HDMI announced today at CES that they are working towards the next generation HDMI cable. There’s good news and bad. First the good.

The new spec will include ethernet capability, allow an audio return channel (for televisions to upstream to an A/V receiver) and support for 3D technologies. Of perhaps lesser interest to home theatre owners is a slightly revised spec to work with auto manufactureres to include HDMI technology in car audio systems.

Now the bad. HDMI was welcomed with open arms for it’s promise to end perpetual cable changes. The new cables will apparently have different connectors and thus be incompatible with the old systems. Adapters will likely become available, but it’s a shame that this technology isn’t immediately compatible with the 1.3 spec.