The secret to buying a good HDMI cable: They're all good
Sean asked me what he should know before buying HDMI cables.
There's nothing complicated about buying the right HDMI cable. If it's long enough and not damaged, it will work.But the people selling the cables may not want you to know that. The
more worried you are about buying the right cable, the more likely
you'll spend more money.
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HDMI has become the default audio-video cable standard for good
reason: It sends the best quality image and sound over a single cable
with a moderately small connector. And even though there are multiple
versions of HDMI, the cables themselves are universally backward- and
forward-compatible.
Yet the various versions can be confusing and intimidating. For
instance, you've probably heard that 3D Blu-rays require HDMI 1.4. Your
3D Blu-ray player and your 3D HDTV both support HDMI 1.4. But if you're
daisy-chaining a receiver between the two, you'd better make sure that
that receiver also supports HDMI 1.4.
Despite all that, you don't have to worry about buying HDMI 1.4
cables. Every HDMI cable you can buy supports all of the standard's
versions. In fact, HDMI Licensing, the organization that controls the
trademark, doesn't currently allow manufacturers to put version numbers
on their cables.
And here's two other concerns you don't have to worry about: price
and brand names. Cheap, generic HDMI cables provide just as good an
image and sound as the high-priced alternatives. In an analog world,
cable quality matters; in a digital one, not so much. For more on that,
see Technology's Biggest Myths.
“How do I say goodbye to what we had? The good time that made us laugh Outweigh the bad
I thought we'd get to see forever But forever's gone away It's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday”
Bimla and I started as Right of Way
Agents back in 1987 in San Francisco. We went to the Academy together,
where she acquired the nickname Bilma Bob. Bob was added to ALL of our
names…guess you had to have been there. We worked together again in
Stockton, in 1995. When she started to make her meteoric rise up the
ranks, we would cross paths over the years, and always catch up about
our personal lives. Bimla was one of the good guys, really going to
miss her.
-Elwood
___________________________________________
It is with great sadness and a
heavy heart that I inform you that Bimla Rhinehart passed away last
night. Bimla was very much a part of the Caltrans family for many
years, a dear colleague while at the California Transportation
Commission, and a friend to all of us. Her kind disposition,
professionalism, and grace will endure in all of our memories.
She came to work for Caltrans over 27
years ago and worked throughout the Department in various positions in
HQ and the Districts, most notably as our Right of Way Division Chief.
In April 2009, Bimla was selected as the Executive Director of the
California Transportation Commission. She retired from State service
last month.
In a February 15, 2013 letter to
Commissioners and staff announcing Bimla's retirement, Joe Tavaglione,
Commission Chair, wrote, "Under Bimla's leadership as the Executive
Director, the Commission has successfully supported the delivery of
critical projects and programs throughout the state. The relationships
she has developed with our stakeholders and partners helped foster our
collective success. Her many years at Caltrans provided her with a
broad expertise in transportation issues which in turn enabled her to
excel as our Executive Director. Our gratitude and appreciation for her
efforts cannot be overstated." Her contributions while at Caltrans
will be continue to have an impact for many years to come.
Bimla Rhinehart was a dear friend and will be missed by all who new and loved her.
Malcolm Dougherty
Caltrans
Director
