SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--HDMI Licensing, LLC, the agent responsible for licensing the High-Definition Multimedia Interface® (HDMI®) specification, today announced, on behalf of the HDMI Founders, the release of HDMI Specification Version 1.4a featuring key enhancements for 3D applications including the addition of mandatory 3D formats for broadcast content as well as the addition of the 3D format referred to as Top-and-Bottom. The complete HDMI Specification Version 1.4a, along with the 1.4a version of the Compliance Test Specification (CTS), is available to Adopters on the HDMI Adopter Extranet.

An extraction of the 3D portion of Specification Version 1.4a is available for public download on the HDMI Web site at http://www.hdmi.org. The purpose of the extraction document is to provide public access to the 3D portion of the HDMI Specification for those companies and organizations that are not HDMI Adopters but require access to this portion of the Specification.

“We published these latest enhancements to support the market need for broadcast 3D content,” said Steve Venuti, president of HDMI Licensing, LLC. “When we launched 1.4 in June of 2009, we deferred the selection of mandatory 3D format(s) for broadcast content until the market direction was more clearly defined. The market has spoken and the HDMI Consortium has listened and responded to accommodate those market needs.”

The latest HDMI Specification adds key enhancements to support the market requirements for bringing broadcast 3D content into the home:

1. The addition of Top-and-Bottom to the Specification.

2. The addition of two mandatory formats for broadcast content:

• Side-by-Side Horizontal
• Top-and-Bottom

With the addition of these two mandatory formats, the HDMI Specification Version 1.4a provides a level of interoperability for devices designed to deliver 3D content over the HDMI connection. The mandatory 3D formats are:

3D Mandatory Formats

• For movie content:
  • Frame Packing
    • 1080p @ 23.98/24Hz
• For game content:
  • Frame Packing
    • 720p @ 50 or 59.94/60Hz
• For broadcast content:
  • Side-by-Side Horizontal
    • 1080i @ 50 or 59.94/60Hz
  • Top-and-Bottom
    • 720p @ 50 or 59.94/60Hz
    • 1080p @ 23.97/24Hz

Implementing the mandatory formats of the HDMI Specification facilitates interoperability among devices, allowing devices to speak a common 3D language when transmitting and receiving 3D content. The mandatory requirements for devices implementing 3D formats are:

• Displays – must support all mandatory formats.
• Sources – must support at least one mandatory format.
• Repeaters - must be able to pass through all mandatory formats.

HDMI Adopters will have 90 days from the publication of the Specification Version 1.4a to build and sell products that are compliant with 1.4a as well as pass the CTS Version 1.4a. This also applies to legacy set-top boxes that may have upgraded to use Specification Version 1.4 signaling.

For more information about the HDMI specification please visit http://www.hdmi.org.

About HDMI Licensing, LLC

HDMI Licensing, LLC is the agent responsible for licensing the HDMI specification, promoting the HDMI standard and providing education on the benefits of the HDMI specification to Adopters, retailers and consumers. The HDMI specification was developed by Hitachi, Ltd.; Panasonic Corporation; Philips Consumer Electronics International, B.V.; Silicon Image, Inc.; Sony Corporation; Technicolor S.A. (formerly Thomson S.A.) and Toshiba Corporation as the all-digital interface standard for the consumer electronics and personal computer markets. The HDMI specification combines uncompressed high-definition video, multi-channel audio, and data in a single digital interface to provide crystal-clear digital quality over a single cable. HDMI Licensing, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Silicon Image, Inc. For more information about the HDMI specification, please visit www.hdmi.org.

Forward-looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal securities laws and regulations, including, but not limited to, statements regarding the market need for broadcast 3D content, the ability of the latest version of the HDMI specification to address this perceived market need and the current and anticipated features, functionality and benefits of the HDMI Specification Version 1.4a. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including the risk that the mandatory 3D formats included in the HDMI Specification Version 1.4a will not address the perceived market need for broadcast 3D content as well as the risks and uncertainties described from time to time in Silicon Image’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). These risks and uncertainties could cause the actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by the forward-looking statements contained in this news release. Silicon Image assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement.

HDMI, the HDMI logo, and High-Definition Multimedia Interface are trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing, LLC in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners in the Unites States and/or other countries.