With high-definition images now available from the smallest cameras and even mobile phones, the High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) is being adapted to provide a link with HDTVs.

Silicon Image, the Silicon Valley company whose technology is behind HDMI, has come up with a proprietary solution for smaller devices that should eventually be adopted in some form by the standard.

Its Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL) reduces the pin-count of an HDMI connector from 19 to five to suit a smaller device and interface.

It plans to introduce this as a "dongle" converter or a docking station that will have a standard HDMI connection on the other end.

"This opens up a huge new set of segments," says Stevan Eidson, director of product marketing at Silicon Image.

While only the smartest smart phones will be able to take advantage of the new connection, the research company In-Stat estimates the inclusion of phones, point-and-shoot cameras and portable media players will grow the addressable market from less than 250m devices last year to 1bn in 2010.

The move by Silicon Image also gives it more breathing room ahead of the WirelessHD standard being developed by a Silicon Valley rival SiBeam and a consortium of consumer electronics manufacturers.

January 7th, 2008 in Consumer Electronics | Permalink