Video connectors: HDMI version 2.0 available now

On the sidelines of the IFA, the consortium of manufacturers responsible for the HDMI standard formalized version 2.0. Backward, this new iteration of the standard high definition multimedia opens including 4K content with its bandwidth 18 Gbps.

10 years after its debut, finally passes the HDMI version 2.0. A formalized yesterday by the change HDMI Forum, a consortium of several manufacturers of electronic products such as Sony or Toshiba.

This new standard will not make much for your standard HDMI connectors obsolete: the new standard is designed to be backward compatible. All devices based on the HDMI 2.0 will also support previous versions of the standard. If you have the most recent models of HDMI cables (version 1.4), you will not need to get the new one to enjoy the new version, if you still want to enjoy the 4K, it will be necessary to have category 2 cables.

This new standard will offer a bandwidth of 18Gbps (against 10.2 Gbps for the current version 1.4 of the HDMI) which will include support Ultra HD at 60 frames per second. Regarding audio performance, HDMI 2 will support up to 32 different audio channels and sampling frequencies up to 1536kHz. This new standard will also support the 21:9 picture format.

Although this was a lot of behind the original schedule, the formalization of this new standard arrives in time to accompany the first 4K TVs. Sony has already announced at the IFA conference that its products such as its Handycam 4K FDR-AX1 and those of other manufacturers should not delay to do the same to operate as democratization of 4K.