
| High-Definition Multimedia Interface | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
||||
| Type | Digital audio/video connector | |||
| Production history | ||||
| Designer | HDMI Founders | |||
| Designed | December 2002 | |||
| Manufacturer | HDMI Adopters | |||
| Produced | 2003-Present | |||
| Specifications | ||||
| Width | Type A (13.9 mm), Type C (10.42 mm) | |||
| Height | Type A (4.45 mm), Type C (2.42 mm) | |||
| Hot pluggable | Yes | |||
| External | Yes | |||
| Audio signal | LPCM, Dolby Digital, DTS, DVD-Audio, Super Audio CD, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio, MPCM | |||
| Video signal | 480i, 480p, 576i, 576p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p, 1440p, 1600p, etc. | |||
| Data signal | Yes | |||
| Bandwidth | 10.2 Gbit/s (340 MHz) | |||
| Protocol | TMDS | |||
| Pins | 19 | |||
| Pin out | ||||
Type A (Female) HDMI |
||||
| Pin 1 | TMDS Data2+ | |||
| Pin 2 | TMDS Data2 Shield | |||
| Pin 3 | TMDS Data2– | |||
| Pin 4 | TMDS Data1+ | |||
| Pin 5 | TMDS Data1 Shield | |||
| Pin 6 | TMDS Data1– | |||
| Pin 7 | TMDS Data0+ | |||
| Pin 8 | TMDS Data0 Shield | |||
| Pin 9 | TMDS Data0– | |||
| Pin 10 | TMDS Clock+ | |||
| Pin 11 | TMDS Clock Shield | |||
| Pin 12 | TMDS Clock– | |||
| Pin 13 | CEC | |||
| Pin 14 | Reserved (N.C. on device) | |||
| Pin 15 | SCL | |||
| Pin 16 | SDA | |||
| Pin 17 | DDC/CEC Ground | |||
| Pin 18 | +5 V Power (max 50 mA) | |||
| Pin 19 | Hot Plug Detect | |||
The High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) is a compact audio/video connector interface for transmitting uncompressed digital streams. It represents a digital alternative to consumer analog standards such as Radio Frequency (RF) coaxial cable, composite video, S-Video, SCART, component video, D-Terminal, and VGA. HDMI connects digital audio/video sources such as set-top boxes, Blu-ray Disc players, personal computers, video game consoles, and AV receivers to compatible digital audio devices, computer monitors, and digital televisions.
HDMI supports, on a single cable, any TV or PC video format including standard, enhanced, and high-definition video along with up to 8 channels of digital audio.[1] It is independent of the various digital television standards such as ATSC and DVB as these are encapsulations of compressed MPEG video streams (which can be decoded and output as uncompressed video stream on HDMI).
HDMI products started shipping in autumn 2003. Over 800 CE and PC companies have adopted the HDMI specification (HDMI Adopters).[2][3][4] HDMI began to appear on consumer HDTV camcorders and digital still cameras in 2006.[5][6][7][8][9] Shipments of HDMI are expected to exceed that of Digital Visual Interface (DVI) in 2008, driven primarily by the Consumer Electronics (CE) Market.[10][11]
Contents |
HDMI supports, on a single cable, any TV or PC video format including standard, enhanced, and high-definition video along with up to 8 channels of digital audio.[1] HDMI encodes the video data into TMDS for uncompressed digital transmission over HDMI.
