HDMI 1.3a

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There are six different types of HDMI:
HDMI 1.0, HDMI 1.1, HDMI 1.2, HDMI 1.2a, HDMI 1.3 & HDMI 1.3a.

When I bought my PS3 last Friday (30/03/07) I also bought a Panasonic HDMI 1.3a cable. The picture quality is stunning and appears to be a lot sharper than my Xbox 360 via Component.
I'm no expert on HDMI but was wondering whether its well worth paying the extra for a HDMI 1.3a cable? I believe the Sony official cable isn't 1.3a nor are the Game HDMI cables are they?

Press Release:
http://www.hdmi.org/press/pr/pr_20060622.asp
 
How a cable is marketed has no bearing on it's quality.
IOW, they saw you coming.
 
How a cable is marketed has no bearing on it's quality.
IOW, they saw you coming.

Did you even read that press release? It is clearly stated that 1.3 is better than the older versions?
If you want to buy cheap cables then that's up to you. Personally I don't buy the first cable that I am told to buy by a shop, without researching it first. Wikipedia is always a got place to start. What I'm still unsure about is whether its worth getting 1.3a over 1.3 (or lower) and whether the HDMI cables sold by Game, etc for the PS3 are 1.3, 1.3a or a lesser specification?

"The HDMI 1.3 specification more than doubles HDMI's bandwidth and adds support for Deep Color™ technology, a broader color space, new digital audio formats, automatic audio/video synching capability (“lip sync”), and an optional smaller connector for use with personal photo and video devices. The update reflects the determination of the HDMI founders to ensure HDMI continues evolving ahead of future consumer demands.

PLAYSTATION®3 will be the most advanced computer platform for enjoying a wide range of entertainment content, including the latest games and HD movies, in the home,” said Ken Kutaragi, president and group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. “By introducing the next-generation HDMI 1.3 technology, with its high speed and deep color capabilities, PS3 will push the boundaries of audiovisual quality to the next level of more natural and smoother expression on the latest large flat panel displays.”
 
Yeah but the cables are all universal
 
HDMI 1.3 is better but your TV or receiver needs to be HDMI 1.3 comaptible but theres not much kit out there at the mo that is. So unless your TV is HDMI 1.3 compatible, they did see you coming.
Have a look at this well written post and scroll down to the HDMI Tech bit.
http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=504339
 
HDMI 1.3 is better but your TV or receiver needs to be HDMI 1.3 comaptible but theres not much kit out there at the mo that is. So unless your TV is HDMI 1.3 compatible, they did see you coming.
Have a look at this well written post and scroll down to the HDMI Tech bit.
http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=504339

Thanks. Very interesting read. That thread is about the 'audio' side of HDMI though. I was more interesed in the 'video' side of HDMI and also the latest 1.3a version.
I like to try and future proof myself as much as possible and the 1.3a version was only £12.00 more and the build quality looked a lot better, so I'm happy to pay a small amount extra for the build quality alone.

No one "say me coming" thank you very much.

"Sony has been actively promoting HDMI version 1.3a which allows high-speed transmission of large capacity contents with high-resolution and wide color reproduction range.
"PlayStation 3" which launches on November 11 will be the first product certified to use HDMI Ver. 1.3a. By providing an advanced testing service for products such as next generation optical disc and computer entertainment devices, Sony will promote HDMI ver.1.3a and expand the number of products adopting the standard."


"The least publicized feature of the PS3 has to be that it's the first product featuring an HDMI port that meets the 1.3a specification. The latest version of HDMI supports previously unseen color depth in video."
 
There are six different types of HDMI cables:
HDMI 1.0, HDMI 1.1, HDMI 1.2, HDMI 1.2a, HDMI 1.3 & HDMI 1.3a.
It is your understanding of HDMI that is at fault,and what people are taking issue with here.
Look at your statement - it is incorrect,but if the word i have highlighted was removed,then it would be correct. ;)
 
There are basically two points that are being referred to here.

The first is that it does not really matter what type of hdmi port is on the PS3 if the screen you are displaying the output on does not have the same spec hdmi port which most do not have.

Secondly there is the issue of the cable itself, and the general belief that any hdmi cable is capable of carrying the signal between two 1.3a equipped pieces of equipment and if the manufacturer stamps 1.3a on the cable that just means its the same cable with 1.3 printed on it in nice white letters so they can charge more.(not a techy so can't confirm this personally)
 
There is no difference in the cables between versions. The version numbers refer to the port specs, not the cables. As has been said repeatedly, the signal is digital, and encrypted. As long as the cable is good enough to get the signal through, then there shouldnt be any advantage to spending extra money on a cable. It makes no difference.
 
