HDMI™ Cables
HDMI has recently simplified the labeling classification of HDMI cables in an effort to stamp out much of the misinformation and hype in the cable industry. Since October 17, 2008 all HDMI cables are to be labeled ‘Standard Speed’ or ‘High Speed’ with some recent additions with the advent of HDMI 1.4
Since the first HDMI cables came to market in 2004, the CTS (Compliance Test Specification) required cables to support 2.22 Gbps, allowing for sufficient bandwidth to carry video up to 720p or 1080i. This is the same bandwidth as ‘Standard Speed’ HDMI cables today, so any HDMI cable on the market should at least support this. 1080p and CEC support has always been optional features that all current Kordz cables support (including those labeled as ‘Standard Speed’).
‘High Speed’ cables are designed to carry sufficient bandwidth to enable all the new features of 1.3 and even 1.4 (minus Ethernet). These cables are designed for the next generation of features such as ‘Deep Color’ and resolutions beyond 1080p. Bandwidth is increased to a massive 4.95Gbps or 10.2Gbps with an equalized sink (display).
In addition to ‘Standard Speed’ and ‘High Speed’ cables, HDMI has introduced three other classifications with the advent of the 1.4 specification. These are ‘Standard Speed with Ethernet’, ‘High Speed with Ethernet’ and an automotive HDMI connector. As the name suggests, the Ethernet cables are identical to the ‘Standard Speed’ and ‘High Speed’ cables discussed, but with an additional channel dedicated to network connectivity where available.
Beware of cables that don’t follow these guidelines outlined by HDMI or claim to support bandwidth outside of specification such as ‘20Gbps’ or ‘6.67Gbps’ as this cannot be tested within HDMI guidelines.
