Sony today announced the start of an industry-first "Compliance Test" for HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) ver.1.3a. Sony established an Authorized Testing Center in May 2006 to run compliance tests on HDMI-enabled products. This testing was based on HDMI Ver. 1.2a. Furthermore, as a founding member of HDMI, Sony has been actively promoting HDMI version 1.3a which allows high-speed transmission of large capacity contents with high-resolution and wide color reproduction range.

"PlayStation 3" which launches on November 11 will be the first product certified to use HDMI Ver. 1.3a. By providing an advanced testing service for products such as next generation optical disc and computer entertainment devices, Sony will promote HDMI ver.1.3a and expand the number of products adopting the standard.

HDMI is an interface standard for digital video and audio input/output for audio/video products. The standard enables transmission of high quality video and sound through one cable. The standard has already been adopted by more than 450 manufacturers and is now considered an essential interface for audio/video products.

Sony HMDI ATC Home Page: http:// www.sony.net/Products/HDMI/