Connecting a Blu-ray or HD DVD Player

Connecting a Blu-ray or HD DVD player is a little different than connecting your current DVD player, as both formats use HDMI connections for both audio and video. Component video and digital optical and coaxial connections simply can't handle the high data transfer rates (over 2GB per second) of the new high definition discs. That's one of the reasons for the switch to HDMI, which can transfer up to 5GB of data per second.

The other reason is that HDMI features built-in digital rights management (DRM) technology, in the form of High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) technology. In effect, HDCP encrypts the datastream sent from the Blu-ray or HD DVD player, which is then decrypted at the other end of the HDMI connection. This permits content distributors to limit the use of material on their discs -- to prevent copying, or prevent playback on unauthorized devices.

Michael Miller is a writer and commentator on technology and digital lifestyle topics.