HDMI 1.0
Direct Answer
HDMI 1.0, released December 9, 2002 by a group of seven consumer electronics companies, was the original single-cable digital audio/video connector. It carried up to 4.95 Gbps over TMDS signaling -- enough for 1080p at 60Hz -- replacing separate analog video and digital audio cables with one connector.
Source: HDMI 1.0 Specification
Specs
| Release Date | December 9, 2002 |
| Max Bandwidth (raw / video) | 4.95 / 3.96 Gbps |
| Max Resolution | 1920x1080 or 1920x1200 @ 60Hz |
| Max Audio | 8-channel LPCM, 192kHz/24-bit |
Seven Companies, One Cable
HDMI 1.0 was created by a consortium of seven consumer electronics companies -- Hitachi, Matsushita (Panasonic), Philips, Sony, Thomson (RCA, now Vantiva), Toshiba, and Silicon Image -- with Digital Content Protection LLC (an Intel subsidiary) contributing the HDCP copy-protection scheme used alongside it. The goal was a single cable that could replace the tangle of separate component video, S-Video, and optical/coaxial digital audio cables then needed to connect a DVD player or set-top box to a TV.
HDMI 1.0 used TMDS (Transition-Minimized Differential Signaling) -- the same signaling method DVI used -- which is why early HDMI and DVI displays could interoperate with a simple passive adapter. Its 4.95 Gbps total bandwidth was enough for 1080p video at 60Hz alongside 8-channel uncompressed audio, a meaningful jump over the analog connections it targeted.