The Evolution of the HDMI Standard
A Technology Standard in Motion (HDMI version 1.0 to today)

Innovation in HDMI™ connectivity is, of course, a good thing. It ensures HDMI™ equipped AV equipment and cables will support the newest, most exciting advances in HDTV and Home Theater technology, from 1080p video with 12-bit Deep Color? to lossless uncompressed Dolby® True HD or DTS-HD? surround sound.
Unfortunately, updates to the High Definition Multimedia Interface specification have also caused customer confusion, as well as performance incompatibilities between AV components and HDMI™ cables. While new HDMI™ cables are backwards compatible with early versions of the High Definition Multimedia Interface specification, first-generation HDMI™ cables generally do not have the bandwidth required for the most cutting-edge features in new HDTVs and HD sources.
Deep Color is a good example, now available in HDTVs from a number of major manufacturers, including Sony (Bravia) and Toshiba (Regza), among others. If your HDMI™ cable isn't HDMI 1.3a, Category 2 compliant, you won't experience this advanced color feature, boasting color depth from 16 million colors to billions of colors , for more lifelike imaging with deeper blacks and more natural skin tones.
HDMI 1.0 | HDMI 1.1 | HDMI 1.2 | HDMI 1.3 |
---|---|---|---|
Initial Specification | Added support for DVD Audio | Added support for SACD Audio |
Increases bandwidth to 10.2Gbps (340Mhz) |
Permitted PC applications to use only RGB color space | Offers support for 16-bit color, increased refresh rates (ex. 120Hz), support for 1440p/WQXGA resolutions | ||
Supported low-voltage (AC-coupled sources) in PCs | Supports xvYCC color space standard | ||
Adds mini connector | |||
Adds support for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio standards |