This means companies and organizations that have not executed the HDMI Adopter Agreement can now have access to the 3D portion of version 1.4 of the HDMI Specification. Prior to this, only parties that have signed the HDMI Adopter Agreement have had access to the information.

However, the document available for download is extracted from version 1.4 of the HDMI specification. However, HDMI version 1.4a will be released shortly with updates to the 3D portion of the specification. According to HDMI Licensing, as soon as the 1.4a version is published to adopters, an update to the 3D portion of the document will also be made available for public download.

Steve Venuti, president of HDMI Licensing, said this public access is to show that the HDMI Consortium recognizes the importance of standardized 3D formats for movies, gaming, and broadcast content and the need for nonadopters to have access to that portion of the HDMI specification.

HDMI 1.4 is the latest and most powerful version of the HDMI standard with many new capabilities designed to enrich the HD experience. Examples of these capabilities includes HDMI Ethernet Channel that allows for networking via HDMI cables; support for 3D and 4K video resolution; and a lot more.

HDMI Licensing is the agent responsible for licensing the High-Definition Multimedia Interface specification. Late last year, the agent announced the new meaningful labeling conventions for HDMI cables to help consumers find the ones they need.