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New HDMI 1.4 standard now with Ethernet support |
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Thursday, 14 May 2009 |
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| The HDMI Licensing group unveiled an updated specification for the High Definition Multimedia Interface. Highlights of the new specification, consist of a new data channel that can replace a hardwired Ethernet connection, support for a return audio stream & enhancements to the way content is displayed & transferred around the home. |
The HDMI Ethernet Channel (HEC) feature of the 1.4 specification will enable data transfers of up to 100 Mbps between supported connected devices. HDMI Licensing President Steve Venuti provided an example, describing a broadband-connected television using its HEC-enabled HDMI port to provide Internet connection sharing with another HEC-enabled device such as a game console or DVR. Future HEC applications may also include device-to-device content distribution within the home environment.
HEC functionality with supporting products will require the use of a new HDMI cable design that replaces currently unused wires within a HDMI cable with a twisted pair wire structure to improve reliability of the data transfer. Venuti also indicated that the new HEC-enabled HDMI cables will be graded into two levels of performance: low- and high-data rate.
The DTV tuners in modern HDTVs stream broadcast audio to external amplifiers using an optical digital audio connection, and HDMI 1.4's Audio Return Channel (ARC) feature can eliminate this additional audio connection by incorporating the ARC functionality into existing HDMI cables— unlike HEC, ARC is expected to work with existing HDMI cable technology. ARC will support all current lossy audio formats, including Dolby Digital, but not high bit rate lossless formats such as the DTS HD Master Audio or Dolby TrueHD formats that are featured in many Blu-ray movies.
HDMI 1.4's Automatic Content Enhancement (ACE) feature encapsulates a variety of forward-looking features with properly enabled devices, including support for future 3D video standards, increased resolution support (up to 4,096-by-2,160 pixels at up to 30 Hz), and content recognition that promises to automatically optimize the TV's picture settings based on content type—this last item seems very similar to THX's Media Director technology (codenamed Blackbird) .
Another feature of the HDMI 1.4 spec is support for color spaces commonly associated with digital still cameras for improved picture accuracy when using an HDTV as a display device. Also announced was a micro HDMI connector that utilizes the same wire count as standard HDMI cables enabling up to 1080p video support for a variety of portable electronic devices.
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