A brand new HDMI cable standard is set to deliver new bandwidth cpability over longher distances.

HDMI cables are typically  limited to just a few meters, unless you use an active cable that requires an external power source.

Now, thanks to an amendment to HDMI 2.1, Long, high-bandwidth HDMI cables can now be developed.

“HDMI 2.1a, Amendment 1 adds a new feature: HDMI Cable Power. With this feature, active HDMI® Cables can now be powered directly from the HDMI Connector, without attaching a separate power cable. This makes attaching and using active HDMI Cables as easy as using passive, wired HDMI Cables,” as stated on the HDMI.org website.

“To use the HDMI Cable Power feature, it is necessary to have an HDMI Cable which supports the HDMI Cable Power feature, and also an HDMI Source device which supports the HDMI Cable Power feature. This combination ensures that the active HDMI Cable can safely draw sufficient current from the HDMI Connector to power its internal circuitry.”

The new technology is in early stages, with many devices unlikely to support it immediately. As a result, HDMI Cable Power cables with ship with a separate power connector.

HDMI Cable power cables also only work in a single direction.

“Connection is the same as attaching an ordinary, “wired” HDMI Cable, except that active cables can only be attached in one direction: One end of the cable is specifically labelled for attachment to the HDMI Source (transmitting) device, and the other end of the cable must be attached to the HDMI Sink (receiving) device. If the cable is attached in reverse, no damage will occur, but the connection will not work.”