HDMI 1.4? Not anymore!

From 18th November 2010, cable manufacturers can no longer describe cables as HDMI 1.4, 1.3 or using any other version number or compliance test specification indication.

The changes, announced some time ago, come into effect today, and mean manufacturers must now remove all references to those numbers from their products and packaging, not to mention no longer using them in promotion.

From now on, there are just five descriptions allowed, and these are mandatory on both cables and packaging:

- Standard HDMI Cable

- Standard HDMI Cable with Ethernet

- Standard Automotive HDMI Cable

- High Speed HDMI Cable

- High Speed HDMI Cable with Ethernet

HDMI Licensing says that "In order to enforce the cable market and ensure that only compliant HDMI cables are sold in the market, HDMI Licensing, LLC has been working with Custom and Border Protection agencies in the US, Europe and China.

These agencies will evaluate imported and exported HDMI cable products based on their compliance with all aspects of the Adopter Agreement including these latest marketing requirements."

This blog has been created by cable-shop.co.uk a trading name of Synergy Sound and Vision LTD. Established in 2001, cable-shop.co.uk is an online retailer of quality hi-fi and home cinema cables. The opinions expressed in all our blog posts are those of the company only, and are provided purely as an information source. For help and advice on buying or choosing the right cable(s) for your particular needs, please visit our website.

What is HDMI?

HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is a global standard for connecting high-definition consumer electronics and computer products. It's an all digital method for transmitting un-compressed video and audio (including multi-channel surround sound) down a single cable.

According to HDMI Licensing LLC's own website (http://www.hdmi.org/) some 229 million HDMI-enabled devices shipped in 2008, and approximately 300 million in 2009. By the end of 2010 it is projected that there will be over 1 billion HDMI devices in the market which feature at least 1 HDMI port.

So what does an HDMI cable look like?

Here you can see a picture of an HDMI cable. This particular one is the QED Performance HDMI cable. Like many HDMI cables the cable itself is round. Several manufacturers also produce "flat" HDMI cables, van den Hul and Wireworld being two popular brands who make flat HDMI cables.

Aren't all HDMI cables basically the same?

This is a question that has been subject to much debate. The basic argument being that as the cable is carrying a digital signal, it will either work or it won't. The argument goes as far as to suggest that providing that an HDMI cable transmits a picture and sound to the other end, a more expensive cable will make no difference whatsoever.

Whilst this blog is perhaps not the place to answer this question definitively once and for all, there are a few points we can make to counter this argument.

Firstly length is a key factor when it comes to HDMI cables, as is bandwidth. Without getting in to too much detail in this article (there are plenty or articles out there on the web that do) bandwidth refers to the resolution (e.g. 1080p), frequency (e.g. 60Hz) and colour depth (e.g. 8-bit) of the video signal being transmitted. The higher the bandwidth requirement of the signal being sent between devices, the better the cable needs to be to handle it. Take a look at the table on this page. As you will see, it shows the results from the industry standard "eye-pattern" test for HDMI cables, of several cables, of varying lengths, with different levels of bandwidth. This table clearly shows that not all HDMI cables are the same. Length and bandwidth both have an impact on whether an HDMI cable is capable of carrying a particular signal or not.

This at least shows that there are differences, however it still doesn't answer the question of whether providing that 2 cables pass the "eye pattern" test , and therefore work, are there actually any discernible differences in their performance? Well the hi-fi press certainly seem to think so, but again some argue that they have a hidden agenda and can't just say "all HDMI cables are the same" or they'll lose valuable advertising revenue.

In our opinion, there are differences. Several manufacturers that we deal with make a range of cables, good, better, best if you will. Now the cost of doing the necessary R&D, tooling, packaging, marketing etc for 3 types of HDMI cables is significantly more than just 1. So why not just make 1 HDMI cable that handles all bandwidth requirements over all lengths (subject to a maximum length obviously)? Because there are differences in performance, higher grade materials, better conductors, better shielding etc. all go towards improving the performance.

One thing that we sugest you keep in mind before pulling out your wallet and splashing out £200 on a 1.0m HDMI cable though is, does your kit warrant it? If you've just popped down to your nearest high street national electrical retailer, spoken to a guy who's had about an hour's worth of training on how to sell TVs, and home cinema kit, and walked out with a 50" LCD TV, and an all in one Blu-Ray home cinema system for £800 (after politely saying "no" to the £250 extended warranty of course!), chances are a £200 1.0m HDMI cable is not going to be the right thing for you! However if you have bought some high-end kit which has cost you what some would spend on a brand new car, then do you really want to scrimp on the accessories such as cables, and not get the most out of your purchase? Would you buy a new BMW and then ask the dealer to supply it with a set of the cheapest tyres money could buy?

This blog has been created by cable-shop.co.uk a trading name of Synergy Sound and Vision LTD. Established in 2001, cable-shop.co.uk is an online retailer of quality hi-fi and home cinema cables. The opinions expressed in all our blog posts are those of the company only, and are provided purely as an information source. For help and advice on buying or choosing the right cable(s) for your particular needs, please visit our website.