Monster, Simplay Team On HDMI

By John Laposky -- TWICE, 7/10/2007 6:28:00 AM

Brisbane, Calif. — Monster is joining Simplay Labs in a strategic partnership that will include a consumer education effort, shared R&D and a new line of Simplay-verified HDMI cables from Monster.

Simplay, whose parent Silicon Image co-founded the HDMI standard, is also currently developing a higher performance cable-verification program.

“Consumers need to have confidence in what they buy,” said Head Monster Noel Lee. “Currently, there’s a lot of misinformation about HDMI. It’s confusing for a consumer to know which cable will work with not only current products, but also future generations of products.”

This partnership will include an educational initiative, including Monster’s support of Simplay Labs in the training of sales-floor personnel.

“We always strive to build our cables above and beyond current specifications,” Lee added. “With Simplay HD’s strict testing and verification standards, consumers can understand the various levels of HDMI cable performance and select the right cables for their application.”

“The Simplay HD Testing Program verifies high-definition components and cables for HDMI interoperability and connectivity,” explained Joseph Lias, president of Simplay Labs. “As a result, consumers can be confident when they see the Simplay HD logo, that their HD components and cables will perform as claimed and work together seamlessly. This is an outstanding opportunity for Simplay Labs and Monster to educate both retailers and consumers there are differences in cable designs, with high-performance cables going above and beyond the HDMI specification.”

Monster has made it a mission to educate salespeople and consumers about the still-evolving HDMI standard. This spring, the company added an educational section to its Web site, highlighting the different data rate capabilities and needs of cables and source products, and the differences in the three revisions to the spec.