HDMI graphics cards roundup test

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Introduction

HDMI is quickly becoming the de facto standard for consumer electronics. This shouldn't come as a surprise, considering the fact that a single HDMI cable can not only transfer video in HD resolution, but also multi-channel audio. These days, nearly all LCD TVs are equipped with an HDMI port, and it can also be found on higher-end DVD players and all new HD DVD and Blu-ray devices.

The video part of HDMI is largely identical to DVI: it's the same signal, with a different connector. This should make implementation of HDMI within the PC world fairly straightforward, and thus the first videocards with HDMI ports are slowly becoming available. However, there are a few hitches: because an HDMI cable can transport audio as well as video, the audio signal from the sound card must be combined with the videocard's signal somehow. Most videocards solve this problem by offering an internal and/or external S/PDIF port, allowing the digital audio track to be integrated into the videocard's HDMI signal. An HDMI-ready videocard should also be able to support HDCP, which is the new high definition copyright protection which is as essential part of the HD DVD and Blu-ray standards. It's a good job then that all HDMI cards we have seen until now support HDCP.

An HDMI videocard is especially suited to be put to use in a Media Center PC, because this allows for an easy connection to a modern LCD TV. If you'd rather use a regular TFT monitor, this can easily be achieved because a simple HDMI to DVI cable or plug is all that's necessary to make the connection.

At the time of writing, we have five HDMI videocards in our database; two of which come from ASUS and the others from Gigabyte, PowerColor and Sapphire. This calls for a closer look!

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