Silicon Image Delivers 'Deep Color' With HDMI 1.3

Silicon Image said this week it's introducing the industry's first HD Multimedia Interface (HDMI) 1.3 transmitters and receivers to enable the next-gen of DVD players and HD monitors to transmit and receive content in billions of color combinations.

The VastLane SiI 9133, a dual-input HDMI receiver, is designed to enable HD screens to display Deep Color content transmitted by new consumer products--including the upcoming PlayStation 3 (set to ship in November)--as well as Blu-Ray Disc and HD DVD players.

The HDMI 1.3 transmitter (VastLane SiI 9134) also can be integrated into the two next-gen DVD formats, and recorders, to transmit Deep Color content. Silicon Image said the SiI 9133 and SiI 9134 support 30-bit and 36-bit color depths (4:4:4 RGB or YCbCr), compared to current 24-bit color depths.

The Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company said it has now completed the Deep Color "pipeline" from source device to display panel: Specifically, Deep Color content can now travel from DVD player or game console via SiI 9134 transmitter, over HDMI 1.3 cable, to SiI 9133 receiver, through SiI 7170 and SiI 7171 internal links, to display panel glass.