3. What are the differences between the different versions of HDMI?
Since its inception in 2002, there have been no less than five versions of HDMI. Below is a brief summary of the developments pertaining to each new version of HDMI. We don't expect everybody to immediately grasp the technical nature of the terminology used, however, it does describe the differences clearly and concisely.
HDMI 1.0 Released December 2002.
- Single-cable digital audio/video connection with a maximum bitrate of 4.9 Gbit/s. Supports up to 165Mpixels/s video (1080p60 Hz or UXGA) and 8-channel/192 kHz/24-bit audio.
HDMI 1.1 Released May 2004.
- Added support for DVD Audio.
HDMI 1.2 Released August 2005.
- Added support for One Bit Audio, used on Super Audio CDs, up to 8 channels.
- Availability of HDMI Type A connector for PC sources.
- Ability for PC sources to use native RGB colour-space while retaining the option to support the YCbCr CE colour space.
- Requirement for HDMI 1.2 and later displays to support low-voltage sources.
HDMI 1.2a Released December 2005.
- Fully specifies Consumer Electronic Control (CEC) features, command sets, and CEC compliance tests.
HDMI 1.3 Released 22 June, 2006.
- Increases single-link bandwidth to 340 MHz (10.2 Gbit/s)
- Optionally supports 30-bit, 36-bit, and 48-bit xvYCC with Deep Colour or over one billion colours, up from 24-bit sRGB or YCbCr in previous versions.
- Incorporates automatic audio syncing (lip sync) capability.
- Supports output of Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio streams for external decoding by AV receivers. TrueHD and DTS-HD are lossless audio codec formats used on HD DVDs and Blu-ray Discs. If the disc player can decode these streams into uncompressed audio, then HDMI 1.3 is not necessary, as all versions of HDMI can transport uncompressed audio.
- Availability of a new mini connector for devices such as camcorders.
HDMI 1.3a Released: 10 November, 2006.
- Cable and Sink modifications for Type C
- Source termination recommendation
- Removed undershoot and maximum rise/fall time limits.
- CEC capacitance limits changed
- RGB video quantization range clarification
- CEC commands for timer control brought back in an altered form, audio control commands added.
- Concurrently released compliance test specification included.
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