High-Def Digest published on Friday a most exhaustive and definitive discussion of HDMI, it’s underlying protocol, and what the various versions, 1.0 through 1.3b offer the customer.

"Once upon a time, connecting our home video equipment was pretty straightforward. We had a TV, we had a VCR, and we had a simple RF coaxial cable.... You screwed one end of the cable to the VCR and the other to the TV, and voila! That was all there was to it," Joshua Zyber wrote.

These days, it’s not so simple. The Apple TV supports HDMI 1.2 protocol. Many users don’t know what that means or care. On the other hand, Sony HD camcorders, their PS3 and their recent HDTVs all use HDMI 1.3 in order to support x.v.Color or xvYCC color or IEC61966-2-4 xvYC color standard or, simply, "Deep Color." Some in the industry are rushing to support Deep Color, others are not, and when there are HDMI version mismatches in their system, the customers are left wondering what it all means and what features they’re getting or missing.

HDMI Connector

On top of that, some video devices, such as HD stereo receivers, are stuck at HDMI 1.2a or even 1.1. What that means to the consumer depends on how they want to set up their home theater and what technologies they want to exploit.

Worse, according to the author, "The problem is that HDMI is an evolving standard that was essentially rushed to market before all of its critical features could be finalized." Moreover, our recent comfort zone has been shaken by the recent introduction of HDMI 1.3 which supports all kinds of features that may, in fact, not exist in the hardware or media purchased.

"If you were buying a new HDTV or A/V receiver right now and wanted to feel thoroughly future-proofed, it certainly couldn’t hurt to make sure that they’re HDMI 1.3 compliant, but there’s no reason to feel nervous or cheated if they aren’t. At the present time, for all practical applications, any version of HDMI is perfectly capable of transmitting the best that Blu-ray or HD DVD offers just as well as any other. Unfortunately, HDMI 1.3 is more hype than substance," Mr. Zyber concluded.

Once again, marketing may be playing a bigger role than technically mature technology. However, being aware of all the features and technology, thanks to this kind of illuminating and extensive article, always makes for a better informed customer.