what do hdmi cables do?

Question

i am getting a hdtv for christmas and i dont know what they are

Answer 1

Quality: Because HDMI is a digital interface, it provides the best quality of the video since there are no lossy analog to digital conversions as are required for all analog connections (such as component or S-video). The difference is especially noticeable at higher resolutions such as 1080p. Digital video will be sharper than component, and eliminates the softness and ghosting found with component. Small, high contrast details such as text bring this difference out the most..

Ease-of-use: HDMI combines video and multi-channel audio into a single cable, eliminating the cost, complexity, and confusion of multiple cables currently used in A/V systems. This is particularly beneficial when equipment is being upgraded or added.

Answer 2

HDMI cables are used to transfer digital signals from one device to another. On that note, they deliver the best-quality picture and sound in one cable since little to no data is lost. This luxury normally comes at a premium so when shopping for this cable, ignore the hype about Monster and go with an offbrand, like Belkin. To be honest, their sheilding, technology and whatever else they've come up with recently is a sham - the only time you really need to worry about shielding is when you have a lot of wires bundled together.

Check out this link to learn all about HDMI cables, signals and so on:
http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/hdmi.htm

Answer 3

HDMI cables move the signal from your DVD or cable/satellite box in a digital form to your TV, thus your TV is able to display a pure digital picture audio, with no loss of quality.

The other HD cables are component cables. They are analog. Your source sends the signal as analog through the TV, which then must be converted back to digital. Anytime you convert one form to another, you lose something in the conversion.