HDMI devices are manufactured to adhere to various versions of the specification, where each version is given a number such as 1.0, 1.2, or 1.3a.[12] Each subsequent version of the specification uses the same kind of cable but increases the bandwidth and/or capabilities of what can be transmitted over the cable.[12] For example the previous maximum pixel clock rate of HDMI interface was 165 MHz which was sufficient for supporting 1080p at 60 Hz and WUXGA (1920x1200) at 60 Hz. HDMI 1.3 increased that to 340 MHz which allows for higher resolution, such as WQXGA (2560x1600), across a single digital link.[13]
HDMI supports 8 channel uncompressed digital audio at 192 kHz sample rate with 24 bits/sample as well as compressed audio streams such as Dolby Digital and DTS.[14] HDMI supports up to 8 channels of one-bit DSD audio, which is used on Super Audio CDs, at rates up to 4x that of Super Audio CD.[14] With version 1.3, HDMI also supports lossless compressed audio streams such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio.[14]
In the U.S., HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) support is a standard feature on digital TVs while in the PC industry it is becoming more common but still depends on the specific model. The first computer monitors with HDCP support started being released in 2005 and by February 2006 a dozen had been released.[15][16]
The HDMI Founders are Hitachi, Matsushita Electric Industrial (Panasonic/National/Quasar), Philips, Silicon Image, Sony, Thomson (RCA), and Toshiba.[4] Digital Content Protection, LLC (a subsidiary of Intel) provides HDCP for HDMI. HDMI also has the support of motion picture producers Fox, Universal, Warner Bros., and Disney, system operators DirecTV and EchoStar (Dish Network), CableLabs, and Samsung.[17]
HDMI 1.0 development began on April 16, 2002, with the goal of creating an AV connector backward compatible with DVI.[18][19][20] At that time DVI-HDCP (DVI with HDCP) and DVI-HDTV (DVI-HDCP using the CEA-861-B video standard) were being used on HDTVs.[20][21][22] HDMI 1.0 was designed to improve on DVI-HDTV by using a smaller connector and adding support for audio, enhanced support for YCbCr, and CE control functions.[20][21][23][24]
According to In-Stat the number of HDMI devices sold was 5 million in 2004, 17.4 million in 2005, 63 million in 2006, and 143 million in 2007.[25][26][10] HDMI is becoming the de facto standard for HDTVs and according to In-Stat around 90% of digital televisions in 2007 included HDMI.[10][27][28][29][30][31] In-Stat has estimated that 229 million HDMI devices will sell in 2008.[32]
The HDMI specification defines the protocols, signals, electrical interfaces, and mechanical requirements of the standard.[33]
There are three HDMI connector types with Type A and Type B defined since the HDMI 1.0 specification and Type C defined since the HDMI 1.3 specification.
The Type A connector has 19 pins with bandwidth to support all SDTV, EDTV, and HDTV modes.[1] The plug's outside dimensions are 13.9 mm wide by 4.45 mm high.[34] Type A is electrically compatible with single link DVI-D.[35]
The Type B connector has 29 pins (21.2 mm by 4.45 mm) and can carry double the video bandwidth of Type A for use with very high-resolution future displays such as WQUXGA (3840x2400).[36][35] Type B is electrically compatible with dual link DVI-D and is not used in any CE products.[35][37]
The Type C mini-connector is intended for portable devices.[38] It is smaller than the Type A connector (10.42 mm by 2.42 mm) but has the same 19 pin configuration.[39][38] It can be connected to a Type A connector using a Type A-to-Type C connector cable.[38]
The HDMI cable can be used to carry video, audio, and device-controlling signals (CEC). HDMI cables are often more expensive than other video cables at retail stores.[40] However, many on-line retailers and auction sites offer HDMI cables at prices similar to coaxial and RCA cabling.[40]
The HDMI specification does not define a maximum cable length, but because of signal attenuation there is an upper limit to how long HDMI cables can be made.[41] The length of the HDMI cable made depends on the construction quality and materials that were used.[41] The signal attenuation and intersymbol interference which is caused by long cables can be compensated by using adaptive equalization.
