The HDMI interface will be updated later this year and will actually bring some interesting news, unlike many of the previous updates that have anything but rocked our worlds. First of all it will introduce the smaller connector which has been seen around the web for some time. Even if the regular HDMI connector is still much slimmer than for example DVI you start to wonder how you will even fit cables on the next generation TVs. A smaller HDMI connector would certain help, hopefully with better attachment.
The biggest news is still within the cable. They will increase the capacity of the interface and not just for more pixels to our high definition displays but also enable regular data through it. They are considering supporting high-speed Ethernet transfers, which certainly sounds like an interesting addition making HDMI more of a multipurpose interface.
Another welcomed piece of news is that the HDMI interface will not just be able to send audio to your TV, but also send back multi-channel audio from the TV to the receiver or DVD. Something that requires an extra digital audio connection today.
When the new specification will be released remains to be seen, but the problem with all these news, especially the new connectors, is the backwards compatibility, which will probably make the cable manufacturers slightly richer and consumers less happy.
Source: Engadget
