Connectors
An HDMI type A receptacle connector on a device with the words HDMI IN below it.
HDMI type A receptacle connector
A close up image of the end of an HDMI type A plug connector.
HDMI type A plug connector
There are five HDMI connector types. Type A/B are defined in the HDMI 1.0 specification, type C is defined in the HDMI 1.3 specification, and type D/E are defined in the HDMI 1.4 specification.
Type A
Nineteen pins, with bandwidth to support all SDTV, EDTV and HDTV modes.[4] The plug (male) connector outside dimensions are 13.9 mm ? 4.45 mm and the receptacle (female) connector inside dimensions are 14 mm ? 4.55 mm.[54] Type A is electrically compatible with single-link DVI-D.[55]
Type B
This connector (21.2 mm ? 4.45 mm) has 29 pins and can carry six differential pairs instead of three, for use with very high-resolution future displays such as WQUXGA (3,840?2,400).[55][56] Type B is electrically compatible with dual-link DVI-D, but has not yet been used in any products.[55][57] However, the use of the extra three differential pairs is reserved as of 1.3 specification.
Type C
A Mini connector defined in the HDMI 1.3 specification, it is intended for portable devices.[1][58][59] It is smaller than the type A plug connector (10.42 mm ? 2.42 mm) but has the same 19-pin configuration.[58][60] The differences are that all positive signals of the differential pairs are swapped with their corresponding shield, the DDC/CEC Ground is assigned to pin 13 instead of pin 17, the CEC is assigned to pin 14 instead of pin 13, and the reserved pin is 17 instead of pin 14.[61] The type C Mini connector can be connected to a type A connector using a type A-to-type C cable.[58][59]
Type D
A Micro connector defined in the HDMI 1.4 specification[59][62] keeps the standard 19 pins of types A and C but shrinks the connector size to something resembling a micro-USB connector.[63] The type D connector is 2.8 mm ? 6.4 mm, whereas the type C connector is 2.42 mm ? 10.42 mm.[64] For comparison, a micro-USB connector is 1.8 mm ? 6.85 mm and a USB Type A connector is 4.5 mm ? 11.5 mm. The pin assignment is different from Type A or C.
Type E
Automotive Connection System defined in HDMI 1.4 specification.[65] The connector has a locking tab to keep the cable from vibrating loose, and a shell to help prevent moisture and dirt. A relay connector is available for connecting standard consumer cables to the automotive type.[66]
Version 1.3
HDMI 1.3 was released June 22, 2006 and increased the single-link bandwidth to 340 MHz (10.2 Gbit/s).[2][43][129] It optionally supports deep color, with 30-bit, 36-bit and 48-bit xvYCC, sRGB, or YCbCr, compared to 24-bit sRGB or YCbCr in previous HDMI versions. It also optionally supports output of Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio streams for external decoding by AV receivers.[130] It incorporates automatic audio syncing (audio video sync) capability.[43] It defined cable Categories 1 and 2, with Category 1 cable being tested up to 74.25 MHz and Category 2 being tested up to 340 MHz.[68] It also added the new type C Mini connector for portable devices.[58][131]
HDMI 1.3a was released on November 10, 2006 and had Cable and Sink modifications for type C, source termination recommendations, and removed undershoot and maximum rise/fall time limits.[2] It also changed CEC capacitance limits, clarified sRGB video quantization range, and CEC commands for timer control were brought back in an altered form, with audio control commands added.[2] It also added support for optionally streaming SACD in its bitstream DST format rather than uncompressed raw DSD like from HDMI 1.2 onwards.[2]
HDMI 1.3b, 1.3b1 and 1.3c were released on March 26, 2007, November 9, 2007, and August 25, 2008 respectively. They do not introduce differences on HDMI features, functions, or performance,[132] but only describe testing for products based on the HDMI 1.3a specification regarding HDMI compliance (1.3b [121][133][134]), the HDMI type C Mini connector (1.3b1 [121][133][134]) and active HDMI cables (1.3c [75][135]).[132]
