HDMI 1.4 has yet to find its way into a wide array of devices but regardless, Panasonic has gone ahead and announced that they will begin offering cables in Japan next month.

These HDMI 1.4 cables will reportedly drop on August 27th and will range from 1-10 meters with prices of $42 - $210.

Sure it’s expensive, but once the technology catches on and is more widely used the prices will drop thus making us, the consumers, happy.

via EngadgetHD

What if your TV could do a bunch of stuff by using a simple HDMI connection? Would you change your HDTV with a brand new model if I told you the latter one would be able to offer your 3D, ARC and Ethernet connectivity through an HDMI 1.4 port? Well unfortunately the new HDMI 1.4 standard isn’t available quite yet. When it will be ready it will offer you a whole new set of features. As I said earlier you can expect Audio Return Channel, HDMI Ethernet Channel and 3D over HDMI channel to be available with that HDMI 1.4. The new standard will be available sometime later this year so you should be looking for it in future HDTVs, receivers or Blu-ray players. We’ll tell you more about the first gadgets to come with a HDMI 1.4 port as soon as they will be announced.

via siliconimage

When the HDMI cable first hit store shelves it effectively took the market by storm; combining HD video and HD audio all into one cable was something people had never seen before. Well, HDMI has come along way and the guys behind the interface are gearing up to launch its latest version, version 1.4

This new version will not only continue to support both HD video and audio but it will now throw Ethernet and 3D into the mix. This means with one cable you’ll have HD video, audio, Ethernet and 3D an almost ridiculous amount of stuff to stuff into such a small space. But that’s not all, it was also announced that HDMI 1.4 will support video resolutions up to 4x greater than whats currently being offered today, 1080p.

When these cables do hit the market there will be 4 different versions, standard and high speeds. The only different between the versions is that they will come with or without Ethernet. This is obviously to keep the cable in the hands of those who can’t afford to pay a premium for such a luxury.

Read (ConsumerReports)

HDMI 1.4 has been just announced and it we’re in for some changes. One important added feature is the HDMI Ethernet Channel (HEC) which allows transfers of up to 100Mbps between the connected devices. That means that HDMI 1.4 will let a “broadband-connected television using its HEC-enabled HDMI port to provide internet connection sharing with another HEC-enabled device such as a game console or DVR.”

The Audio Return Channel, ARC, will transmit broadcast audio to any external amplifier easily. The Automatic Content Enhancement, ACE, will bring support “future 3D video standards, increased resolution support (up to 4,096 x 2,160 pixels at up to 30Hz), and content recognition that promises to automatically optimize the TV’s picture settings based on content type.”

In order to have all that HEC going on, you will need new HDMI 1.4 spec cables, either low- or high-data rate. Silicon Image will ship chip samples to manufacturers in the second quarter and HDMI 1.4-enabled products will be available for early next year.

via pcmag