What’s the Deal with HDMI 1.3?

HDMI 1.3, the newest revision of the popular HDMI interface, is starting to make waves in the high definition home entertainment arena - it’s the next big thing. So what, you ask, is so cool about the newest HDMI on the block? Here are a few highlights (compared with the last release, HDMI 1.2):

  • Signal Bandwidth:
    • Then: 165 MHz Now: 340 MHz
  • TMDS Bandwidth:
    • Then: 4.95 Gbit/s Now: 10.2 Gbit/s
  • Video Bandwidth
    • Then: 3.9 Gbit/s Now: 8.16 Gbit/s
  • Highest possible Resolution
    • Then: 1920x1080p60 Now: 2560x1600p60
  • Maximum Color Depth (bits per pixel)
    • Then: 24 Now: 48

Other highlights include xvYCC Color and Deep Color capability, supporting over one billion colors.  And good news for Dolby fans:  Dolby Digital Plus (DD+), Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, truly high-fidelity audio experiences, can all be carried over HDMI 1.3.

Companies are already selling many HDMI 1.3 switches and splitters, like the EXT-HDMI1.3-441, a 4×1 switcher that allows you to switch one HDMI 1.3 source between up to four different displays.

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