What's The Latest on HDMI 1.3 Products?

JLeslieR -- Mon, 10/16/2006 - 15:40

I've been hoping to get a 1080p LCD, but have deferred the purchase based on forum comments recommending that consumers wait if possible for HDMI 1.3 displays, DVD players, etc., to be introduced next year. What's the latest on future HDMI 1.3 products, especially displays (LCD or plasma)?

FYI, the HDMI web site urges consumers not to wait: "Consumers should not look for a particular version of HDMI, but rather for the functionality that they want the device to support." Why wouldn't I wait for 1.3?

By the way, I don't recall having seen anything in TPV about the HDMI 1.3 issue. If I missed it, could you point me to it?

Thanks for the great work.

Tom Martin -- Fri, 10/20/2006 - 13:32

I assume you've read this thread, but just in case:

http://forums.avguide.com/viewtopic.php?t=320

CEO and Editorial Director, Nextscreen LLC

JLeslieR -- Mon, 10/23/2006 - 15:32

While we wait for a response from the folks at Perfect Vision, I thought you'd all be interested to know that in the latest issue of Sound & Vision, they report (and the Toshiba website confirms) that in December Toshiba will introduce two second generation HD DVD units. The higher end of the two, the HD-XA2 will support HDMI 1.3, apparently with Deep Color enabling 36-bit (RGB or YCbCr) color depths, up from the 24-bit depths in previous versions of the HDMI specification.

See http://www.tacp.toshiba.com/news/newsarticle.asp?newsid=131

Les

JLeslieR -- Sat, 10/28/2006 - 11:40

I realize that TPV apparently doesn't attach much significance to HDMI 1.3 and new HDMI 1.3 products, but there seems to be a lot of buzz elsewhere.

Check out this story from hdtvmagazine.com. They have a good site if you want to keep up on current events and news, but you may need to join to read.

http://www.hdtvmagazine.com/news/2006/10/first_products.php

If anyone else sees some HDMI 1.3 news, I'd appreciate your posting it here.

Thanks

Les

scottwilkinson -- Sat, 10/28/2006 - 22:40

It's not that I don't attach much significance to HDMI 1.3, but rather, that I don't attach AS much significance to it as many others seem to. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: an expanded color space is not an advantage--in fact, it is a detriment until and unless content is created using the same color space. The same goes for increased color bit depth: it's an advantage only if the content includes that information. If it does, great, because it will reduce contouring etc. If it doesn't, the source or display processor might interpolate the "in-between" data, which could lead to artifacts.

I readily admit that the ability to carry the new advanced audio bitstreams will be a great thing when there are AVRs and controllers that can decode them, which should be sometime next year. And I'm sure that twice the bandwidth of 1.2 will come in handy, especially if sources start sending 1080p/96, though that seems unlikely since the display can more easily quadruple each frame. Why send all that data fro the source if you don't have to, even if you have enough bandwidth? I suspect the extra bandwdith will be used for purposes other than high frame rates.

Regarding that HDTV Magazine "article" you cite, it is nothing more than a reprint of a press release from HDMI Licensing, the group that promotes HDMI. (I know because I got that same press release.) You can hardly expect to find unbiased analysis in such a piece.

Scott Wilkinson
Video Editor
The Perfect Vision

JLeslieR -- Sun, 10/29/2006 - 09:53

Thanks for the clarification, Scott. I guess it just seems that regardless of the reason, TPV isn't giving 1.3 much coverage.

But I'm sure you're right. Cable companies, telcos, and content providers will take years dragging their feet just like they have on HD.

Nevertheless, I'll still wait a bit to reconsider an LCD display purchase, just on the offchance that we'll see a third generation HD or Bluray DVD in the spring or else a game machine that will take advantage of Deep Color capabilities. For me, video is where it's at, not the audio.

I wonder if it's true that movie producers have to dumb down DVD color for current home capabilities. If so, maybe we could even see Deep Color movie content sooner. That would be exciting stuff.

Oh well, ever the optimist.

Thanks again for your good work.