HDMI Licensing, LLC, the agent responsible for licensing the High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) specification, today announced the release of Trademark and Logo Usage Guidelines.

The Trademark and Logo Usage Guidelines provide manufacturers with effective ways to communicate the HDMI features to consumers, giving them consistency and clarity of information when making an HD purchase decision.

Manufacturers are now required to include specific HDMI features enabled in their product along with the HDMI version number (e.g. as "HDMI 1.3"). This enhancement is necessary because an HDMI version number does not require functionality, but specifies a list of optional features for manufacturers to select depending on their target market.

In addition, for each of the features, the guidelines establish minimum functionality that the device must deliver to the user. With these guidelines, manufacturers, retailers and installers will be able to more accurately convey to consumers HDMI-enabled features -- such as Deep Color functionality, x.v. Color extended color gamut, and advanced audio formats -- available in high-definition consumer electronics (CE) and PC devices.

"Our goal with the release of the HDMI Trademark and Logo Usage Guidelines is to provide the CE industry with a common language to explain HDMI functionality, and to ensure that the new terms will clearly describe the performance of each feature to the consumer," said Les Chard, president of HDMI Licensing. "To further support manufacturers, retailers and installers in helping consumers make better informed decisions, we have created a map of HDMI features with terminology that is easy to communicate. With the new guidelines, the industry now has the means to do that more effectively."

For each feature, the guidelines specify a minimum level of functionality that must be met by the device in order to use the terminology. For example, a display device described as supporting Deep Color must be capable of accepting a Deep Color signal (i.e., >8 bit color depth), processing the signal such that the resulting stream is greater than 8 bit color depth upon delivery to the display, and having a display that renders color bit depth of greater than 8 bits per color.

HDMI Adopters are required to implement the Trademark and Logo Usage Guidelines on all products that are initially shipping after October 17, 2008, and are instructed to use "commercially reasonable efforts" to comply with the guidelines as of October 17, 2007.

The HDMI Trademark and Logo Usage Guidelines document and additional information are available on the HDMI Licensing Web site Branding Resource Center at www.hdmi.org/manufacturer/trademark_logo_pub.aspx.