If you think that you
are up to date with technology and trendy simply because you use Bluetooth,
HDMI cables, and other similar, fashionable tech goodies, think twice. Unless
you happen to have the latest version, or at least a reasonably recent one,
these devices, cables, software apps, and tools, may not be performing at their
best. What really hurts is that the difference between versions, in terms of
convenience, performance, and functionality, may be huge.
اضافة اعلان
Bluetooth is an
amazing invention. From letting you connect to your car audio system to make
calls, to connecting headphones, or streaming your phone or laptop’s
audio-visual content to your smart
TV — all of that wirelessly of course — the
scope of application is wide and most of us have become accustomed to it. Who
does not use Bluetooth at least once a day?
There are; however,
significant differences between Bluetooth version 4, which goes back to 2010
and is the most commonly found, and the very latest version 5 (2016). In
between you find versions 4.1 and 4.2.
The obvious
differences involve speed of transmission and coverage range. These have been
increased tenfold — not a minor improvement. Just as important to the user, if
not more, are functionalities like better two-way communication, indication of
the battery level of a connected device, the ability to connect multiple
devices, (especially speakers), an acknowledgement of the connected device
name, brand, and model, the ability to remember past devices and their
settings, and so forth.
If smartphones are the
devices that get updated with the newer versions of Bluetooth faster than other
devices, then other, usually more expensive equipment, move slowly towards new
versions. Cars, smart TV sets, and audio amplifiers for example, are often a
little behind. Your new phone may support Bluetooth 5 but not your not-so-old
car that could still be on Bluetooth 4. Understandably, you would get yourself
a new smartphone more often than a new car. At least this applies to most
common mortals!
As is always the case
with technology, to make full use of the latest version of Bluetooth, both
connected devices must have the same version; it is the time-honored principle
of compatibility. If your car audio is still on Bluetooth 4 and your smartphone
has Bluetooth 5, Bluetooth 4 functionality is what you will get.
An example of a
problem that users encounter: when connecting a pair of Bluetooth 4 headphones
to a smart TV also fitted with Bluetooth 4 to listen to the audio track while
simultaneously watching a program on the screen, you will probably experience a
lack of synchronization between the sound and the image. You will see the lips
on the screen moving slightly before you hear the words through the headphones.
Solve the problem by moving to Bluetooth 5 equipped headphones and TV and enjoy
perfect sync.
It is a painful and
expensive operation to keep racing to be sure you have the latest version for
all your devices. Most of us are unable to keep up with the trend 100 percent.
We just settle for a compromise.
HDMI cables, now the
most widely used standard to interconnect digital devices for sound and image,
are following down the same path. Whereas the standard version 2 and its
sub-versions, which date back to 2013-2016, are still commonly found, HDMI 2.1
cables ensure proper transmission of 4K images, can manage repeated connections
and disconnection in a smarter way, and ensure better latency, which is the
time required for signals to synchronize. It is expressed in milliseconds; the
lower the better.
HDMI 2.1 cables have
been around for three years already but strangely are not found in all retail
shops in Amman. And yet, they matter a lot, not only to watch 4K movies, but
also to enjoy quality high-definition computer screen images when you connect
your laptop to a large TV, something that most people do these days for work
and meeting remotely. Small font text and Excel sheets, in particular, become
sharper and easier to read when using HDMI 2.1.
Contrary to Bluetooth,
where buying newer equipment may be expensive, getting an HDMI 2.1 cable is
not, for all you have is to buy, well … cables.
Keeping up is a
frantic race that hardly lets you catch your breath.
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