Video Asylum

HDMI vs. Optical; why did HDMI become the standard ?

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Optical technology (but not Toslink) seems tailor-made for high bandwidth digital audio/video distribution. In fact, I think most of the internet distribution backbone relies on Fiber optics. Why would the Consumer electronics industry settle on a copper distribution system with bulky, awkward connectors when an itty, bitty Optical cable would easily have served the purpose (Toslink was a specific implementation which didn't require any bandwidth) ?

A friend of mine (engineer) asked this question and I didn't have a good answer. Why are we settling for second-rate technology in our Consumer electronics products ? HDMI was supposed to simply connection issues, but fiber optics would seem to be simplify even more (I hate that flimsy, non-locking HDMI connection).

Follow Ups:

RE: HDMI vs. Optical; why did HDMI become the standard ? - fmw 02:53:42 01/23/08 (3)
- HDCP could have been implemented over optical. nt - oscar 04:28:00 01/23/08 (2)
  - RE: HDCP could have been implemented over optical. nt - fmw 05:20:18 01/23/08 (1)
    - RE: HDCP could have been implemented over optical. nt - fmw 05:44:34 01/23/08 (0)
I thought optical didn't have the bandwidth to handle 1080p video + high res audio NT - Jazz Inmate 21:35:43 01/22/08 (4)
- here are the numbers - Joe Murphy Jr 18:48:36 01/23/08 (0)
- Toslink can't handle the bandwidth, that doesn't mean another optical standard couldn't support it. - oscar 04:47:28 01/23/08 (2)
  - True, but labels and studios have piracy concerns and a technology like HDMI is very important to them NT - Jazz Inmate 09:35:17 01/23/08 (1)
    - the connection method means nothing to the studios - Joe Murphy Jr 18:37:30 01/23/08 (0)
cost - Joe Murphy Jr 19:55:07 01/22/08 (3)
- Wouldn't that be simply economies of scale ? nt - oscar 20:07:56 01/22/08 (2)
  - Not if you want to get the costs down to a level where affordable players & cables are marketable... - Audiophilander 13:22:39 01/23/08 (1)
    - I gotta wonder if mass-produced CE fiber optics wouldn't be any more expensive than HDMI connections. - oscar 05:07:58 01/24/08 (0)

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