Video Asylum

Posted by Audiophilander (A) on January 23, 2008 at 13:22:39

In Reply to: RE: Wouldn't that be simply economies of scale ? nt posted by oscar on January 22, 2008 at 20:07:56

... to Joe Public. If the general public was, in theory, confused by the concept of two competing formats (as Warners marketing division claims) then they'd be completely dumbfounded if offered a choice between two incompatible methods of transferring data from point A to point B.

For all intent and purpose, the DVI standard was compatible, worked just fine and didn't have as many handshake issues that HDMI, but DVI cables can't carry sound. The two big selling points for HDMI are an ability to transfer picture and sound together and the relatively low cost of cables (making one standard universally accessible). If an optical system could've been implemented to satisfy both bandwidth and cost requirements without being too fragile (an issue with some fiber optic cables) then the high definition gurus probably would've opted for a unified optical standard similar to the one you're suggesting.

Cheers,
AuPh

PS: Oscar, the new Denon AVR-1908 arrived today; I should have it fully connected, checked out and ready to go for the A/V summit Saturday! Now the true test will be running Zone 2 to my Audible Illusions line stage for the front channels; then everything will be on track. :o)

Edits: 01/23/08