New certification will ensure HDMI cables can output 4K

While many HDMI cables these days can spit out 4K, the results can be hit-or-miss (especially as you start exploring longer cable lengths). So the HDMI Licensing group, which manages the interface, has developed a new premium certification to make sure any cable that advertises 4K compatibility actually works for that higher resolution. As part of the certification, companies will follow an expanded set of guidelines when creating cables and also test them more vigorously to make sure they can output the full 18 Gbps needed for the HDMI 2.0 spec. It's not just about 4K, either -- the certification also ensures that cables support high dynamic range (HDR) video. Once approved, the premium certified cables will sport a tamper proof sticker, which should make it easier to find them in the sea of untested cables on the market. Hopefully, this means the end of gambling with 4K HDMI cable compatibility.

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