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Today many consumers are buying large high definition televisions that can display crisp and vibrant pictures. Several people make the mistake of using their old DVD player and wondering why the picture quality is not as good as they expected. You must buy an HDMI DVD player to get the most out of your new HDTV.

HDMI stands for High-Definition Multimedia Interface. Think of HDMI as sending at lot more information to your television than your old standard DVD player. High definition televisions can "slurp" up 1080 lines of information for each picture frame where older televisions could only handle 480 lines of input. You paid for a better TV and HDMI can supply the proper information to get the best picture possible. Make sure you buy an HDMI cable along with the DVD player. Yes, I know it is more expensive, but it will allow for an excellent movie experience as compared to an S-Video or Composite cable video connection.

The HDMI DVD player uses "upconvert" technology, which will take your normal DVDs and convert them to 1080 lines of information. Think of it as a picture than needs some pixels filled in. The software inside the HDMI DVD player "guesses" at what data needs to be added to fill in the 1080 lines of video. It is an excellent way to enjoy HDTV without having to buy an expensive HD DVD player and repurchasing your entire DVD library. I have a 50 inch Sony HDTV with an HDMI DVD player, and I absolutely love it! We often prefer to watch movies at home rather than the theater.

I am sure that a High Definition DVD player will provide a better video picture, but at what cost? A new HD DVD player will cost several hundred dollars compared to an HDMI DVD player that is less than a hundred dollars. On top of the extra expense for the player, the HD DVD movies cost double what a normal DVD does. Also, don't forget the expense to replace your current DVD library.

If you have a little patience, my suggestion would be to wait a few years for the High Definition DVD war to settle down. Eventually, HD DVD players and HD DVD movies will be affordable. For me and my family we are perfectly happy with our HDMI "up-convert" player.

Question: Is there way to go from HDMI into S-video? I have a laptop which has only a HDMI output, which I would like to hook up to an older TV without an HDMI input. Would a home receiver convert the signal? What are my choices? Shawn, Phoenix Arizona

Answer: I do not know of any device that would convert HDMI to s-video. I am not sure there is much demand for such a device as it would result in a loss of picture quality. I think your best bet would be a home video receiver, but of course this is an expensive option. I would also consider in upgrading your television to accept HDMI.

Question: I have a HDMI player and all the right cables. I also bought myself an HD DVD, but it does not seem to be working. Can you tell me what I can do to fix it? Sara, United Kingdom

Answer: An HDMI DVD player is not necessarily an HD DVD Player. Most likely you bought a "up-convert" HDMI DVD player which is not compatible with High Definitions DVDs.

Question: I have an HDTV with 2 HDMI slots. I have a HDMI DVD player/home theater system with surround sound. I do not have a receiver. I do not have cable service. How do I get surround sound and video on HDTV? Brian, Syracuse NY

Answer: If your DVD player has an audio input, you can feed your TV sound output (red & white RCA jacks) into your DVD/Home theater system. Otherwise, you will need to buy a receiver. If the DVD player is advertised as a home theater system it should be able to accept additional inputs.

Question: Does an HDMI DVD player play HD DVDs? Lih-sia, Atlanta Georgia

Answer: No, an HDMI DVD player cannot play HD DVDs. It only plays and up-converts regular DVDs.

Question: I intend to purchase a HDMI DVD player. I have an HDTV with 2 HDMI slots. How do I get surround sound? Robert, Chicago, IL

Answer: Your HDMI connection contains both unaltered video and sound signals. Therefore, when you hook it up to your television you will be able to listen to it through your television speakers. This is going to provide the great picture, but not the great surround sound you are looking for. To obtain better sound, connect your DVD player to your television via the HDMI connection, and do one of the following connections to your receiver:

First - Connect the optical out of your DVD player to your optical input of your receiver.
Second - Connect the digital coax out of your DVD player to the digital coax input of your receiver.
Third - Your television probably has a sound out that you can connect to your receiver via a stereo (red/white) cable.
Fourth - If your receiver has an HDMI input, connect your HDMI output to your HDMI input of your receiver, and then connect the HDMI output of your receiver to the HDMI input of your television.
Fifth - You can connect the stereo (red/white) output of your DVD player to your stereo input of your receiver.

To obtain the best sound choose option 1. Also, to ensure high sound quality turn off the speakers on your television. This way you will not get any additional hum from low quality speakers. Most televisions will allow you to turn off their speakers, not just take the volume to zero.