Sorry due to last minute tweaks the 301 review still needs to upload to Exposure Room and that process cuts me from the internet so I will leave this till about 12.30am. It will be available tomorrow morning at 9am (Wednesday).

SUNNYVALE, Calif., May 27, 2009 – HDMI Licensing, LLC, the agent responsible for licensing the High-Definition Multimedia Interface® (HDMI®) specification, today announced the features that will be incorporated in the upcoming HDMI 1.4 specification. This latest version of the HDMI specification will, among other advancements, offer networking capabilities with Ethernet connectivity and will add an Audio Return Channel to enable upstream audio connections via the HDMI cable. The HDMI specification 1.4 will be available for download on the HDMI LLC website no later than June 30, 2009.

The HDMI 1.4 specification will offer the following enhanced functionalities:

* HDMI Ethernet Channel

The HDMI 1.4 specification will add a data channel to the HDMI cable and will enable high-speed bi-directional communication. Connected devices that include this feature will be able to send and receive data via 100 Mb/sec Ethernet, making them instantly ready for any IP-based application.

The HDMI Ethernet Channel will allow an Internet-enabled HDMI device to share its Internet connection with other HDMI devices without the need for a separate Ethernet cable. The new feature will also provide the connection platform to allow HDMI-enabled devices to share content between devices.

* Audio Return Channel

The new specification will add an Audio Return Channel that will reduce the number of cables required to deliver audio upstream for processing and playback. In cases where HDTVs are directly receiving audio and video content, this new Audio Return Channel allows the HDTV to send the audio stream to the A/V receiver over the HDMI cable, eliminating the need for an extra cable.

* 3D Over HDMI

The 1.4 version of the specification will define common 3D formats and resolutions for HDMI-enabled devices. The specification will standardize the input/output portion of the home 3D system and will specify up to dual-stream 1080p resolution.

* 4K x 2K Resolution Support

The new specification will enable HDMI devices to support high-definition (HD) resolutions four times beyond the resolution of 1080p. Support for 4K x 2K will allow the HDMI interface to transmit content at the same resolution as many digital theaters. Formats supported include:

3840×2160 24Hz/25Hz/30Hz       4096×2160 24Hz

* Expanded Support For Color Spaces

HDMI technology now supports color spaces designed specifically for digital still cameras. By supporting sYCC601, Adobe RGB and AdobeYCC601, HDMI-enabled display devices will be capable of reproducing more accurate life-like colors when connected to a digital still camera.

* Micro HDMI Connector

The Micro HDMI Connector is a significantly smaller 19-pin connector that supports up to 1080p resolutions for portable devices. This new connector is approximately 50% smaller than the size of the existing HDMI Mini Connector.

* Automotive Connection System

The Automotive Connection System is a cabling specification designed to be used as the basis for in-vehicle HD content distribution. The HDMI 1.4 specification will provide a solution designed to meet the rigors and environmental issues commonly found in automobiles, such as heat, vibration and noise. Using the Automotive Connection System, automobile manufactures will now have a viable solution for distributing HD content within the car.

“The HDMI specification continues to add functionality as the consumer electronics and PC industries build products that enhance the consumer’s HD experience,” said Steve Venuti, president of HDMI Licensing, LLC. “The 1.4 specification will support some of the most exciting and powerful near-term innovations such as Ethernet connectivity and 3D formats. Additionally we are going to broaden our solution by providing a smaller connector for portable devices and a connection system specified for automobiles, as we see both more and different devices adopting the HDMI technology.“

Consumers will also see new HDMI cables introduced to the market. In order to take advantage of the HDMI Ethernet Channel, consumers will need to purchase either a Standard HDMI cable with Ethernet, or a High Speed HDMI cable with Ethernet. Consumers connecting an external device to an in-vehicle HDMI-enabled HD system will need the new Automotive HDMI cable. Consumers can expect to see new HDMI 1.4 cables introduced to the market when new HDMI 1.4 devices are available.

