CE Pro February 2023 - 17

INTERVIEW
Audio+Video
Brad Bramy, VP,
Marketing & Operations,
HDMI Licensing Administrator
How is the HDMI category building upon the momentum
for HDMI 2.1?
If you track overall CE and PC industry stats, you will see that
HDMI-enabled products are along for that ride. Obviously,
the work/school/entertainment bubble that started in 2020
and lasted for a few years is changing. But in terms of HDMI
2.1a specifically, keep in mind that 2.0 was deprecated and
therefore the only current tech shipping is 2.1a. What we
are seeing though are more of the newest feature sets being
implemented such as 4K120, VRR (Variable Refresh Rate),
ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) and eARC (Enhanced Audio
Return Channel). There are other performance improvements
that are not widely known except by adopters and manufacturers
that come out all the time from the HDMI Forum,
and those are also reflected in the updated test specs, so the
technology is constantly being improved upon.
Do you expect to see more AVRs, TVs and streaming
products to include 2.1a features?
If a new TV, AVR or streaming device comes out it almost
certainly is 2.1a, as that is the only certification available unless
it is 1.4b. Some of the off-brand or secondary or tertiary
market products may not be implementing the most current
or well-known 2.1a features. The question is, which of the
2.1a features are being implemented since they are optional?
So we see growth in the implemented features such as 8K,
4K120, 4K144, and again, much more support for ALLM and
VRR and QFT (Quick Frame Transport).
Is there a feature you foresee as being a key driver for
the format's growth?
I see the gaming capabilities as expanding in availability as these
features can differentiate a TV to consumers and some of them
are good for other entertainment as well. And while many major
manufacturers are already supporting 4K120, that is an area
manufacturers are saying they will expand on and offer in more
model lines. A lot of this is also tied to the screen sizes. The
industry is driving the larger TVs and along with those larger
screen sizes comes an increase in market penetration of logical
features such as HDR and dynamic HDR, wide color gamuts,
high bit-rate object-based audio and more 4K120 and even 8K
- even though there is not much 8K content around, it is still
a future-ready selling point and the upscaling is incredible.
cepro.com
How would you recommend integrators take advantage
of gamer-friendly options when they are setting up home
theaters and media rooms?
All system designs and installs should be game-ready for consoles,
PC and cloud gaming just like they need to be ready
for movies and TV shows. Even if it doesn't seem necessary
for a client today, entertainment consumption changes over
time as family members age and interests change, and gaming
merges more with other entertainment services. Plus, it's a
cool selling point and for many consumers it is exciting to say
their system is future game ready. Many more people may
become interested in gaming now that it is so widely available
via so many applications. If their system supported it
and an integrator showed them how to access it, many would
add it to their entertainment options.
" There are performance
improvements that are
not widely known except
by adopters and manufacturers
that come out all the time from the
HDMI Forum ... so the technology is
constantly being improved upon. "
How can HDMI 2.1 address commercial AV applications?
It is becoming more complicated since there are more access
and connectivity options such as the various streaming
sources, both third-party and integrated OS, AV over IP, the
upcoming wireless updates, and the many music streaming formats.
We believe the core of system design and install has to
be HDMI technology maximization. So that means getting the
training, knowledge and suppliers necessary to always use the
most current HDMI technology available, and making sure the
other supporting technologies are seamlessly integrated; and
on top of that, making sure that year after year updates can be
integrated either via individual manufacturer firmware or via
product add-ons so the client never gets frustrated.
I would advise integrators to take advantage of companies
who are sourcing from licensed HDMI Adopters, whose products
are tested/certified at HDMI Authorized Test Centers,
and who are always there with pre- and after-sale support.
February 2023 CE Pro | 17
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CE Pro February 2023

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