What Is HDMI and how to Get an HDMI Cable?

What does HDMI mean?

HDMI represents "High Definition Multimedia Interface", a standard designed by a few electronics brands. It is an audio/video protocol that is used to transfer digital data. Information is transmitted in the form of 1 and 0. The benefits of transmitting data in digital format is that the data losses due to interference could be minimized. When compared with analog interfaces including S-Video, electronic interfaces have way less signal loss.

Devices Supporting This Standard

Many modern-day multimedia electronic products support this standard. For example, most video gaming units e.g. Xbox 360 (the most recently released ones) and PS-3 have an output port that conveys signal in electronic form. Almost all new video players have this port too, including Blu-ray disc readers and set-top boxes. Some computers also have this interface so that the computer screen could be outputted in digital form to televisions.

How to Purchase

To link up two devices both having HDMI interfaces, a matching cable is needed. There are several types of connectors, the most typical one is the standard type but there are some types with different sizes and forms. For example, mini-HDMI is a lot smaller than HDMI. You ought to examine your appliances before buying a cable.

These cables may be readily found in many shops selling electronic equipment. If you want to shop on the internet and getting the item delivered to your house, you could purchase it from Amazon. These cables have different lengths. Find out the separation between your machines before hitting the buy button. I often allow for a bit longer length to prepare for unexpected problems. For instance, if the distance between two devices is 6 feet, you have to purchase a cable of 9 ft long. After all these cables are not very costly, it do not cost you too much to purchase something a bit longer.

Another matter to note is the plating on the connector. A typical plating material is 24K gold. Many people believe that this coating was applied to attract purchasers. No, they aren't. The truth is that ordinary connectors have lower level of resistance to rusting, by applying an additional covering we could increase the durability of the cable. Buying a gold-plated cable does not cost too much more, but may lengthen the life of the cable. Hence you are suggested to buy gold-plated cables.

If you buy the cable from internet stores, make sure you read the appraisals left by other consumers. These appraisals are really helpful since these people bought the cable and actually tested them. Their reviews may provide some concepts to you about the product. Particularly for very good or bad items, people really like leaving comments about them.

Louis Kwok is a technology geek and video game mega fan. His favorite video game system is Xbox 360. Read more about Xbox 360 HDMI technology and how to choose Xbox 360 HDMI adapter

 

Lesson to Learn From IBM's 120PB Storage System

Word is circulating that IBM is constructing the largest and most elaborate data storage system to date for a yet unknown client. The 120PB storage system, containing 200,000 disk drives, is rumored to hold approximately a trillion files.

Beyond the budget of mere mortals, the colossal data storage system is expected to be a model for future generations of storage systems.

Traditional fans will not provide sufficient cooling for this gigantic system, so IBM has allegedly created a water cooling system to prevent the system from overheating.

The high-performance system is also said to be programmed for minimum to zero data loss, according to IBM. As disk failures occur, the system will automatically rebuild the failed data at a faster speeds than normal. Although IBM chose not to disclose what type of data backup structure the 120PB would use, they did indicate that the 120PB is designed for approximately 1 million years between data loss events.

Although the client has not been revealed, rumors have circulated that the system could be designed to track worldwide weather systems or seismic waves. Either way, this client appears to be keen to the fact that the future of human success depends on computing massive amounts of data. In fact, 15 new petabytes of information are created every day, which is about 8 times more information than in all the libraries in the United States! Data allows us to see trends that would otherwise be buried under insurmountable piles of 1s and 0s.

What can you learn from the IBM 120PB? Data growth is the future. Inside your business data are the possible answers to your next cost problem and marketing strategy. The trick is deciding how to effectively store and compute that data.

You may not need 120PB of storage capacity, but expansion of your current storage array may be necessary. How can you follow the model of this data giant?

How do you expand your system, store more information, and accommodate new data demands without exceeding budget limitations?

Used storage is the solution for many enterprises that need to expand their current data storage system. Enterprises that deploy used storage hardware solutions experience up to 60-70% savings and find that they can purchase 150-200% more storage.

Despite the lure of extensive savings, some enterprises are hesitant to deploy used storage hardware solutions because they don't have all the information. Here are some common myths about used storage:

1. USED STORAGE SYSTEMS ARE OLD - FALSE. Many vendors provide used storage equipment that is either current or N-1 generation. Much of the equipment is newer than gear in your data center today.

