The new certifications for HDMI cables are now slowly coming onto the market. Known as Gen 2, these certifications will provide verification for the authenticity of a given cable and gradually replace the first generation certifications.
This formally began in May 2023, but the HDMI Licensing Administrator (HDMI LA) has allowed the old labels to continue to be used until stocks of the corresponding cables have all been sold. In its February newsletter, cable manufacturer Club3D drew attention to this change and stated that it is currently changing its label fulfillment provider, so packs with both the old and the new certifications will soon appear in stores.
The new certification has the advantage that it can be checked more easily. According to the HDMI LA, a simple scan of the QR code on the pack is enough to verify its authenticity. The old verification, on the other hand, required the proprietary HDMI app.
I’m shocked to see that this useless single use app has been downloaded 100k+ times on the play store. I never in my life had thought “uhm is this HDMI cable legit? Let’s download a specific proprietary app to verify the barcode”
But at the same time i would never bought those overpriced “ultra certified cable”. If it works then it follows the specs, if it doesn’t work, i return it to the seller. Paying 10x or more for having an “ultra certification” sticker on the box seems audiophile bullshit
The problem is that you cannot be sure if it follows spec. You as a normal user can only verify that it works on the current gear you have. What if the output signal strength is on the higher side of the spec on the current gear and you buy a new (for example) graphics card which has a lower output strength (but still in spec). And the cable no longer works?
HDMI and DP are especially frustrating. Had enough problems with cables that ‘worked at home’ but no longer on a different setup in the past.