HDMI 2.0 Specification Formally Announced

HDMI has become all but ubiquitous on modern AV gear.  Love it or hate it, HDMI is here to stay for the foreseeable future—and it’s continuing to evolve.  A while back in May, we gave you a preview of the HDMI 2.0 specification and some of the things we were expecting to come from the next generation of HDMI.

Now, with the ever-growing visibility of 4K video on the horizon—from 4K/UltraHD TVs to receivers and pre-pros touting 4K support—it should come as no surprise that the HDMI Forum, the group responsible for setting HDMI standards, has finally announced Version 2.0 of the HDMI Specification.  “The introduction of the HDMI 2.0 Specification represents a major milestone for the HDMI Forum,” said Robert Blanchard of Sony Corporation, president of the HDMI Forum.  “Our members collaborated closely to take the highly successful HDMI Specification to the next level by expanding audio and video features for consumer electronics applications.”  

One of the main features in the new HDMI 2.0 Specification addresses the forthcoming onslaught of 4K displays and eventual 4K content.  In order to support 4K beyond 24fps (the limit in HDMI 1.4b), the new HDMI 2.0 Specification increases bandwidth from its current 10.2 Gbps to 18Gbps.  Under HDMI 2.0, 4K video will be supported at frame rates as high as 50 or 60 frames per second.  There is nothing in the spec to indicate support for 120 fps, which had been previously rumored as an outside possibility.

So, does the advent of the 2.0 spec mean you’ll have to buy all new HDMI cables?  For most of us, the answer will be, "no".  Thankfully, the HDMI 2.0 Specification is backwards-compatible with all high-speed HDMI (category 2) cables. 

But, the increased bandwidth isn’t just about supporting higher resolution UltraHD displays.  In fact, HDMI 2.0 will provide some very interesting video possibilities.  One such possibility is simultaneous delivery of dual video streams to multiple users on the same screen.  We assume that this will be accomplished using active or polarized glasses, like those currently used for 3D.  

Die-hard movie lovers who want to see their favorite movies will rejoice with the 2.0 Specification since it will support wide angle theatrical 21:9 aspect ratio video.  Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) extensions are also part of the 2.0 Specification and will provide expanded command and control of consumer electronics devices through a single control point.

While much of the video capabilities in HDMI 2.0 were expected, what’s potentially more exciting will be new audio capabilities HDMI 2.0 will offer.  A whopping 32 channels will now be supported instead of the current 8.  In fact, there will be ability to deliver 8 channels of multi-stream audio to up to 4 different users.  There will also be support for 1536kHz audio sample frequency.

As with any specification, it doesn’t mean that you’ll necessarily see manufacturers embracing and implementing all these new features.  Rather, the 2.0 Specification provides a roadmap for developers as to some of the possibilities available to them.  It will be interesting to see what aspects of the 2.0 Specification manufacturers eventually chose to adopt and support.

Version 2.0 of the HDMI Specification was developed by the HDMI Forum’s Technical Working Group whose members represent some of the world’s leading manufacturers of consumer electronics, personal computers, mobile devices, cables and components.  The HDMI Forum currently has a membership of 88 companies.

The complete Version 2.0 of the HDMI Specification is available to Adopters on the HDMI Adopter Extranet.  HDMI 2.0 compliant devices will likely start coming out en masse in 2014 since the HDMI 2.0 Compliance Test Specification (CTS) is expected to be released before the end of 2013.