EXACTLY. So how is HDMI of any use? It sounds at the start like it is some kind of savior, but details like this mean that it can only be used in simple stand-alone systems.

To put it negatively, in a way that shows how it will affect the pocketbook of the manufacture who uses it, this hifalutin connection method guarantees that I can only use these products in simpler, less sophisticated systems. When my client wants the expensive whole-house audio plus HD image system, this approach is trash.

This is EXACTLY the problem with expensive components that don't have discrete commands. Some of the early high-priced projectors come to mind. I would not use them because I could not make the video switching disappear from the client's point of view, so these expensive products were not usable in systems with expensive control systems. And don't get me started on getting around this with JVC D-ILA by using RS-232!