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HDMI versions
- Thread starter Dolby
- Start date
arf9999
MyBroadband Member
Some of the changes are hardware reliant, but most are software. It all depends on the hardware concerned.
Dolby
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So I'm right in saying it's not a massive drawback if a component is HDMI v1.0 - as some features (such as pass through of DVD-Audio and SACD data streams) can simply be added?
Are the physical cables identical? You'd never know what the version is unless checking specs?
Are the physical cables identical? You'd never know what the version is unless checking specs?
Dolby
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Judging by this, the HDMI v1.0 to 1.2 is not large at all. http://www.prillaman.net/hdmi_faq.html
B. What's with all the versions?
1. Version 1.0
HDMI v1.0 was the original format, released in December 2002. It took DVI's video signal format and added in the ability to carry a Dolby Digital or DTS bitstream or only two channels of PCM audio (48kHz, 24-bit). The two-channel PCM restriction worked fine for connections between cable/satellite receivers or DVD players and a stand-alone HDTV (which only supported two channels of audio) but it wouldn't be able to support the new audio formats that were slated to accompany HD optical discs (HD-DVD and Blu-ray). Adoption of HDMI v1.0 was sluggish, as DVI-HDCP had a headstart in the market. It didn't help that HDMI shares DVI's cable length restriction – anything more than about 15 meters violates the specification and is likely to require either a booster or a conversion to fiber optic.
2. Version 1.1
It was with Version 1.1 (released in May 2004) that HDMI was finally able to make a compelling argument for superceding DVI-HDCP. HDMI could now carry multichannel PCM audio (eight channels at 192kHz, 24-bit) in addition to Dolby Digital and DTS compressed bitstreams. Version 1.1 also added support for passing the bitstream data from DVD-Audio discs, which previously had to be decoded inside the player and output as six channels of analog or passed as a bitstream through IEEE-1394 (also called FireWire or iLink, a connection type that never saw widespread adoption).
3. Version 1.2
HDMI v1.2 was adopted in August 2005 (v1.2a was adopted in December 2005 and added some testing and certification language). The only notable difference between it and v1.1 is support for a DSD (one bit audio) digital bitstream. This means that a player can now send the raw digital signal from an SACD over HDMI to a receiver or processor, eliminating the need for decoding of the DSD signal at the player.
4. Version 1.3
When I initially wrote this HDMI FAQ in early June 2006, I didn't expect to see HDMI release the v1.3 spec before September 2006. Lo and behold, they announced the completion of the spec in mid-June and had officially adopted it by June 22, 2006. We knew that we were getting bitstream support for Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-HD, but there's a lot more to the v1.3 spec than that sought-after change. This addition allows HD-DVD and Blu-ray players to mimic the DVD player's ability to serve solely as a transport (no audio decoding capabilities required), and would once again put all signal decoding and processing in the receiver or surround processor. Doing this will reportedly have some detrimental effects on interactive content for both formats: when the HD-DVD or Blu-ray player handles the decoding (as is the case with v1.1 and v1.2) it will be possible for the player to retrieve streaming Internet content (such as new commentary tracks) and integrate it with the decoded multichannel PCM that is sent to the reciever. That will not be possible when the raw bitstream is output to the receiver
B. What's with all the versions?
1. Version 1.0
HDMI v1.0 was the original format, released in December 2002. It took DVI's video signal format and added in the ability to carry a Dolby Digital or DTS bitstream or only two channels of PCM audio (48kHz, 24-bit). The two-channel PCM restriction worked fine for connections between cable/satellite receivers or DVD players and a stand-alone HDTV (which only supported two channels of audio) but it wouldn't be able to support the new audio formats that were slated to accompany HD optical discs (HD-DVD and Blu-ray). Adoption of HDMI v1.0 was sluggish, as DVI-HDCP had a headstart in the market. It didn't help that HDMI shares DVI's cable length restriction – anything more than about 15 meters violates the specification and is likely to require either a booster or a conversion to fiber optic.
2. Version 1.1
It was with Version 1.1 (released in May 2004) that HDMI was finally able to make a compelling argument for superceding DVI-HDCP. HDMI could now carry multichannel PCM audio (eight channels at 192kHz, 24-bit) in addition to Dolby Digital and DTS compressed bitstreams. Version 1.1 also added support for passing the bitstream data from DVD-Audio discs, which previously had to be decoded inside the player and output as six channels of analog or passed as a bitstream through IEEE-1394 (also called FireWire or iLink, a connection type that never saw widespread adoption).
3. Version 1.2
HDMI v1.2 was adopted in August 2005 (v1.2a was adopted in December 2005 and added some testing and certification language). The only notable difference between it and v1.1 is support for a DSD (one bit audio) digital bitstream. This means that a player can now send the raw digital signal from an SACD over HDMI to a receiver or processor, eliminating the need for decoding of the DSD signal at the player.
4. Version 1.3
When I initially wrote this HDMI FAQ in early June 2006, I didn't expect to see HDMI release the v1.3 spec before September 2006. Lo and behold, they announced the completion of the spec in mid-June and had officially adopted it by June 22, 2006. We knew that we were getting bitstream support for Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-HD, but there's a lot more to the v1.3 spec than that sought-after change. This addition allows HD-DVD and Blu-ray players to mimic the DVD player's ability to serve solely as a transport (no audio decoding capabilities required), and would once again put all signal decoding and processing in the receiver or surround processor. Doing this will reportedly have some detrimental effects on interactive content for both formats: when the HD-DVD or Blu-ray player handles the decoding (as is the case with v1.1 and v1.2) it will be possible for the player to retrieve streaming Internet content (such as new commentary tracks) and integrate it with the decoded multichannel PCM that is sent to the reciever. That will not be possible when the raw bitstream is output to the receiver