Standards Review - HDMI 2.0, The Evolution of a Winner

The High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) specification currently supports one of the most successful consumer electronics standards. The HDMI Forum announced the new HDMI 2.0 specification with some interesting features for the audio industry, including better support for high-resolution audio options. Evolving from the digital visual interface (DVI) specification and competing with rival interfaces such as DisplayPort, the High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) is now one of the most successful interfaces and connectivity standards.

Fourteen years have passed since the original HDMI 1.0 specification was published. In 2009, the market widely adopted the latest HDMI 1.4a standard published, updated to 1.4b in 2011. Now, the HDMI Forum has announced the new HDMI 2.0 specification, which is designed to meet the bandwidth requirements of the forthcoming Ultra HD or 4K televisions while using existing cabling for backward compatibility. The new specification significantly increases bandwidth to 18 Gbps, supports Ethernet on the same cable, adds support for 32 audio channels, and features up to 1,536-kHz audio sample frequency and simultaneous delivery of video and audio streams to multiple users.

In this article audioXpress traces the evolution of the HDMI standard and details some of the main HDMI 2.0 specifications and the implications for the audio industry, including support for high-resolution audio options.

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