For anyone that grew up during the age in which television playback included VCR's, they probably remember those wonderful multi-colored audio/video cables that required four different plugs on each end. Those types of cables represent how audio and visual data got from your device to the TV.
For their time, those cables certainly got the job done. The problem is that now most movies contain 7.1 speaker surround sound audio and video resolutions frequently in the 4k range. To carry that much data efficiently, HDMI was created.
According to MakeTechEasier, HDMI allows for that high-fidelity audio and high-resolution video to be sent over the same cable and creates a standard platform that makes connections between computers and televisions much easier than in the past. What's more, HDMI also carries something called "control data." This data allows your gaming system or Blu-Ray player to wake your TV up and lets your home entertainment system work better together.