HDMI 1.3 has defined two categories of cables: Category 1 certified cables which have been tested at 74.5 MHz (1080i/720p) and Category 2 certified cables which has been tested at 340 MHz (1600p) to reduce the confusion about which cables support which video formats.[42] Category 1 and 2 cables can either meet the required parameter specifications for inter-pair skew, far-end crosstalk, attenuation, and differential impedance or they can meet the required non-equalized/equalized eye diagram requirements.[42] A cheaply made cable of about 5 meters (16 ft) can be manufactured to Category 1 specifications using 28 AWG conductors.[41] With better quality construction and materials (24 AWG conductors) an HDMI cable can reach lengths of up to 15 meters (49 ft).[41] The HDMI website has stated that many HDMI cables under 5 meters of length that were made before the HDMI 1.3 specification can work as a Category 2 cable but cautions that only Category 2 tested cables are guaranteed to work.[43] Long cable lengths can cause instability of HDCP and blinking on the screen due to the weakened DDC signal which HDCP requires. HDCP DDC signals must be multiplexed with TMDS video signals to be compliant with HDCP requirements for HDMI extenders based on a single Category 5/Category 6 cable.[44][45] Several companies offer amplifiers, equalizers, and repeaters that can string several standard HDMI cables together. Active HDMI cables use electronics within the cable to boost the signal and allow for HDMI cables of up to 30 meters (98 ft).[46] HDMI extenders that are based on dual Category 5/Category 6 cable can extend HDMI to 50 meters (164 ft) while HDMI extenders based on optical fiber can extend HDMI to 100+ meters (328 ft).[41][46]
The Display Data Channel is a communication channel based on the I²C bus specification.[47][48] HDMI specifically requires support for the Enhanced Display Data Channel (E-DDC) which is used by the HDMI source device to read the E-EDID data from the HDMI sink device to learn what audio/video formats it supports.[47][48][49] HDMI requires that the E-DDC support I²C standard mode speed (100 kbit/s) and allows optional support for fast mode speed (400 kbit/s).[50] HDMI has 3 separate communication channels which are the DDC, TMDS, and the optional CEC.[49]
HDMI carries video, audio, and auxiliary data via one of three modes called the Video Data Period, the Data Island Period, and the Control Period.[51] During the Video Data Period, the pixels of an active video line are transmitted.[51] During the Data Island period (which occurs during the horizontal and vertical blanking intervals), audio and auxiliary data are transmitted within a series of packets.[51] The Control Period occurs between Video and Data Island periods.[51]
The HDMI connection can either be single link (Type A/C) or dual link (Type B) and can have a video pixel rate of 25 MHz to 340 MHz for a single link connection or 680 MHz for a dual link connection. Video formats with rates below 25 MHz (e.g. 13.5 MHz for 480i/NTSC) are transmitted using a pixel-repetition scheme. From 24 to 48 bits per pixel can be transferred, regardless of rate. Over single link connection supports 1080p at rates up to 120 Hz and resolutions up to WQXGA.[17]
HDMI 1.0 to HDMI 1.2a uses the CEA-861-B video standard.[12] HDMI 1.3+ uses the CEA-861-D video standard.[12] The CEA-861-D document defines the video timing requirements, discovery structures, and a data transfer structure.[52] The color systems that can be used by HDMI are ITU-R BT.601, ITU-R BT.709-5, and IEC 61966-2-4.[53] HDMI can encode the video in xvYCC 4:4:4 (8–16 bits per component), sRGB 4:4:4 (8–16 bits per component), YCbCr 4:4:4 (8–16 bits per component), or YCbCr 4:2:2 (8-12 bits per component).[53][54]
HDMI supports up to 8 channels of audio at sample sizes of 16-bit, 20-bit, and 24-bit with sample rates of 32 kHz, 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88.2 kHz, 96 kHz, 176.4 kHz, and 192 kHz.[14][21] HDMI also supports any IEC61937-compliant audio stream, including high bitrate (lossless) streams (Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio).[14]
Both HDMI and DVI use TMDS to send 10-bit characters that are encoded using 8b/10b encoding for the Video Data Period and 2b/10b encoding for the Control Period. HDMI adds the ability to send audio/auxiliary data using 4b/10b encoding for the Data Island Period.[51] Each Data Island Period is 32 pixels in size and contains a Packet Header which describes the contents of the packet and is 32-bits in size including 8-bits of BCH ECC parity data for error correction.[55] Each Packet contains four subpackets each of which are 64-bits in size including 8-bits of BCH ECC parity data allowing for each Packet to carry up to 224-bits of audio data.[56] Each Data Island Period can contain up to 18 Packets.[57] 7 of the 15 Packet types described in the HDMI 1.3a specifications deal with audio data while 8 of the 15 Packet deal with auxiliary data.[55] Two of Packet Types that deal with auxiliary data are the General Control Packet and the Gamut Metadata Packet. The General Control Packet carries information on AVMUTE (which mutes the audio during changes that may cause audio noise) and Color Depth (which sends the bit depth of the current video stream and is required for Deep Color).[58][59] The Gamut Metadata Packet carries information on the color space being used for the current video stream and is required for xvYCC.[60][61][62]
The Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) channel wiring is mandatory although implementation of CEC in a product is optional.[63] The CEC channel uses the industry standard AV Link protocol, is used for remote control functions, is a one-wire bidirectional serial bus, and was defined in HDMI Specification 1.0 and updated in HDMI 1.2, HDMI 1.2a, and HDMI 1.3a (added timer and audio commands).[64][65][66][67]
The CEC feature is used to allow the user to command and control multiple CEC-enabled boxes with one remote control and for individual CEC-enabled boxes to command and control each other without user intervention. An example of the latter is to allow the DVD player, when the drawer closes with a disk, to command the TV and the intervening A/V receiver (all with CEC) to power-up, select the appropriate HDMI ports, and auto-negotiate the proper video mode and audio mode. No remote control command is needed. Similarly, this type of equipment can be programmed to return to sleep mode when the movie ends, perhaps by checking the real-time clock. If it is later than 11:00 p.m., for example, and the user does not specifically command the systems with the remote control, the systems turn off on command from the DVD player.
Alternative names for CEC are Anynet (Samsung), Aquos Link (Sharp), BRAVIA Theatre Sync (Sony), Kuro Link (Pioneer), Regza Link (Toshiba), RIHD (Onkyo), Simplink (LG), Viera Link/EZ-Sync (Panasonic/JVC), Easylink (Philips) and NetCommand for HDMI (Mitsubishi).
The DVI signal is electrically compatible with HDMI video signal; no signal conversion needs to take place when an adapter is used and consequently no loss in video quality occurs.[68] As such HDMI is backward compatible with Digital Visual Interface carrying digital video (DVI-D or DVI-I, but not DVI-A) used on modern computer monitors and graphics cards. This means that a DVI-D source can drive an HDMI monitor, or vice versa, by means of a suitable adapter or cable, but the audio and remote control features of HDMI will not be available.[68] Additionally, not all devices with a DVI input support High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP). Without HDCP support, the signal source will prevent the end user from viewing or recording HDCP protected content.[69]
HDMI can use HDCP to encrypt the signal if required by the source device. CSS, CPPM, and AACS requires the use of HDCP on HDMI when playing back encrypted DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, and Blu-ray Disc. The HDCP Repeater bit controls the authentication and switching/distribution of an HDMI signal. According to HDCP Specification 1.2 beginning with HDMI CTS 1.3a, any system which implements HDCP must do so in a fully-compliant manner. HDCP testing which was previously only a requirement for optional tests such as the “Simplay HD” testing program is now part of the requirements for HDMI compliance.[70][71][72]
HDCP allows for up to 127 devices to be connected together with up to 7 levels using a combination of sources, sinks, and repeaters.[73] A simple example of this is several HDMI devices connected to an HDMI AV receiver that is connected to an HDMI display.[73]
HDMI devices are manufactured to adhere to various versions of the specification, where each version is given a number such as 1.0, 1.2, or 1.3a.[12] Each subsequent version of the specification uses the same kind of cable but increases the bandwidth and/or capabilities of what can be transmitted over the cable.[12] A product listed as having an HDMI version does not necessarily mean that it will have all of the features that are listed for that version since some HDMI features are optional such as Deep Color and xvYCC (which is branded by Sony as "x.v.Color").[74][75]
Released December 9, 2002.[12]
Released May 20, 2004.[12]
Released August 8, 2005.[12]
Released December 14, 2005.[12]
Released June 22, 2006.[12][13][76]
Released November 10, 2006.[12]
Released March 26, 2007.[79][72][80]
Released November 9, 2007.[79][72][80]
Released August 25, 2008.[81][82][46]
Blu-ray Disc, introduced in 2006, offers new high-fidelity audio features that require HDMI for best results. Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-HD Master Audio use bitrates exceeding S/PDIF's capacity.[83] HDMI 1.3 can transport Dolby Digital Plus, TrueHD, and DTS-HD bitstreams in compressed form.[14] This capability allows for an AV receiver with the necessary decoder to decode the compressed audio stream.
