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HDMI Labeling Requirements Promise a Stew of Confusion
An anonymous reader writes "In many ways HDMI has revolutionized the way we connect devices. By unifying video and audio into a single cable manufacturers have been able to make their products easier to set up than ever before. Until recently there hasn't actually been much difference in HDMI cables. But things are about to get confusing with the introduction of HDMI 1.4. By the 1st of January 2012 manufacturers of products with HDMI ports won't actually be able to call HDMI 1.4 by its real name. In fact, come November 18 this year those selling cables won't be able to use HDMI 1.4 or HDMI 1.3 to delineate between different products. Instead cables that support version 1.4 of the HDMI standard will have to use one of five different labels. The new labels? Well, as this story explains, they're going to cause a new level of confusion for anyone hooking up a home cinema. Add to this the fact that the HDMI organisation keeps the details of its specifications secret, and translation between version numbering and marketing-speak will be well nigh impossible."
Why? Will your tv and blu-ray player stop working when this new cable comes out?
"We live in a global world" - Harvey Pitt, former Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman
Actually, I believe he was referring to this, in which audiophiles couldn't tell the difference between monster cables and a coathanger.
Marrying audio and video to one cable is much like getting an all-in-one desktop.
If you want to upgrade a single component, you have to upgrade everything. This severely limits your options for future upgrades.
People are already being bit in the butt by what HDMI does or doesn't support on a particular piece of gear.
HDMI certainly beats component cables. It doesn't really beat VGA or DVI.
Changing things from how they've been done for decades will likely more than anything just confuse people.
A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
Don't forget the all important "playing games" category where retailers try to come up with the most outlandish explanations for the premium widgets and compare stories in the breakroom. I understand it stems from the unending boredom of the job.
Ha! I used to work part time at the electronics section of a big box retailer during college. Obviously we weren't individually commissioned, but our store manager would reward us with food and free crap if the department posted good sales numbers. We used to really enjoy pulling off outlandish justifications for fun and profit. We would even refer distrusting customers to our "cabling specialist" for more information. At the time, we felt like we needed to have fun with it to stay sane.
Now grown up me wants the chance to meet up with the smart-ass 19 year old me and punch me right in the face for trying to sell me junk.