Big Picture Big Sound

The latest piece of the 3D puzzle is out and about. HDMI Licensing, LLC, the people that tweak the HDMI standard to make it just right for your A/V goodies, just announced HDMI Specification Version 1.4a. Yes, it's an upgrade. It's the upgrade that's going to make it easy to put 3D into your home.

This new spec is the one that defines key features for 3D, which means that everyone should be on the same page when bringing the technology into the home. The spec includes mandatory support for upcoming 3D broadcast standards such as "Top-and-Bottom" thereby paving the way for display compatibility with a number of different 3D standards.  

In other words, we shouldn't have to deal with format wars or weirdness from content providers. As long as a device is HDMI 1.4a-compliant it should have everything we need to display 3D content from games and Blu-ray 3D players as well as the upcoming 3D broadcast standards.  The spec makes everything kosher -- and pretty geeky. In fact, if you are up for a bit of reading, it's available for download on the HDMI website.

Usually the organization keeps that sort of thing under wraps, but they want broadcasters and other content providers who may not be HDMI licensees to be able to view the full details of the 3D portion of the specification so that they may develop compatible content and broadcast standards.

"We published these latest enhancements to support the market need for broadcast 3D content," said Steve Venuti, president of HDMI Licensing, LLC. "When we launched 1.4 in June of 2009, we deferred the selection of mandatory 3D format(s) for broadcast content until the market direction was more clearly defined. The market has spoken and the HDMI Consortium has listened and responded to accommodate those market needs."

So what's the big difference between 1.4 and 1.4a?

1. The addition of Top-and-Bottom to the Specification.
2. The addition of two mandatory formats for broadcast content: a) Side-by-Side Horizontal; and b) Top-and-Bottom

Aside from the above, 1.4a also puts manufacturers and content providers on the same page, so that they can create devices that allow everyone to deliver good 3D content. The mandatory 3D formats are:

• Movies - Frame Packing: + 1080p @ 23.98/24Hz
• Games - Frame Packing: + 720p @ 50 or 59.94/60Hz
• Broadcast TV - Side-by-Side Horizontal: + 1080i @ 50 or 59.94/60Hz; Top-and-Bottom: + 720p @ 50 or 59.94/60Hz

Confused? Just know that by making this spec mandatory, every HDMI 1.4a-compliant 3D device will be on the same page as far as sending and receiving content. Displays must support all mandatory formats, sources must support at least one of the formats, and repeaters need to pass through all of the formats.

All of the HDMI Adopters will have 90 days from the publication of the 1.4a spec to build and sell products that work with 1.4a, as well as pass the CTS Version 1.4a.

For More Information:

• HDMI 1.4 at HDMI.org
• HDMI 1.4: 3D at HDMI.org