So, you know how you have your TV, and your soundbar, and your streaming stick? They all talk to each other, right? And they do it through this cable – HDMI. But did you ever stop to think who owns that cable? It’s not just some random company.

The HDMI Club

Apparently, it’s a company, but a weird one. It’s like a club. A bunch of electronics companies – Sony, Panasonic, Philips, Toshiba… you name a big brand that makes TVs or anything connected to your entertainment system, they’re probably in this club. They all got together back in 2002, because, back then, there wasn’t really a single, good way to get audio and video from one thing to another. You had these different connectors – VGA, DVI, RCA… it was a mess.

A Standard was Born

So, they created HDMI. And they made it a standard. And to make sure nobody stole their idea, they created this licensing system. Basically, if you want to make a TV or a streaming device that uses HDMI, you have to pay a fee. It’s like a toll booth for technology. These companies – they call themselves “HDMI adopters” – they pay annual fees and royalties to keep using the HDMI trademark and the technology. It’s a lot of money, I imagine.

Impressive Numbers

It’s kind of wild to think about. They’re talking about 1,900+ brands using it. And they’re estimating that, as of January 2026, about 14 billion devices are using HDMI. That’s… a lot of cables. Seriously, 14 billion. It’s like, “Wow, people really like watching Netflix.”

HDMI Evolves

They’ve upgraded it a few times, too. HDMI 2.2, which came out at CES 2025, is supposed to handle, like, 16K video. That’s… intense. You know, you replace your old HDMI cable, and you’re not just getting a better cable, you’re supporting this whole system.

A Universal Standard

It’s just… a weird, complicated way to do things. But it seems to have worked. It’s created this one standard that everyone uses. And it’s used for everything – Roku, Fire TV, game consoles, soundbars… it’s everywhere.

A Shifting Perspective

So, I don’t know. Maybe I’ll pick privacy. Ask me again next week, I might change my mind.