Can you get an hdmi cable for the ps3 that is around 3m as I would like to try the ps3 out on a projector without having to have it right next to the pj..?

cheers

sorry if this is slightly off topic but thought others may be interested in the answer

:)
 
sorry - immediately realised what a dufus I am when I saw your reply.. it must have been component I was thinking of..

mon the rovers :D
 
It is your understanding of HDMI that is at fault,and what people are taking issue with here.
Look at your statement - it is incorrect,but if the word i have highlighted was removed,then it would be correct. ;)

i said i was no expert which is why i was asking for advice. i have removed the word cable since it causes issues with people. this forum is a place for some friendly advice. this forum is not for experts only. jeez.
 
There is no difference in the cables between versions. The version numbers refer to the port specs, not the cables. As has been said repeatedly, the signal is digital, and encrypted. As long as the cable is good enough to get the signal through, then there shouldnt be any advantage to spending extra money on a cable. It makes no difference.

thanks, a useful reply. :smashin:
 
i said i was no expert which is why i was asking for advice. i have removed the word cable since it causes issues with people. this forum is a place for some friendly advice. this forum is not for experts only. jeez.
And i was perfectly polite towards you,and pointed out where you were going wrong with your opening statement.
We all learn new things.....and you have learned something from the replies you have been given.
I have to say though....your very first reply was hinting at what you needed to know,although it didnt explain it in enough detail.
 
And i was perfectly polite towards you,and pointed out where you were going wrong with your opening statement.
We all learn new things.....and you have learned something from the replies you have been given.
I have to say though....your very first reply was hinting at what you needed to know,although it didnt explain it in enough detail.

polite but a bit condecending im afraid. sorry. i have had my question answered by some of the replies and i thank those posters. :thumbsup:
 
Thanks. Very interesting read. That thread is about the 'audio' side of HDMI though. I was more interesed in the 'video' side of HDMI and also the latest 1.3a version.
I like to try and future proof myself as much as possible and the 1.3a version was only £12.00 more and the build quality looked a lot better, so I'm happy to pay a small amount extra for the build quality alone.

No one "say me coming" thank you very much.

Sorry to say again, but they did see you coming.

"Build quality" matters not one iota when you are talking about a digital signal. Digital signals either transmit or they don't. You either get 100% of the signal or 0%. There is no kind of degredation that is possible using a digital cable.

That isn't expert talk either. Anyone with a GCSE or O level in Science knows this.
 
No one "saw me coming" thank you very much.

[/I]

That's not entirely true.

I was stood in the shop at the time and glanced over the road - I saw a fellow walk in and buy a 1.3 HDMI cable.

So infact, I did see you coming.
 
"Build quality" matters not one iota when you are talking about a digital signal. Digital signals either transmit or they don't.

Surely a digital signal can be corrupted. They can be in computer networks, so I assume it's the same for cables. The whole reason twisted pair is twisted is to stop corruption of a signal and in networks digital signals have check/parity bits etc to ensure a correct transmission.
 
My argument is that if you buy a HDMI cable and it doesn't work then you would be able to send it back as it is not fit for purpose.

Build quality of a cable doesn't come into it with a digital signal.
 
Surely a digital signal can be corrupted. They can be in computer networks, so I assume it's the same for cables. The whole reason twisted pair is twisted is to stop corruption of a signal and in networks digital signals have check/parity bits etc to ensure a correct transmission.

Maybe that is more to do with the multiplexing of the signal?

You are right, the signal gets sent in bits, and you either receive those bits or you don't, which can cause corruption.

I'm not sure that it would work the same way when watching a film, as you are not receiving as many different types of information.
 
Sure, but over a couple feet? Not gonna happen in normal use.

Plus the addition of HDCP means a single bit error would be extremely visible.. encryption tends to do that to things. You'd probably lose a frame or two of the picture entirely.

Network corruption is *extremely* rare in a home network (also if you think of things like games these do not use checksums as they're going over UDP - and these work fine even half way across the world).

The only build quality issue is 'will this thing fall apart in 3 months' which is what would make me suspicious of a 99p HDMI cable not anything to do with the signal transmission.
 
Sorry to say again, but they did see you coming.

"Build quality" matters not one iota when you are talking about a digital signal. Digital signals either transmit or they don't. You either get 100% of the signal or 0%. There is no kind of degredation that is possible using a digital cable.

That isn't expert talk either. Anyone with a GCSE or O level in Science knows this.

Of course build quality matters. If the cable breaks you can't use it can you! I have seen plenty of cheap optical cables break and plenty of cheap scart cables and s-video cables cease to work because they have been damaged easily due to poor build quality or have failed over time. It is exactly the same with a HDMI cable. If it breaks due to poor quality it won't work.

Maybe you need to resit your science O level again.
 
If it breaks due to poor build quality you send it back for a new one :rolleyes:

Maybe you need to re-read my post :rolleyes:
 
It seems like you can't stand to be wrong. Just get over it.
 

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