HDMI and Microphone

[VC-1]

This posting might be in the wrong thread but I wonder if a microphone with an HDMI socket can be plugged into the HDMI socket of a Laptop and be used to record audio?
Tnx in advance.

 

[JerryMungo]

This posting might be in the wrong thread but I wonder if a microphone with an HDMI socket can be plugged into the HDMI socket of a Laptop and be used to record audio?
Tnx in advance.

No reason why not. You might just need to specify it as the preferred audio device as Windows doesn't always make that change I've discovered.

 

[Barry]

I am really surprised that you talk about a microphone with an HDMI output. Do you have a model or is this a hypothetical?

The HDMI standard has become so closely tied to HDCP (an Intel copy(right) protection mechanism) that there has been very little interest from manufacturers to use the protocol for recording purposes. I speak subject to correction but my understanding is that this is largely driven in order to support Blu-Ray playback which mandates HDCP implementation.

On my mac mini (mid 2011) running Lion 10.7.2 the HDMI port is only supported as an output device at OS level. I would thus not be able to record from the HDMI input using programs such as Logic, Audacity or FCP that rely on the OS to recognise the hardware.

Support of USB microphones is however now widespread and mainstream and offers the benefits and pitfalls that accompany digital audio interfaces.

 

[VC-1]

@ Barry
This is a hypothetical one as I wish to use digital inputs as opposed to analog 3.5 jack plug. I will try the USB type instead.
Thanks

 

[JerryMungo]

I am really surprised that you talk about a microphone with an HDMI output. Do you have a model or is this a hypothetical?

The HDMI standard has become so closely tied to HDCP (an Intel copy(right) protection mechanism) that there has been very little interest from manufacturers to use the protocol for recording purposes. I speak subject to correction but my understanding is that this is largely driven in order to support Blu-Ray playback which mandates HDCP implementation.

On my mac mini (mid 2011) running Lion 10.7.2 the HDMI port is only supported as an output device at OS level. I would thus not be able to record from the HDMI input using programs such as Logic, Audacity or FCP that rely on the OS to recognise the hardware.

Support of USB microphones is however now widespread and mainstream and offers the benefits and pitfalls that accompany digital audio interfaces.

My TV supports HDMI as an audio / video input source. Of course it's all hypothetical.

 

[Barry]

My TV supports HDMI as an audio / video input source. Of course it's all hypothetical.

SaladCharger what you say is typical of modern TV sets and home theatre systems. HDMI can support 7.1 uncompressed high definition audio bidirectionally (using "return" audio). So the HDMI protocol is certainly theoretically a very capable audio transport solution!

The issue is with the copy protection that usually accompanies HDMI. Please recall the OP wants to record not only reproduce audio so my comments about the mac are illustrative of the kind of real world reluctance of manufacturers to get entangled in HDCP recording implementations. A search for "USB microphone" at http://www.sweetwater.com/ (a major on-line music shop) returns 24 results whilst a search for "HDMI microphone" returns 0.

It thus has been my observation that the audio potential of HDMI is not well supported in the recording environment . In the home theatre arena it is as you say ubiquitous and mostly serving us well.