High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) is the digital audio and video interface for consumer electronics such as personal computers (PCs), tablets, cellphones, video game consoles and audiovisual (AV) receivers. HDMI products must be tested according to a compliance test specification (CTS) defined by the HDMI Forum and verified for compliance and interoperability in authorized test centers (ATC) worldwide. As transmission speeds of the HDMI standard continue to increase, interoperability issues due to signal quality distortions introduce new technical requirements and test challenges for your HDMI sink and source devices. We can help you ensure the interoperability and compliance of your HDMI devices.

HDMI 2.2 doubles the data rate to 96Gbps using advanced FRL signaling, enabling ultra-high resolutions and refresh rates. Keysight now supports physical layer compliance testing for HDMI 2.2 sources and Ultra96-certified cables, helping you meet CTS requirements with confidence. Sink testing support will be available in a future release.

HDMI Interface Design and Simulation

Ensuring the signal integrity and robustness of your HDMI interface designs becomes more challenging as speeds increase. Design and simulation software allow you to optimize and validate the performance of your HDMI devices early in your product development process. We can help you identify and quickly resolve signal integrity issues, so you can reduce the number of design cycles and your cost of test.

High-Speed Multimedia Interface Screen Shot
HDMI Interface and Cable Image

HDMI Source Test

HDMI-compliant source devices, such as a digital video disk (DVD) player, must be thoroughly tested to deliver high-quality and reliable results. Consumer expectations for high quality audio and video on their mobile devices and home/automotive entertainment systems continue to rise. Each revision of the HDMI standard offers new features and improvements, but introduces additional test challenges. Automation test software simplifies HDMI source testing — saving you significant test time and ensuring the compatibility and interoperability of your HDMI devices. 

New highlights:

• Generate and analyze HDMI 2.2 FRL waveforms up to 96 Gbps using Keysight’s M8195A AWG and Infiniium UXR-Series Oscilloscopes

• Perform full physical layer compliance on HDMI 2.2 transmitters per CTS

• Validate jitter performance, rise/fall time, and pre-emphasis settings

• Use D902xHDMC software for automated source compliance execution 

High-definition Multimedia Interface Sink Test

Higher video resolutions and faster refresh rates enable a high-quality viewing experience for gaming, movies and video. The HDMI Compliance Test Specification (CTS) defines strict sink test requirements to ensure the compatibility and interoperability of your device, such as a high-definition television (HDTV). HDMI sink test requires a signal source capable of generating a wide range of test patterns, and the ability to add a precise amount of impairments to the signal to stress the device under test to simulate worst-case conditions as defined by the standard. Automated test software enables you to quickly and accurately perform HDMI sink testing, so you can ensure the performance and compatibility of your HDMI devices.

High-Speed Multimedia Interface LCD Image
HDMI Cable Image

HDMI interconnects Test

The integrity of the interconnects between an HDMI source and sink truly determines the quality of the display. Media test of cables and connectors (HDMI standard type-A, mini type-C, micro type-D, or automotive type-E) and printed circuit boards aim to preserve video quality through measurement and fine-tuning of parameters such as skew, crosstalk, attenuation, and impedance. As signal frequencies increase, connectors and cables resemble complex transmission lines, rather than simple devices. This makes testing the performance of your HDMI devices more complex. We can help you perform accurate measurements and remove the undesirable effects of connections, cables, or test fixtures, to ensure you test the true performance of your HDMI devices to the latest HDMI compliance specifications. Ultra96 calbe and connector verification: Perform full S‑parameter, insertion loss, skew, return loss and LIP signal integrity tests on cables rated up to 96 Gbps.

New Highlights:

• Characterize Ultra96 HDMI cables at 96 Gbps for insertion loss, skew, and return loss

• Use VNAs and oscilloscopes to measure full-channel behavior with de-embedding

• Validate cable performance per HDMI 2.2 CTS requirements

• Automate pass/fail analysis for cable manufacturers and system integrators

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