Hdmi - Compaq 8000 - Elite Convertible Minitower PC Introduction Manual

HDMI

After the DDWG failed to agree on a specification for a consumer version of the DVI specification, Silicon
Image formed a new consortium to develop a digital interface specifically for the consumer TV market,
this time with six leading CE companies. The result was the High Definition Multimedia Interface, or
HDMI.
HDMI is essentially a single link of the TMDS electrical interface (as used in the DVI standard), plus a
standard (and Silicon Image proprietary) method of carrying digital audio signals within the video data
stream. Like DVI, HDMI also supports the Intel High Definition Content Protection (HDCP) copy-protection
scheme. As in DVI, HDCP support is technically optional, but basically required for products in the CE
market and HDMI implementations. HDMI is semi-compatible with single-link DVI, as DVI cannot provide
the embedded audio features of HDMI and does not support HDMI's Consumer Electronics Control (CEC)
channel, a one-line serial data bus for the control of CE products (such as DVD players, etc.) from the TV
or other output device.
As was the case with DVI, HDMI (up to the 1.2 specification revision) provides support for up to 165 MHz
pixel rates, or about 4.8 Gbit/sec. raw data capacity. The HDMI 1.3 spec is intended to approximately
double this capacity, although it is unlikely that existing HDMI cables, etc., will support the higher rates.
HDMI 1.3 also introduced a more compact version of the connector, for portable CE products, the HDMI-
C.
The HDMI specification also includes a dual-link version, the HDMI-B connector, intended for PC use, but
it has never been adopted by the PC industry. At this point PC usage of HDMI is limited to the HDMI-A,
and then primarily for CE-connectivity purposes.
Figure 6
HDMI Receptacle
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