Scott Wilkinson, editor of UltimateAVmag.com talks with Jeff Park, HDMI evangelist and business development manager of HDMI Licensing, LLC.
They discuss HDMI 1.4a, the meaning -(or non meaning )- of HDMI versions, 3D technologies, cable length issues and more. This TWIT.TV show is a great resource.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
Overview of 3D HDMI with DigitalMedia
HDMI 1.4 announced support for 3D video transmission, which would make customers believe that previous versions of HDMI (i.e. 1.3) cannot support it. However there are almost no HDMI 1.4 televisions on the market and the content providers want to be able to make money on 3D as soon as possible (ESPN says they are going to have a 3D channel this summer, and DirecTV is pitching it hard). These content providers worked with the consumer electronics companies and built a way to do 3D on HDMI 1.3 devices. All that is required to support these 3D formats is a firmware upgrade – so DM will have new firmware to support 3D when these HDMI 1.3 3D devices are released.
Monday, January 4, 2010
HDMI 1.3 v. HDMI 1.4
There’s been a lot of chatter lately about HDMI 1.4. What does it really mean and how will it affect my system? Simply put, Crestron DigitalMedia is ready for HDMI 1.4, so fret not. Today we’ll briefly go over HDMI 1.3 and its feature set, and then we can unveil the truth about HDMI 1.4 and how it affects Crestron DigitalMedia and integrated systems.
HDMI version 1.3 is today’s standard. It allows for a maximum signal bandwidth of 340MHz, 48 bit color depth (Deep Color), support for all the popular audio formats, HDCP, CEC, and more. As consumers, we are more than blown away with uncompressed 1080p60 video and Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD Master Audio—so what else could possibly make HDMI better?
How about Ethernet, 3D video, 4096x2160 resolution (makes 1920x1080 seem tiny, doesn’t it?), audio return channel (what’s that?), and some other niceties… Enter HDMI 1.4. Yes, HDMI 1.4 adds these features in an effort to bring the one wire world to fruition. Nice job, HDMI. But as an integrator, it only raises more questions and uncertainty about how everything is going to “play nice.” Let me break it down for you as it concerns DM:
Ethernet: Already supported over Crestron DigitalMedia, since Day 1. Many DM endpoints have a standard Ethernet port which can be used for connecting other Ethernet devices (see page 11 of DM Design Guide). For integration into HDMI, it requires a new cable with more pins, and all devices need to support the HDMI Ethernet Channel (see HDMI.org for a nice example).
3D / 4K video: DM’s backplane has support for these higher resolutions. Future DM parts will be able harness these capabilities and deliver them to a display near you. Keep in mind that this type of content is far from being widely offered, but we should still plan for the future.
Audio Return Channel: The main goal with this is to send audio from the TV back to the surround receiver, to eliminate an extra cable and make using that “AUX” connection on the front more convenient for the consumer. For the integrator, yes, this will be nice, but the reality is that the system is already more complex than this. What if I want an aux jack that allows me to distribute the source everywhere throughout the house? This already exceeds the ability of the Audio Return Channel. Stay tuned for more info on DM’s take.
Some other features found in version 1.4 are support for additional color spaces, a new micro connector, and an automotive connection system (You can find more details here).
Keeping it real, we realize that today, content is 1080p at best, and every movie doesn’t include 7.1 surround sound. Deep Color content is virtually non-existent--so even the great features of HDMI 1.3 haven’t been fully exploited yet. It will be some time until the devices and content can reach the specification’s capabilities—and when that time comes, Crestron will be ready.
HDMI version 1.3 is today’s standard. It allows for a maximum signal bandwidth of 340MHz, 48 bit color depth (Deep Color), support for all the popular audio formats, HDCP, CEC, and more. As consumers, we are more than blown away with uncompressed 1080p60 video and Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD Master Audio—so what else could possibly make HDMI better?
How about Ethernet, 3D video, 4096x2160 resolution (makes 1920x1080 seem tiny, doesn’t it?), audio return channel (what’s that?), and some other niceties… Enter HDMI 1.4. Yes, HDMI 1.4 adds these features in an effort to bring the one wire world to fruition. Nice job, HDMI. But as an integrator, it only raises more questions and uncertainty about how everything is going to “play nice.” Let me break it down for you as it concerns DM:
Ethernet: Already supported over Crestron DigitalMedia, since Day 1. Many DM endpoints have a standard Ethernet port which can be used for connecting other Ethernet devices (see page 11 of DM Design Guide). For integration into HDMI, it requires a new cable with more pins, and all devices need to support the HDMI Ethernet Channel (see HDMI.org for a nice example).
3D / 4K video: DM’s backplane has support for these higher resolutions. Future DM parts will be able harness these capabilities and deliver them to a display near you. Keep in mind that this type of content is far from being widely offered, but we should still plan for the future.
Audio Return Channel: The main goal with this is to send audio from the TV back to the surround receiver, to eliminate an extra cable and make using that “AUX” connection on the front more convenient for the consumer. For the integrator, yes, this will be nice, but the reality is that the system is already more complex than this. What if I want an aux jack that allows me to distribute the source everywhere throughout the house? This already exceeds the ability of the Audio Return Channel. Stay tuned for more info on DM’s take.
Some other features found in version 1.4 are support for additional color spaces, a new micro connector, and an automotive connection system (You can find more details here).
Keeping it real, we realize that today, content is 1080p at best, and every movie doesn’t include 7.1 surround sound. Deep Color content is virtually non-existent--so even the great features of HDMI 1.3 haven’t been fully exploited yet. It will be some time until the devices and content can reach the specification’s capabilities—and when that time comes, Crestron will be ready.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Welcome to the Crestron DigitalMedia Blog
Welcome to the Crestron DigitalMedia Blog—the very first official blog by Crestron. We’ve decided that with such a new type of product, it was important to provide a forum for topics related to DM and HDMI as they come up. By deviating from the classic “Online-Help” or Wiki formats, we provide you the means by which to voice your opinion and share your experience. This is very much a place for both you and us. Without your feedback the blog is no better than a white paper or spec sheet.
The primary topics that we want to talk about here relate directly to DigitalMedia and HDMI. Things like: Different HDMI versions and What Matters, The Fliptop of the Future, Why CEC’s Good for Me, HDCP 2.0, EDID, and The Analog Sunset. We want to educate, raise awareness, and continue to help lead our industry.
This blog will be updated based on our own findings and your questions. As things come up in our travels, we will share our experience and listen to your feedback, together providing each other the opportunity to grow in this digital age and benefit from each other’s expertise.
What specific questions or concerns do you have?
HDCP authenticated. QuickSwitchHD ready.
The primary topics that we want to talk about here relate directly to DigitalMedia and HDMI. Things like: Different HDMI versions and What Matters, The Fliptop of the Future, Why CEC’s Good for Me, HDCP 2.0, EDID, and The Analog Sunset. We want to educate, raise awareness, and continue to help lead our industry.
This blog will be updated based on our own findings and your questions. As things come up in our travels, we will share our experience and listen to your feedback, together providing each other the opportunity to grow in this digital age and benefit from each other’s expertise.
What specific questions or concerns do you have?
HDCP authenticated. QuickSwitchHD ready.
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