What is the difference between the various versions of HDMI?

The HDMI standard first arrived at the end of 2002, and has undergone a few revisions.  This guide helps you understand the basic difference, and what you need to watch out for.  There are four current versions, from V1.0 to V1.3  Most components out there are V1.2 ready; V1.3 was only recently released.  All components and cables are backward compatible from their version, previous.  All versions of HDMI have the capacity to support existing high-definition video formats (720p, 1080i, and 1080p/60). It also has the flexibility to support enhanced definition formats such as 480p, as well as standard definition formats such as NTSC or PAL.  The only restriction is whether the device is capable of the same bandwidth as the connection format - e.g. if the TV is only 1080i rated, HDMI's 1080p ability is not much help! The message here is that the consumer should be concerned not about the version of HDMI present as much as the capability of the device it is attaching.

Basic Timeline for HDMI:

Version 1.0 - December 2002.

Arrived! - HDMI 1.0 spec was first released at the end of 2002.

Version 1.1 - May 2004.

Support for DVD Audio

Version 1.2 - August 2005.

Support for One Bit Audio format, such as SuperAudio CD's DSD (Direct Stream Digital)

Adds use of the (now standard) HDMI Type A connector for PC sources and displays with full support for PC video formats

Ability for PC sources to use their native RGB color-space while retaining the option to support the YCbCr CE color space

Requirement for HDMI 1.2 and later displays to support future low-voltage (i.e., AC-coupled) sources, such as those based on PCI Express I/O technology

Version 1.3 - June 2006 - The latest revision!

Higher speed - Although all previous versions of HDMI have had more than enough bandwidth to support all current HDTV formats, HDMI 1.3 increases its single-link bandwidth to 340 MHz (10.2 Gbps) to support the demands of future HD display devices, such as higher resolutions, Deep Color and high frame rates. In addition, built into the HDMI 1.3 specification is the technical foundation that will let future versions of HDMI reach significantly higher speeds

Deeper Color - HDMI 1.3 supports 30-bit, 36-bit and 48-bit (RGB or YCbCr) color depths, up from the 24-bit depths in previous versions of the HDMI specification, for stunning rendering of over one billion colors in unprecedented detail.

Broader color space - HDMI 1.3 adds support for “xvYCC” color standard, which removes current color space limitations and enables the display of any color viewable by the human eye.

New mini connector - With small portable devices such as HD camcorders and still cameras demanding seamless connectivity to HDTVs, HDMI 1.3 offers a new, smaller form factor connector option.

Lip Sync - Because consumer electronics devices are using increasingly complex digital signal processing to enhance the clarity and detail of the content, synchronization of video and audio in user devices has become a greater challenge and could potentially require complex end-user adjustments. HDMI 1.3 incorporates automatic audio synching capabilities that allows devices to perform this synchronization automatically with total accuracy.

New HD lossless audio formats - In addition to HDMI’s current ability to support high-bandwidth uncompressed digital audio and all currently-available compressed formats (such as Dolby® Digital and DTS®), HDMI 1.3 adds additional support for new lossless compressed digital audio formats Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio™.