You know you’re a geek when you get excited about cables but I challenge even the hardest of cynics not to be quite impressed by HDMI 1.4 – because this time it come with internet too.

Dubbed HDMI Ethernet Channel, the idea is that it’ll dispense with having to make sure all your hardware has Ethernet ports. Good for you, me and the TV makers, not so good for Mr Ethernet. Fewer cables in the Satan’s nest behind my home entertainment set up is a very good thing, so thumbs up for HDMI 1.4.

Another feature of the latest standard is Audio Return whereby you can send the sound in either direction down the cable. So, you could connect up and TV and PC and use either as a source of audio for playback on the other. Not ground-breaking but probably qualifies for a “pretty neat” were I American.

We’ll be able to get data rates of up to 100 megabits per second up and down the wiring and they’ll also be coming in a new Micro HDMI size – about the same dimensions as mini USB apparently.

No word on exactly when HDMI 1.4 will be appearing in the shops and I dread to think how much they’re going to charge for them but you can bet you’ll be upsold next time you try to buy any AV kit.

(via Venture Beat)