Consumers will have a choice of the following HDMI cables:

* Standard HDMI Cable – supports data rates up to 1080i/60;
* High Speed HDMI Cable – supports data rates beyond 1080p, including Deep Color and all 3D formats of the   new 1.4 specification;
* Standard HDMI Cable with Ethernet – includes Ethernet connectivity;
* High Speed HDMI Cable with Ethernet – includes Ethernet connectivity;
* Automotive HDMI Cable – allows the connection of external HDMI-enabled devices to an in-vehicle HDMI     device.

The HDMI standard continues to grow in the marketplace with now over 850 adopters worldwide. The growing adoption of the HDMI specification by both consumer electronics and PC manufacturers further strengthens its position as the worldwide standard for high-definition digital connectivity. According to market research firm In-Stat, over 394 million HDMI-enabled devices are expected to ship in 2009, with an installed base of 1 billion devices. By the end of 2009 100% of digital televisions are expected to have at least one HDMI input.

The HDMI specification 1.4 will be available for download at http://www.hdmi.org no later than June 30, 2009.

I still do not know what the answer is to this problem but I would like to share a word of warning…I was filming yesterday and choose to film in SP 1080i mode as I had a 12 hour day. Now as we all know we do not film 12 hours of material in a 12 hour day but those precious 22 extra minutes per 16Gig card can be useful.

Now why did I choose 1080i and not 720p well firstly there is a lot of action footage and the final production ends up on SD DVD and watched mainly in the UK. A rule of thumb for filming in HD is as follows…

1. End result = DVD = interlace

2. End result = web = progressive

So I stupidly choose SP mode instead of HQ mode to “save on card space”. My 16G cards being SDHC Transend cards for archive purposes as this job will not be completed till sometime in July. So you start to see the picture…I was saving card space when I had at least three 16G SDHC cards with me and even at full HD would not fill 3 cards. 

So as they say in the good old Indiana Jones films “You choose badly”…why. I have an Apple Mac Pro with an AJA io HD box so I can afford to start with the best setting and down convert later if needed. 

To get to the point I was reviewing some of yesterdays shots and it came to the canoe section when I noticed square pixel boxing all over the water shots to be fair this will not be seen by the time it gets to an SD DVD but it’s there all the same. I have not experienced this before but I also have a nagging doubt that it may also be the cards fault as well.

In my own Sherlock fashon I took things back to basics and tried to re-create the problem without success…I filmed a sink of water at 1440 and 1920 but both looked fine although the 1920 was crisper looking as you would expect, but no blocking.

Fortunately 99% of the footage is fine and it spans 2h 24m using 3 cards I had forgot I had used 20mins of one of the cards last week. So my advice is as follows…

1. Only choose HQ mode for filming with the EX1, EX3

2. Web based productions look better shot with 720P 50

3. TV and DVD based productions look better with motion shot on 1920 x 1080i 50

4. If like me you need archive where the SxS card becomes a pain only use Transend Class 6 SDHC or Panasonic Class 10 SDHC cards.

My conclusions…

I doubt if this was card problems as the rest of the footage is fine and the SDHC card is only a problem if you are using over cranking as they do not work in this mode. You do not get a choice of HQ and SD for the sake of it…HQ gives you the best quality so don’t compromise for the sake of a £40 SDHC card !

UPDATE…It’s not a card problem it’s the technology, seemingly moving water is very hard for digital to understand and compresses it into wee square boxes, you only see this effect when you have moving water. I filmed further test footage this morning and it did not matter a hoot wether it was on HQ or SQ mode and I also filmed onto Sony SxS and SDHC both the same quality…though the HQ pictures were much punchier.

I have to admit I have not filmed a lot of water shots with this camera so I was caught out when I suddenly saw the square boxes in the moving water but as I can do nothing about it I will avoid filming water sports in the future. The best part about video is that you never stop learning.