HDMI says many HDMI to Mini DP cables unlicensed

The HDMI Org group has been calling for a crackdown on many forms of HDMI to Mini DisplayPort cables. The company spoke on Friday saying that any cable which had both a male Mini DP jack and a male HDMI connector wasn't properly licensed and shouldn't be on sale. They can't be tested under the current terms, the HDMI team explained to TechRadar, and sit outside of the spec even if they work properly.

No mention has been made of an active attempt to have these cables pulled from the market, although HDMI Org may have the legal right to ask stores to stop selling the cables.

The HDMI Org was careful to exempt cables that used a female HDMI port that takes a connection from another cable, such as Kanex's iAdapt Mini DP to HDMI Adapter. Officials also said they knew there was a demand for adapters that used just a pure cable rather than a bulkier adapter. Until an official option comes, however, designers still have to respect the license, the organization said.

Those at the HDMI group have a financial incentive to push for the strategy. Licensing is the primary source of revenue for the group, and Mini DP eliminates one of the connectors that the HDMI Org can charge for. Apple has been the primary champion of Mini DP and uses it on all Macs, but its greater affordability and smaller size has seen a growing number of Windows PC makers and video card makers, like Toshiba and AMD, replacing HDMI video out with the originally Apple-designed port.

By Electronista Staff

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AMD, computers, industry, peripherals, digital imaging, Toshiba, accessories, HDMI, DisplayPort, Apple, Mini DisplayPort