10/28/2014 HDMI - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI 1/2

connector types for HDMI

HDMI type A plug (male)connector

HDMI type A receptacle (female)connector

onnectors [edit]

There are five HDMI connector types. Type A/B are defined in theHDMI 1.0 specification, type C is defined in the HDMI 1.3 specification,and type D/E are defined in the HDMI 1.4 specification.

Type AThe plug (male) connector outside dimensions are 13.9 mm ×4.45 mm, and the receptacle (female) connector inside dimensionsare 14 mm × 4.55 mm.[88] There are 19 pins, with bandwidth tocarry all SDTV,EDTV and HDTV modes.[5] It is electricallycompatible with single-link DVI-D.[89]

Type BThis connector is 21.2 mm × 4.45 mm and has 29 pins, carrying sixdifferential pairs instead of three, for use with very high-resolutionfuture displays such asWQUXGA (3,840×2,400).[89][90] It iselectrically compatible with dual-link DVI-D, but has not yet beenused in any products.[89][91]However, the use of the extra threedifferential pairs is reserved as of 1.3 specification.

Type CThis Mini connector is smaller than the type A plug, measuring10.42 mm × 2.42 mm but has the same 19-pinconfiguration.[92][93] It is intended for portable devices.[1][92][94] Thedifferences are that all positive signals of the differential pairs areswapped with their corresponding shield, the DDC/CEC Ground isassigned to pin 13 instead of pin 17, the CEC is assigned to pin 14instead of pin 13, and the reserved pin is 17 instead of pin14.[95] The type C Mini connector can be connected to a type Aconnector using a type A-to-type C cable.[92][94]

Type DThis Micro connector shrinks the connector size to somethingresembling amicro-USB connector,[94][96][97] measuring only6.4 mm × 2.8 mm [98] For comparison, a micro-USB connector is6.85 mm × 1.8 mm and a USB Type A connector is 11.5 mm × 4.5 mm. It keeps the standard 19 pins oftypes A and C, but the pin assignment is different from both.[99]

Type EThe Automotive Connection System[100] has a locking tab to keep the cable from vibrating loose and a shellto help prevent moisture and dirt from interfering with the signals. A relay connector is available forconnecting standard consumer cables to the automotive type.[101]

Cables [edit]

10/28/2014 HDMI - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI 2/2

Although no maximum length for an HDMI cable is specified, signal attenuation(dependent on the cable'sconstruction quality and conducting materials) limits usable lengths in practice.[102][103] HDMI 1.3 defines twocable categories: Category 1-certified cables, which have been tested at 74.5 MHz (which would includeresolutions such as 720p60 and 1080i60), and Category 2-certified cables, which have been tested at 340 MHz(which would include resolutions such as 1080p60 and 2160p30).[96][104][105] Category 1 HDMI cables aremarketed as "Standard" and Category 2 HDMI cables as "High Speed".[1] This labeling guideline for HDMIcables went into effect on October 17, 2008.[106][107] Category 1 and 2 cables can either meet the requiredparameter specifications for interpair skew, far-end crosstalk, attenuation and differential impedance, or they canmeet the required nonequalized/equalized eye diagram requirements.[104] A cable of about 5 meters (16 feet)can be manufactured to Category 1 specifications easily and inexpensively by using 28 AWG(0.081 mm²)conductors.[102] With better quality construction and materials, including 24 AWG (0.205 mm²) conductors, anHDMI cable can reach lengths of up to 15 meters (49 feet).[102] Many HDMI cables under 5 meters of length thatwere made before the HDMI 1.3 specification can work as Category 2 cables, but only Category 2-tested cablesare guaranteed to work for Category 2 purposes.[108]

As of the HDMI 1.4 specification, these are the following cable types defined for HDMI in general:[109][110]

Standard HDMI Cable – up to 1080i and 720pStandard HDMI Cable with EthernetAutomotive HDMI CableHigh Speed HDMI Cable – 1080p, 4K, 3D and deep colorHigh Speed HDMI Cable with Ethernet

An HDMI cable is usually composed of four shielded twisted pairs, with impedance of the order of 100 Ω, plusseveral separate conductors.

Extenders [edit]

An HDMI extender is a single device (or pair of devices) powered with an external power source or with the 5VDC from the HDMI source.[111][112][113]Long cables can cause instability of HDCP and blinking on the screen,due to the weakened DDC signal that HDCP requires. HDCP DDC signals must be multiplexed with TMDS videosignals to be compliant with HDCP requirements for HDMI extenders based on a single Category 5/Category 6cable.[114][115]Several companies offer amplifiers, equalizers and repeaters that can string several standardHDMI cables together. Active HDMI cables use electronics within the cable to boost the signal and allow forHDMI cables of up to 30 meters (98 feet).,[111] those based on HDBaseT can extend to 100 meters, HDMIextenders that are based on dual Category 5/Category 6 cable can extend HDMI to 250 meters (820 feet), whileHDMI extenders based on optical fiber can extend HDMI to 300 meters (980 feet).[112][113]