HDMI 1.4 Specification Features
HDMI 1.4 Specification Features
- Released May 28, 2009.
- HDMI Ethernet Channel - The HDMI 1.4 specification adds a data channel to the HDMI connection, enabling high-speed, bi-directional communication. Connected devices that include this feature can send and receive data via 100 Mb/sec Ethernet, making them instantly ready for any IP-based application. The HDMI Ethernet Channel allows internet-enabled HDMI devices to share an internet connection via the HDMI link, with no need for a separate Ethernet cable. It also provides the connection platform that will allow HDMI-enabled components to share content between devices.
- Audio Return Channel - The new specification adds an audio channel that will reduce the number of cables required to deliver audio “upstream” from a TV to an A/V receiver for processing and playback. In cases where a TV features an internal content source, such as a built-in tuner or DVD player, the Audio Return Channel allows the TV to send audio data upstream to the A/V receiver via the HDMI cable, eliminating the need for an extra cable.
- 3D Over HDMI - The 1.4 version of the specification defines common 3D formats and resolutions for HDMI-enabled devices, enabling 3D gaming and other 3D video applications. The specification standardizes the input/output portion of the home 3D system, facilitating 3D resolutions up to dual-stream 1080p.
- 4K x 2K Resolution Support - The new specification enables HDMI devices to support extremely high HD resolutions, effectively four times the resolution of a 1080p device. Support for 4K x 2K allows the HDMI interface to transmit digital content at the same resolution as the state-of-the-art Digital Cinema systems used in many movie theaters.
- Expanded Support for Color Spaces - HDMI now supports color spaces designed specifically for digital still cameras, enabling more accurate color rendering when viewing digital photos. By supporting sYCC601, Adobe®RGB, and Adobe®YCC601, HDMI display devices are capable of displaying more accurate, life-like colors when connected to a digital camera.
- HDMI Micro Connector (Type D) - The HDMI Micro Connector is a significantly smaller 19-pin HDMI connector supporting up to 1080p resolutions for portable devices such as cell phones, portable media players, and digital cameras. This new connector is approximately 50% smaller than the size of the existing HDMI Mini connector.
- Automotive Connection System (Type E) - The Automotive Connection System is a cabling specification designed to be used for in-vehicle HD content distribution. The HDMI 1.4 specification provides a solution designed to meet the rigors and environmental issues commonly found in automobiles, such as heat, vibration and noise. Using the Automotive Connection System, car manufacturers now have a viable solution for HD distribution within a vehicle.
Connectors
There are four HDMI connector types. Type A and Type B are defined in the HDMI 1.0 specification, Type C is defined in the HDMI 1.3 specification, and Type D is defined in the HDMI 1.4 specification.- Type A - This is the most common type of HDMI connector found in consumer electronics. It has nineteen pins, with bandwidth to support all SDTV, EDTV, and HDTV modes. The plug's outside dimensions are 13.9 mm × 4.45 mm. Type A is electrically compatible with single-link DVI-D.
- Type B - This connector (21.2 mm × 4.45 mm) has 29 pins and can carry double the video bandwidth of Type A, for use with very high-resolution future displays such as WQUXGA (3840×2400). Type B is electrically compatible with dual-link DVI-D, but has not yet been used in any products.
- Type C - A miniconnector, it is intended for portable devices. It is smaller than the Type A connector (10.42 mm × 2.42 mm) but has the same 19-pin configuration. While the number of pins is the same, the signal assignment is different because of the different shielding requirements, due to the signals' being in a single row. The Type C miniconnector can be connected to a Type A connector using a Type A-to-Type C cable.
- Type D - A miniconnector defined in the HDMI 1.4 specification, it keeps the standard 19 pins of Types A and C but shrinks the connector size to something resembling a micro-USB connector. The Type D connector is 2.8 mm × 6.4 mm, whereas the Type C connector is 3.2 mm × 11.2 mm; for comparison, a micro-USB connector is 2.94 mm × 7.8 mm.