HDMI v1.4: Coming Eventually...Probably...

First I was told during my briefing in mid-April that I couldn’t publicly discuss the HDMI v1.4 specification until 5AM PT on April 28. On April 23, I found out that the press embargo had been pushed out until 5AM PT on May 14, due to delays in formal specification approval. And (you guessed it) on May 12, I was told of another push-out…"it looks like the new embargo date is likely going to be May 26 (the day after Memorial Day)." Apparently, however, Engadget and Gizmodo weren’t interested in following the rules…

Finally, on the evening of Memorial Day, I was given the green light to share the news with you this evening. Check that…some of the news. The v1.4 specification still isn’t officially approved by the HDMI Founders (Hitachi, Panasonic, Philips, Sony, Thomson, Toshiba and Silicon Image)…this is a preview unveiling. I’ve been promised that formal specification approval will occur no later than June 30, but given the track record to date, I’m not holding my breath (and I suggest you don’t, either).

Whenever that day comes, I’ll have a few more entertaining stories to share with you. For now, however, here’s what I can tell you:

• HDMI v1.4 adds bidirectional Ethernet data channel support, but requires new cabling in order to accomplish this enhancement. The concept is interesting; a LAN-connected A/V receiver could also act as an Ethernet switch, subsequently distributing network connectivity to HDMI-tethered peripherals such as displays and Blu-ray players without need for incremental cabling, integrated network transceivers, etc. I’m far less enthralled with Silicon Image’s associated LiquidHD protocol for network discovery and capability identification, first unveiled at January’s CES. Granted, UPnP AV and DLNA currently aren’t perfect panaceas by any means, but wouldn’t the industry be better served by focusing on improving what already exists versus by further fragmenting the solution space?
• HDMI v1.4 also supports an audio return channel. I can also see clear advantage to this enhancement; for example, if a consumer’s LCD TV has a built-in ATSC tuner, he or she could route the decoded audio back to the A/V receiver for playback over a surround speaker set, instead of through the TV’s built-in inferior transducers.
• As I’ve recently noted, 3-D content is rapidly heading to the home, delivered both by Internet sources and by physical media such as Blu-ray discs. HDMI v1.4 has preliminary support for numerous 3-D display approaches (full side-by-side, half side-by-side, frame alternative, field alternative, line alternative, left + depth, and left + depth + graphics + graphics depth); a pragmatic plethora considering the immature state of the technology.
• Additional resolution/frame rate support options (with up to 4x the resolution of 1080p) include 3840×2160 pixels at 24, 25, and 30 Hz, and 4096×2160 pixels at 30 Hz
• Real-time content recognition and calibration claims to enable a video source to dynamically and automatically optimize a tethered display’s settings without need for any user intervention
• HDMI v1.4 supports additional color spaces specific to digital still camera image playback applications: sYCC601, AdobeRGB, and AdobeYCC601
• The HDMI Founders organization has also augmented the existing standard and mini connector specifications with two new interfaces; micro (roughly half the size of mini, but still a 19-pin design supporting 1080p resolutions), and an automotive-optimized system with interlocking connections and a generally more robust design that’s tolerant of this particular environment’s added vibration and temperature (both absolute and variation over time) characteristics.

More cable details direct from the source; here are the five available options as of HDMI v1.4:

• Standard HDMI Cable – supports data rates up to 1080i/60; [editor note: this is what’s sold today]
• High Speed HDMI Cable – supports data rates beyond 1080p, including Deep Color and all 3D formats of the new 1.4 specification;
• Standard HDMI Cable with Ethernet – includes Ethernet connectivity;
• High Speed HDMI Cable with Ethernet – includes Ethernet connectivity;
• Automotive HDMI Cable – allows the connection of external HDMI-enabled devices to an in-vehicle HDMI device.

This diversity will likely make ‘premium’ cable manufacturers quite happy. Alas, this diversity also likely means that consumers won’t be able to find ‘High Speed HDMI Cables With Ethernet’ in 6-foot lengths selling for $9 in three-packs any time soon…

Stay tuned for additional details on June 30…maybe…