JoeInBH

Short answer is that HDMI does NOT make DVI obsolete.

HDMI is an interface that covers both video and audio. It's the type of "standard" that usually dies before going anywhere, but if it prevails in the marketplace it will facilitate the transfer of enormous amounts of information between home theater components (TV, STB, HD-DVD, etc.).

HDMI is a separate interface from DVI, contrary to many people's understanding. To enjoy the full benefits of HDMI, each of your components must be equipped with a HDMI connection (currently no components I know of, including TV's, have this connection). It is built off of the DVI interface (an identical connection jack) and is intended to be 100% backward compatable. In other words, your STB can output HDMI, and your DVI equipped set will be able to accept the signal from your STB (additional audio connections will likely be necessary, as would not be the case if your TV was equipped with HDMI). The DVI and HDMI connections will look the same, and operate fine together, but the signal transfer will be limited to DVI (i.e. less bandwidth and no audio capabilities).

Basically, the industry rushed to get DVI (the future of which is itself in doubt) out into the marketplace. HDMI is the ideal interface that manufacturers are working towards, but will probably not show up on sets for at least a couple of years.

HDMI holds promise, but its not something worth waiting for, especially considering the full backwards compatability with DVI. If you would wait for HDMI, you're someone who will refuse to buy a car for 5-10 years because you want a hydrogen fuel cell car, an operating prototype of which GM unveiled a month ago. And by the time HDMI is available, there will probably be several more potential standards in the development pipeline.

For a more exhaustive explanation of HDMI, visit www.hdmi.org.

So although DVI might become a dinosaur, it will continue to work as intended - to digitally transfer video. As 57 stated, whether DVI itself is worth paying an extra $1000 for is something you've got to decide. How much is $1000 worth to you?

Joe