3D/HDMI 1.4 Myth

CES 2011

By Scott Wilkinson • Posted: Jan 9, 2010

When the 3D Blu-ray spec was announced, everyone said it would require HDMI 1.4, which implied the need for new HDMI hardware. But then I learned that the Sony PlayStation 3, which has HDMI 1.3, can be updated to provide 3D capabilities with new firmware. That seemed odd, so I visited the HDMI Licensing booth and found out that all the versions of HDMI are merely specifications that define what features they will support, and manufacturers are free to implement all, some, or none of them. Also, HDMI 1.3 and 1.4 are capable of the same maximum bandwidth—10.2Gbps.

Thus, it's theoretically possible to upgrade any HDMI 1.3 Blu-ray player to deliver 3D, as long as the manufacturer designed the device to allow it. Such a player's 3D performance might not be the best because its processing hardware is a bit older and slower than new models, but that shouldn't be a problem for the PS3 with its super-powerful Cell processor. I doubt that many manufacturers of dedicated Blu-ray players designed their products to allow such an update, so most consumers will have to buy a new one if they want 3D.

Comments

Submitted by Michael on January 13, 2010 - 11:55am.

DisplayPort 1.2 is the way to go. It has over double the bandwidth of HDMI 1.4 HDMI = 10.2Gbps DisplayPort = 20.6Gbps Why I like DisplayPort 1.2: Refresh rates up to 240 FPS Royalty free Easily Converts to other video formats using an adapter Lower EMI Supports Four separte 1080p60 video signals on one cable, to difffernt TVs/monitors. 3D support with 2560x1600 120hz (nice refresh rate for 3D) AUX channel, bi-directional 720Mbit supports USB2.0 and/or ethernet. Supports upto a 16bit color depth (65,000 shades per color channel), totalling trillions of colors. (2^16 * 3 (for RGB))= tot # of colors Latching connector OH... did I mention it is a OPEN standard, no royalty fees. I've already seen low cost DisplayPort over fiber options for extended cable runs. Its clear people at VESA put some thought into the DisplayPort standard. It rocks. Supports all common digital Audio standards