HDMI 1.4a Specification Official

It was only a matter of time before the 3D video format picked up speed and, now that it has, the industry is already putting effort into making it more and more accessible to all types of end-users. One of the latest developments in this area is the official introduction of the HDMI 1.4a specification, which adds a series of mandatory 3D formats for broadcast content and enhances interoperability for devices that aim to deliver 3D over HDMI.

The HDMI 1.4a was just released by HDMI Licensing LLC, the agent responsible for licensing the High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) specification. This specification was developed by Hitachi, Panasonic, Sony and Toshiba, among others.

With the new standard, the market requirements for bringing broadcast 3D content into homes will be more easily met and, for devices designed to deliver 3D content over the HDMI connection, there is now a new level of interoperability through the addition of mandatory 3D formats such as Frame Packing, Side-by-Side Horizontal and Top-and-Bottom.

The specification also determines the conditions that new display-related products must comply with if they are to be compatible with the HDMI 1.4a specification. Displays, for instance, must support all mandatory formats, whereas sources must support at least one. Furthermore, repeaters must be able to pass through all mandatory formats.

"We published these latest enhancements to support the market need for broadcast 3D content," Steve Venuti, president of HDMI Licensing, LLC, said. "When we launched 1.4 in June of 2009, we deferred the selection of mandatory 3D format(s) for broadcast content until the market direction was more clearly defined. The market has spoken and the HDMI Consortium has listened and responded to accommodate those market needs."

The new specification has been made available for public download on the HDMI Licencing LLC official website and, along with the Compliance test Specification (CTS), is available for adopters on the HDMi Adopter Extranet.