Published Apr 25, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT Hamlin has been in the tech field for over seven years. Since 2017, his work has appeared on MakeUseOf , OSXDaily, Beebom, MashTips, and more. He served as the Senior Editor for MUO for two years before joining XDA. He uses a Windows PC for desktop use and a MacBook for traveling, but dislikes some of the quirks of macOS. You're more likely to catch him at the gym or on a flight than anywhere else. HDMI first launched in 2002 with one goal in mind: to eliminate the need to rely on multiple separate cables for video and audio. For years, it delivered exactly that. We didn't have to worry about compatibility, bandwidth limits, or feature checklists. As long as your device had an HDMI port, almost any cable would've done the job — but that simplicity is long gone now. When you look at TVs, monitors, consoles, and streaming devices these days, you quickly realize that not all HDMI ports are equally capable .…