HDMI standard is specified as a Video Standard in 2002, full name is "High Definition Multimedia Interface", and translated into Chinese it means“高清晰多媒体接口”. The development of HDMI has been more than eight years since the initial HDMI1.1 to the latest HDMI1.4 standard. The technology tends to be mature, and below we will introduce the latest HDMI1.4 standard.

Before, the HDMI has become one of the important interfaces of the video display device. It's believed that as the technology of HDMI1.4 becomes mature, HDMI will usher in a number of new features, such as HEC Ethernet channel, ARC audio feedback channel, 3 d, 4 k high resolution, etc. However, many new technologies of HDMI 1.4 version are not necessary requirements and the cables are of several different types, if no specification to avoid confusion, it will result in that consumers may buy the cable of incompatibility.

To solve the mentioned problems, HDMI Licensing an institution authorized by the HDMI Standard issued a new HDMI 1.4 standard specification to restrict the marks on the packaging of devices and cables. As "HDMI 1.4" is too broad to show the specific technical support of the equipment. Therefore, in this specification, it's banned to use ambiguous mark saying "HDMI version 1.4" as an identification method.

Explicit rules have been set up for HDMI equipment and cables. The previous version numbers should be abandoned on/before January 1, 2012. Before that, manufacturers should apply version number identification on the basis of clearly showing the technology used, such as "" HDMI v. 1.4 with Audio Return Channel and HDMI Ethernet Channel" (HDMI version 1.4 supports the ARC Audio Feedback Channel and HEC Ethernet Channel), but ambiguous "HDMI v. 1.4 compliant" is forbidden (compatible with HDMI 1.4).