HDMI Spec 2.1 Coming In 2Q 2017

HDMI Spec 2.1 Coming In 2Q 2017

bandwidth_2-1_wThe HDMI Forum, Inc. has announced that Version 2.1 of the HDMI® Specification is on track for release in the 2nd quarter of 2017. Just when you thought your high-speed 18 Gbps cables were good enough for 4K HDR, here comes this new spec which promises us 8K video with HDR at 60 fps and 4K video at 120 fps. Well, if you are not a gamer, then where’s our 120 fps software – er, TV programs? Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t know of anyone – broadcast, cable or streaming – that has any 120 fps programs. (Except for some 3D titles. Remember 3D?) And unless you have a streaming subscription or a UHD Blu-ray player, there’s no readily available 4K content for your 4K TV.

This is just another case of the consumer electronics industry trying to obsolete our good ‘ole 1080i/1080p HDTVs so they can sell us a new 4K model. But buyer beware! At the present time, there are four (count ’em 4) versions of HDR designed for home use. If you buy a set today, it could be obsolete by Christmas 2018. (Still got that Betamax in your garage?)

(Thumbnail from CE Pro Magazine.)

Thunderbolt™ Technology

Thunderbolt™ Technology

Not to be confused with ThunderBolt™ the phone, Thunderbolt™  “the technology” is a high speed interface containing both PCI Express and DisplayPort protocols on the same connector. Developed by Intel©, and appearing first on the new MacBook Pro, it provides a single connector to both move data and drive displays. Twice as fast as USB 3.0 and compatible with DVI, HDMI, and VGA displays, it’s touted as a “an incredibly fast input/output technology that just about anything can plug into.”

What it also will be is just another confusing connector for those people whose VCRs kept blinking 12:00 all the time. Firewire 800, we hardly knew ye.

From 3D Summit: “Scr-w You!”

From 3D Summit: “Scr-w You!”

UPDATE: It looks like I may be wrong about this. Please read the comment.

An interesting dispatch from Variety‘s annual 3D Summit (courtesy of the AP): If you were counting on viewing this year’s 3D Hollywood movie titles on your brand new 3D set any time soon, you may be disappointed. Because of studio / 3DTV manufacturer bundling deals, only three features and three documentaries will be on the shelves and playable on any 3D Blu-ray /3DTV combo.

For example, a Sony 3-DTV buyer won’t be able to watch DreamWorks “How To Train Your Dragon” because that movie will be tied to the purchase of a set from Samsung Electronics Co. And Disney said that its 3-D movies “Alice in Wonderland” and “Bolt” would be available exclusively to people who buy certain sets from Sony Corp.

I’d like to how they are doing this… (HDMI handshaking perhaps?) In any case, I hope that these exclusivity deals end soon, or there will be lots of 3D Blu-ray returns after Christmas!

HDMI Consortium Pubs Part of Spec

HDMI Consortium Pubs Part of Spec

hdmi_logo_41_150HDMI Licensing, the agent that represents the HDMI founding members (Hitachi, Panasonic, Philips, Silicon Image, Sony,  Technicolor, and Toshiba) is making available the part of the HDMI® 4.1 specification that deals with 3D display formats.

This will provide production companies, networks and transmission companies with the information they need to determine if their 3D programming will display on HDMI® equipped sets.