High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) has become a widely used interface standard for digital televisions and consumer electronics products, bringing high-quality experience to home entertainment by transmitting high-quality digital video and audio signals through a single cable. For consumers, HDMI technology not only provides clear picture quality, but also greatly simplifies the installation of home theater systems because audio / video use the same cable. In April 2002 , seven companies, including Hitachi, Panasonic, Philips, Silicon Image , Sony, Thomson, and Toshiba, established the High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) organization to develop a new standard dedicated to digital video / audio transmission. HDMI can provide up to 5Gbps data transmission bandwidth, and can transmit uncompressed audio signals and extremely high-resolution video signals. At the same time, there is no need to perform digital / analog or analog / digital conversion before signal transmission , which can ensure the highest quality audio and video signal transmission. " HDMI has been continuously exploring and innovating to meet the needs of the market, " said Leslie Chard , president of HDMI Licensing , a subsidiary of Silicon Image , a global leader in secure transmission, presentation and storage of high-definition digital content . " HDMI 's research and development has always been adapted to market developments, especially in terms of increasing bandwidth requirements and the increasingly close integration of consumer electronics and PC devices." HDMI application market has broad prospects According to statistics from In-Stat market research company, there are currently more than 300 consumer electronics manufacturers and PC product manufacturers in the world using HDMI . In 2005 , the shipment volume of HDMI interface devices reached more than 17 million units, and it is expected to increase to 59 million units in 2006 . HDMI is developing rapidly around the world. In China, where the total number of televisions accounts for one-third of the world's total, 45 mainland companies have become HDMI partners, and this number is growing rapidly. In November 2005 , China's first HDMI test center was established in Shenzhen, greatly simplifying and accelerating the process of introducing HDMI into China. In August , the Cable Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA) recommended that HDMI ( or DVI) and HDCP be "applied to set-top boxes that can output uncompressed high-definition content." The European Information and Communications Technology Industry Association (EICTA) stipulated in 2005 that all high-definition digital televisions with the "high-definition" logo must use HDMI or DVI input interfaces. HDMI is more than capable of meeting the display requirements of high-definition televisions . With the official launch of HDTV, TV manufacturers have started a new round of "technical wars". Terms such as "ultra-high definition" and "full high definition" with a clarity of 1,000 or even 1,400 lines have emerged. They represent better display effects, but also mean higher requirements for input and output ports. HDMI's huge lossless signal transmission capacity can also meet these higher information standards. In addition to televisions, HDMI is also widely used in various products related to video display, such as Blu-ray DVD players and DVD recorders, which represent the next generation of high-definition DVD technology , set-top boxes for receiving high-definition digital signals, projectors, home theaters, etc. Sony 's PS3 game console has also announced that it will definitely support the HDMI interface and will use it in its high-end models. Last year, HDMI also received special attention from the PC industry. HDMI companies, including ATI , Hitachi, Intel, Nvidia , Sony and Toshiba, which produce PC- related products , are all leaders in the industry. Silicon Image announced that Toshiba, a leading PC manufacturer, will install the Sil 1930 HDMI transmitter chip on the Qosmio G30/697HS notebook computer , which is the world's first notebook computer equipped with a next-generation HD DVD drive. In addition, due to the versatility and convenience of HDMI in wiring and use, mobile device manufacturers have also begun to pay attention to the application of HDMI technology in mobile devices, and HDMI will also develop a miniaturized interface to meet the needs of mobile devices. Yao Xinren, senior business director of Silicon Image Asia Pacific, said that among the four popular standards in the digital video interface market (DisplayPort , LVDS , DVI , and HDMI) , he is very optimistic about HDMI and has full confidence in the Chinese HDMI market. "Our main target is the Chinese consumer electronics market." " The continued adoption of HDMI by consumer electronics and PC manufacturers shows the huge potential of this technology," said Scott Vouri, general manager of multimedia products at NVIDIA . "We believe in the interoperability of consumer electronics and PCs, and the confidence to view high-definition content through a stable and secure standard technology, which is why we at NVIDIA have been favoring HDMI for our consumer graphics products ." Bob Lambert, senior vice president of global media and technology development at Disney , said: " Disney has been working with HDMI since the first version was released in 2002. HDMI is widely used in HDCP and plays an important role in the transition from ordinary TV to digital TV. The achievement of 300 customers worldwide is an important milestone for the HDMI Alliance. We congratulate them!" About Silicon Image Silicon Image, headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, is a leader in high-definition digital content secure transmission, presentation and storage technology. Silicon Image establishes and promotes industry standards for digital content transmission, such as DVI, HDMI, and SATA , and fully develops strategic partnerships with leading global manufacturers of consumer electronics and personal computers. Based on its innovative digital interconnect technology, Silicon Image provides stable high-bandwidth semiconductors for global PC/ presentation equipment, consumer electronics and storage devices, and has developed into one of the world's top ten IP licensing manufacturers. For more information, please visit www.siliconimage.com . 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