Blu-ray audio: Sony’s $1,000 player will deliver Blu-ray’s mandatory codecs — Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1 and six-channel 192khz/ 24-bit uncompressed PCM through the player’s single-port HDMI 1.1 output and through six analog outputs, the company confirmed. The player, however, doesn’t support Blu-ray’s optional surround codecs, some of which require future HDMI 1.3 outputs not yet ready for production, the company said.

Although some companies have considered modifying the HDMI 1.1 spec to deliver some of the optional codecs to outboard decoders, “Sony will not go off-standard,” said Phil Abram, VP of the home products division.

The optional codecs requiring HDMI 1.3 pipes, according to the HDMI Licensing organization, are compressed to Dolby TruHD and DTS HD Master Audio lossless formats. HDMI Licensing president Leslie Chard said other optional Blu-ray codecs could be transported over today’s HDMI 1.1 inputs and outputs. They are eight-channel 96khz/24-bit PCM, lossy Dolby Digital Plus and lossy DTS HD.

“It would not be possible in a compliant way” to transport DTS HD Master and Dolby TruHD over HDMI 1.1” and would create “interoperability issues” if suppliers modified the 1.1 spec on their own, Chard told TWICE. Connecting compliant and noncompliant 1.1 inputs and outputs would yield “white noise” instead of surround sound, he said. “We’re not going to authorize that option.”

The publication of the HDMI 1.3 spec is tentatively set for June, Chard said.

It was unclear whether suppliers could legally license HDMI 1.1 technology and modify it but not use the HDMI logo

Will current HDMI certified cables work for 1.3? And what do we know about a realistic target date for a locking HDMI connector?

Cable Technology is not expected to change.
As to the locking connector, ask the HDMI corp. guys at Julies booth during the EHExpo.
I build cables and no one has given a date OR design.