looking at the PCs I currently have in my office and at home, the majority of them have HDMI. Those PCs include my Dell Studio 1555, Dell Inspiron Zino HD, Acer Aspire Revo, Toshiba Satellite E205, Acer Aspire 1420P (the ‘PDC laptop’), ASUS G71Gx, HP TouchSmart 600, and HP Envy 13. These PCs span a variety of form factors from small ‘nettops’ to full-blown all-in-one PCs. Even netbooks are now shipping with HDMI (it’s smaller than the VGA connection),” LeBlanc stated.

HDMI, a completely digital connection, is a standard designed to replace the now-traditional analog connections, including VGA and SCART. The main advantage of this compact audio/video interface is the fact that it deals only with uncompressed digital data, enabling the transmitting of both standard-definition (SD) and high-definition (HD) content. The integration into Windows PCs means that customers can easily make their computers as media hubs that serve content to HD devices, including TVs in the household.

“You can also add HDMI to existing desktop PCs (for the folks out there that like building their own desktop PCs) fairly inexpensively. Many graphics cards today are shipping with HDMI built in,” LeBlanc added. “You can also add HDMI to existing desktop PCs (for the folks out there that like building their own desktop PCs) fairly inexpensively. Many graphics cards today are shipping with HDMI built in.”

HDMI has evolved up to version 1.4, and the adoption rate is a clear indication that this standard is becoming ubiquitous. No less than 140 consumer electronics (CE) and personal computer (PC) manufacturers already embraced the HDMI specification in 2009, taking the total number of adopters to over 900.