HDMI

What Is the Best HDMI Cable for Commercial Installation? The Official HDMI® Cable Certification Programs Explained

(published in CE Pro, June 2020)

Are the cables your company use part of the licensed and comprehensive HDMI technology eco-system of compliance and assurance?  Sometimes it can be hard to tell as the licensing requirements may not be known to end-users and resellers’ marketing can be confusing. As 4K content distribution becomes widely available and products with the newest HDMI 2.1 specification’s ultra high speed bandwidth-dependent features are in-market, it’s critical that cables and devices work together seamlessly and trouble-free.
 
The Premium HDMI® Cable Certification Program was launched in 2015 for Premium High Speed HDMI Cables and adds testing and certification to ensure support for 4K@60Hz, 18Gbps bandwidth and HDR. 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. It is widely specified globally for use by service providers for in-home 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 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, 4K@120 and the increased bandwidth of 48Gbps. This mandatory program ensures quality cables reach the market and support 4K and 8K video, HDR, VRR, eARC, and all other HDMI 2.1 features. All certified cable lengths must pass certification testing at an HDMI Forum ATC and be tested to meet current EMI requirements to minimize wireless interference. Cables are 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.
 
What is the Licensed HDMI Technology Eco-System of Compliance?
 
It starts with manufacturers who must be licensed HDMI Adopters in order to access 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 Compliance Test Specifications; and since 2013 the HDMI Forum all subsequent versions including the latest Specification Version 2.1 and its Compliance Test Specifications. The HDMI Forum works in collaboration with authorized test equipment manufacturers whose equipment is used for testing, and HDMI Forum Authorized Test Centers (Forum ATCs) where the testing and certification takes place. This rock-solid system pertains to all HDMI product categories including cables.
 
HDMI Licensing Administrator, Inc. (HDMI LA) is the only organization that licenses the HDMI specifications. HDMI LA is the agent appointed by the HDMI Forum to license Version 2.1 of the HDMI Specification and is also the agent appointed by the HDMI Founders to license the 1.4b HDMI Specification. HDMI LA is tasked with enforcing compliance to the HDMI specifications and the HDMI adopted trademarks and logos. With misinformation spread about HDMI features, testing and certification, HDMI LA is the exclusive source for factual information. 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.