Blu-ray permits secondary audio decoding whereby the disc content can tell the player to mix multiple audio sources together before final output.[84] Some Blu-ray players will consequently handle audio-decoding internally and can output LPCM audio all the time. Multi-channel LPCM can be transported over an HDMI connection and as long as the AV receiver supports multi-channel LPCM audio over HDMI, and supports HDCP, the audio reproduction is equal in resolution to HDMI 1.3 bitstream output. Some low cost AV receivers, such as the Onkyo TX-SR506, do not support audio processing over HDMI and are labeled as "HDMI pass through" devices.[85][86]
Note that a given product may choose to implement a subset of the given HDMI version. Certain features such as Deep Color and xvYCC support are optional.[74]
| HDMI version | 1.0–1.2a | 1.3+ |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum signal bandwidth (MHz) | 165 | 340 |
| Maximum TMDS bandwidth (Gbit/s) | 4.95 | 10.2 |
| Maximum video bandwidth (Gbit/s) | 3.96 | 8.16 |
| Maximum audio bandwidth (Mbit/s) | 36.86 | 36.86 |
| Maximum Color Depth (bit/px) | 24 | 48[A] |
| Maximum resolution over single link at 24-bit/px[B] | 1920×1200p60 | 2560×1600p75 |
| Maximum resolution over single link at 30-bit/px[C] | N/A | 2560×1600p60 |
| Maximum resolution over single link at 36-bit/px[D] | N/A | 1920x1200p75 |
| Maximum resolution over single link at 48-bit/px[E] | N/A | 1920×1200p60 |
| HDMI version | 1.0 | 1.1 | 1.2 1.2a |
1.3 | 1.3a 1.3b 1.3b1 1.3c |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| sRGB | |||||
| YCbCr | |||||
| 8 channel LPCM/192 kHz/24-bit audio capability | |||||
| Blu-ray Disc video and audio at full resolution[F] | |||||
| Consumer Electronic Control (CEC)[G] | |||||
| DVD-Audio support | |||||
| Super Audio CD (DSD) support[H] | |||||
| Deep Color | |||||
| xvYCC | |||||
| Auto lip-sync | |||||
| Dolby TrueHD bitstream capable | |||||
| DTS-HD Master Audio bitstream capable | |||||
| Updated list of CEC commands[I] |
PCs with HDMI output using Windows Vista and Windows XP may be capable of HDMI audio output depending on specific hardware.[89] For example Intel's motherboard chipsets since the 945G have been capable of 8 channel LPCM output over HDMI as well as NVIDIA’s GeForce 8200/8300 motherboard chipsets.[89][90] 8 channel LPCM audio output over HDMI with a video card was first seen with the ATI Radeon HD 4850 which was released in June 2008 and is supported by other video cards in the ATI Radeon HD 4000 series.[90][91][92][93][94] Linux can support 8 channel LPCM audio over HDMI if the video card has the necessary hardware and supports the Advanced Linux Sound Architecture (ALSA).[95] The ATI Radeon HD 4000 series supports ALSA.[95][96]
Another audio/video connector interface is DisplayPort, which had version 1.0 approved in May 2006 and is supported in several computer monitors. The DisplayPort website states that DisplayPort is expected to complement HDMI.[97]
There are a few advantages that HDMI has over DisplayPort such as support for the xvYCC color space, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio bitstream support, CE control signals, and compatibility with DVI.[98][99] DisplayPort has an advantage that it is currently royalty free which might allow it to be cheaper to implement while the HDMI royalty is 4 cents per device.[100] Most of the DisplayPort supporters are computer companies such as Dell which has released several computer monitors that support both DisplayPort and HDMI.[101][102] Apple Inc. has announced several displays and laptops that support Mini DisplayPort which is also compatible with DVI and VGA.[103][104][105][106]