Recently, I've been getting e-mail from folks inquiring about whether they should buy a DVI-equipped DVD player for their new HDTVs. DVI, which got its start in the computer world, is an all-digital video connection that enables you, in theory, to receive the best possible picture quality on a TV with a like input. How much of an improvement you'll get over component video depends on a lot of factors, but I've certainly noticed the difference, and videophiles agree that DVI is the way to go for hooking up either a DVD player or an HDTV receiver.

Since many new HDTVs, flat panel or otherwise, have a DVI input, you'd expect to find more DVI DVD players out there. Not so. Among the major consumer electronics manufacturers last year, only Samsung trotted out a DVI player to sell alongside its DLP HDTVs: the DVD-HD931. The only other DVI player we've reviewed so far, the Bravo D1 from formerly unknown brand V, is now sold out. Other DVI players include the Toshiba SD5960, the Zenith DVB 318, the Momitsu V880, and a couple of expensive jobs from Denon and Pioneer, but they're all hard to find. In May, V will launch the $249 Bravo D2, a slightly improved version of the D1, and later this year, the D3, which offers enhanced features such as Windows Media 9.0 support.

Where are Panasonic, Sony, and the rest? That's the question a lot of you are asking. The answer has to do with the new HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) standard, which uses a new type of connector that resembles a USB cable.

It's all a little confusing, so I thought I'd better do a quick rundown of what you need to know about DVI and HDMI, debunk some myths, and highlight some upcoming products.

DVI's promising picture
DVI is an all-digital connection, while component video, the next best thing, is still an analog connection. (So is S-Video.) Once an analog signal hits your digital TV, it often has to undergo a conversion from analog to digital. Some sets do this conversion better than others.

	DVI jack on V's Bravo D1

DVI, on the other hand, theoretically pumps a pure, raw digital signal into your display, minimizing the amount of conversion necessary. Fixed-pixel displays--plasma, LCD, DLP, and LCoS--benefit most from a DVI hookup because you can set the DVI output to exactly match the native resolution of the panel. For instance, with Samsung DLP sets such as the HLN437W, the Bravo D1 upconverts the standard-definition DVD signal into 720p--and the chips inside Samsung DLPs have exactly 720p resolution. You'll see a reduction in video noise, which looks like black snow, as well as a smoother, sharper image, but in any case, the improvement will be subtle. Although 720p is considered high-def resolution (ABC carries its HD programming in 720p), don't be fooled into thinking you're viewing DVD in HD. The picture may look better, but it won't have the same level of detail that you'd see in true high-def programming (such as Discovery HD and HDNet).

So why do we rate the Bravo D1 slightly higher than the Samsung DVD-HD931? Well, the Bravo does a better job upconverting the signal; it has a better processor than the Samsung. Another drawback of the Samsung is that its DVI connection has built-in HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection), a security feature. This means you can connect the player only to HDTVs that have a DVI connection with HDCP. Meanwhile, the Bravo D1 has no HDCP, which means you can connect it to any set with a DVI connector, whether it has HDCP or not.

Jack of the future: HDMI
HDMI combines both digital video and digital audio into a single cable. There's obviously a neatness and convenience factor to that, but it's also important to point out that DVI comes from the computer world, while HDMI was designed as a home-theater connection from the ground up--all of the industry leaders and sanctioning bodies agreed on a spec.

	Side by side: DVI and HDMI connectors

In a nutshell, it's USB for home theater, and it will be much cheaper for manufacturers to implement than DVI. Also, HDMI cables will eventually be cheaper, though high-end brands such as Monster Cable will always command a premium. Another plus: because HDMI ports are small, it will be easier for manufacturers to cram three or more into components such as A/V receivers, which are getting sleeker and more compact with each passing year.

Should you wait?
Currently, only a handful of HDTVs have HDMI, and no A/V receivers have it. That will change as the fall buying season approaches and new product lines are released. Several current sets, such as the Panasonic TH-42PX20UP, have HDMI, though you probably won't see it become more of a standard feature until 2005.

	Dual HDMI jacks for Pioneer's new 43-inch plasma

The good news for those buying sets equipped with DVI today is that DVI and HDMI are compatible; you just need a DVI-to-HDMI adapter ($40 and up). Of course, you won't get audio when you convert DVI to HDMI, but that's not a big deal since you can always use separate audio cables. In short, you shouldn't hesitate to buy a display today because it has DVI and not HDMI.

OD'ing on acronyms
Now that your brains have been thoroughly scrambled with an alphabet soup of nonsensical acronyms, I leave you with the flash-card version of my column.

DVI: Stopgap technology that's worth exploiting if you want the best possible picture quality from your new HDTV.

HDMI: USB for the home-theater world. Just arriving in high-end products now but will proliferate into mainstream products by the end of 2005. Will be included in HDTVs, DVD players and recorders, A/V receivers, home-theater-in-a-box systems, media jukeboxes.

HDCP: Annoying security scheme put in place by paranoid movie studios.

HDCAVI/MIDWDCP: High-definition compact analog visual interface/multimedia industrial device without digital copy protection. Industry term for an eyeball.

Have your own opinions about DVI and HDMI? Drop me a line.