HDMI 1.4 Cable
HDMI or High-Definition Multimedia Interface is an interface, which transmits digital data and it is used to connect various audio or video sources such as DVD players, Blu-ray Disc players, camcorders, computers, and video game consoles to computer monitors, TVs, or projectors. The HDMI cables are sold in almost all large and small electronic stores and you can easily find them online as well. While there are plenty of myths and misconceptions surround them, some of which created by crafty salesmen trying to push the more expensive ones, in most cases you would not have to worry yourself too much with the cable specifications. As long as your equipment supports the type of HDMI cable that you are purchasing, you are likely to get excellent audio and video. However, there are a few exceptions – if you require extra-long cable or in-wall installation, then you should be more careful what you choose; the HDMI cables should work easily for up to 10 meter and even longer distance, but anything longer than 15 meters might call for a repeater.
The HDMI cables come in versions and at the time of this writing, the HDMI 1.4 cable is the latest on released, while the other versions start from HDMI 1.0 and go to 1.3 (with 1.3a, 1.3b, 1.3b1, and 1.3c sub-versions). Let us try to touch briefly on the difference between all these versions - an HDMI 1.4 Cable has a maximum clock rate of 340 MHz, 1.3 has the same maximum clock rate, and the 1.0–1.2a have a maximum clock rate of 165 MHz. The maximum TMDS throughput per channel (expressed in Gbit/s) are 3.4 for both HDMI 1.4 cable and 1.3 cable and 1.65 for 1.0–1.2a, while the maximum audio throughput is 36.86 Mbits/s for all versions. The 1.4 and 1.3 have maximum color depth of 48 bit/px, while 1.0–1.2a has only 24; the maximum resolution over single link also differs from one version to another with the HDMI 1.4 cable supporting 4096×2160p24 over single link at 24-bit/px. Being the latest version released, the HDMI 1.4 cable also has added Ethernet channel, Audio return channel, 4K × 2K Resolution, and 3D over HDMI support, which is not found in the older cables.
What do all these numbers and technologies mean? Explained in simple terms, if you have just purchased the latest model, top of the range HD TV and DVD player, then you should purchase the HDMI 1.4 cable as well in order to make the most of it. However, the older versions could work just as well and give you an excellent picture and audio quality as well!