It may be hard to tell as end-users may not be familiar with licensing requirements and resellers’ marketing can be confusing. But you must be sure as it’s critical that cables and devices work together seamlessly and trouble-free.
HDMI Licensing Administrator, Inc. (HDMI LA) licenses the HDMI specifications and has the authorized cable compliance programs. It’s the agent appointed by the HDMI Forum to license Version 2.1 of the HDMI Specification and the agent appointed by the HDMI Founders to license the 1.4b HDMI Specification. HDMI LA enforces compliance to the HDMI specifications and the HDMI adopted trademarks and logos. It is also responsible for promoting factual information on HDMI technology, specification features, cables, testing and certification.
What is the Licensed HDMI Technology Eco-System of Compliance?
It starts with manufacturers who must be licensed HDMI Adopters in order to access and use the HDMI specifications and use the HDMI trademarks and logos. And where do the specs originate? The HDMI Founders produced the 1.4b specification and since 2013 the HDMI Forum all subsequent versions, with the latest being Specification Version 2.1. The HDMI Forum is comprised of almost 80 companies that collaborate on the specification. They also produce the Compliance Test Specifications (CTS) for testing and certifying compliance; and do so in collaboration with authorized test equipment manufacturers whose equipment is used for testing, and HDMI Forum Authorized Test Centers (HDMI Forum ATCs) where the testing takes place. This rock-solid system pertains to all HDMI product categories including cables.
Special HDMI Cable Certification Programs
All HDMI cables must be tested for compliance with the specification and in addition there are two special certification programs administered by HDMI LA for added compliance assurance with anti-counterfeiting labeling.
The Premium HDMI® Cable Certification Program was launched in 2015 for High Speed HDMI Cables and adds testing and certification to ensure support for 4K@60Hz and 18Gbps bandwidth. All lengths of cables must be tested at HDMI ATCs and pass EMI testing. With more 4K content being distributed, this cable is vital to both the consumer and commercial sectors especially cable, satellite and IPTV set-top box installations. It also requires packaging to display the Premium HDMI Cable Certification Label for added verification of compliance and to prevent counterfeiting.
The new Ultra High Speed HDMI® Cable Certification Program is soon launching and supports the new Ultra High Speed HDMI Cables from the HDMI 2.1 specification. It’s the only cable that complies with stringent specifications designed to ensure support for all HDMI 2.1 features including uncompressed 8k@60 and 4K@120 and the increased bandwidth of 48Gbps. The program is mandatory for all Ultra High Speed HDMI Cables; and ensures quality cables reach the market and support 4K and 8K video, HDR, VRR, eARC, and all other HDMI 2.1 features. All certified cables of any length must pass certification testing at an HDMI Forum ATC and be tested to meet current EMI requirements to minimize wireless interference. Cables will be required to affix an Ultra High Speed HDMI Certification Label to each package.
Both certification programs utilize the proprietary HDMI LA cable certification scanning app available to end-users to verify certification and check the reseller brand and cable length. Also, both programs include HDMI LA audits of marketplace cables to ensure that production cables continue to pass certification testing during their product lifetime. For more information go to HDMI.org
The terms HDMI, HDMI High-Definition Multimedia Interface, Premium HDMI Cable Certification Program, Ultra High Speed HDMI, Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable Certification Program, and the Premium HDMI Cable Certification Label, Ultra High Speed HDMI Certification Label, the Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable Logo and HDMI Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing Administrator, Inc.