2. USED STORAGE EQUIPMENT IS FAULTY - FALSE. A reliable used storage vendor never resells "broken" or "repaired" equipment. Repeat customers demand reliable equipment backed by warranty, and reliable storage companies know that.

3. USED GEAR ISN'T FOR ME - FALSE. As soon as equipment is installed in your environment, it's "used" gear. A reliable storage vendor offers equipment equally reliable as your own datacenter.

The following storage systems and upgrades are available at 30-50% less than manufacturer prices:

Used EMC Storage Arrays, Upgrades, and Disk Drives

Used IBM Storage Arrays, Upgrades, and Disk Drives

Used NetApp Storage Arrays, Upgrades, and Disk Drives

Reliable vendors like Reliant Technology develop cost saving solutions for large and small enterprises, and provide service and support before and after the purchase. To get the additional storage you need while experiencing 60-70% cost savings, consider a used storage hardware solution from Reliant Technology.

Need help planning or additional information? Talk to a dedicated Reliant Storage Specialist today to get expert advice and ensure you have the storage you need at a price you can afford.

Kari Fuller is a Marketing Coordinator at Reliant Technology. The industry leader in the delivery of alternative data storage hardware solutions, Reliant Technology offers a full slate of hardware, software, experience and expertise to meet your storage needs today, tomorrow and into the future. For more information, please visit the Reliant Technology website or call 877.227.0828.

 

6 Things to Look Out for When Purchasing a New Processor for a Desktop Computer

The processor is one of the most important parts of a computer. It behaves like the "brain" of the computer, sorting out information. Every key stoke, click or command is processed by the CPU (Computer Processing Unit) and sorted, sending resources to different components in order to fulfill your instruction. When selecting a desktop computer the better the processor, the better the performance

Here are the two main factors to consider when buying a new processor

1. Number of cores 
Since the mid 2000's, Computer processors now contain multiple processing cores. The definition of a multicore CPU is a processor with two or more independent cores that read and execute program instructions. To use an example, a standard single core processor is like a single lane road and a multiple core processor is like a motorway, allowing information to be processed faster without any congestion (or information waiting to be processed). The more cores your processor has, the faster your computer. At the moment, there are many processor out there which have 2, 4 or 6 cores such as the Intel I-Core and the AMD Phenom ranges.

2. Clock Speed 
The clock speed (Measured in gigahertz) is the rate which a computer processor executes instructions. When selecting a new processor, the higher the speed, the faster the processor will perform. Most processor's on the market today generally range between 2GHz to 3GHz. Apart from the number of cores in the processor, the clock speed is the most important thing to look out for when shopping for a new processor.

Other things to consider

1. Hyper Threading 
Hyper threading is an Intel technology which increases the performance of each processing core by allowing the Operating system (of the computer) to use two virtual processors per core. This technology, like Multicore processing, has been developed to improve the performance of the processor when doing multiple tasks at once. Buying a CPU with this technology may run between 15-30% faster (according to Intel). Hyper Threading is available on the latest range of Intel processors such as the I-core range.

2. Cache Size 
A computer processor cache is used to reduce the average time to access memory. Like RAM (Random Access Memory, another component in the computer) the cache stores copies of data most frequently used by the processor to speed up the time it takes to process instructions. The larger the CPU cache, the more information the processor can access quicker meaning a faster computer.

3. Socket type 
When buying a new processor for an upgrade or a new build, you will need to pay attention to the socket type to allow it to fit inside your motherboard. For each brand or range of CPU, it will use a specific socket type that will match the mother board to allow it to fit and work correctly. This information can be found on the product spec on the processor and motherboard. Buying a processor with a different socket style to the mother board (and visa versa) will leave you with something you wont be able to use.

4. Overclocking 
Overclocking is the process of increasing the work load capability's of a computer processor to improve performance. Popular with gamers, overclocking is achieved by altering the computer bios to tell the processor to faster than the manufactures deem recommended. One disadvantage of overclocking your computer can be the increased heat out put of your processor. To ensure you don't damage your computer, you will need improved cooling and ventilation inside the case to ensure the CPU doesn't exceed to recommended operating temperature (set out by the manufacture). You also might void the warranty with the CPU manufacture.

To conclude, when looking to buy a new computer processor, you will need to consider the points above. While all of the information above is relevant, the most important factors to consider are amount of number of cores and the clock speed of the processor. If you look for a processor with multiple cores and a high clock speed, you will be sure to buy a decent CPU