HDMI cables, for the most part, haven't been put to the test by HD. With HD signals demanding far less than the 18 Gbps capacity of most cables, manufacturing errors often don't reveal themselves.
Running 4K through HDMI cables is a different story, however. Simply put, running 4K-resolution video with High Dynamic Range (HDR) at 60 frames per second, along with multichannel audio and Ethernet, requires that HDMI cables be manufactured to exacting standards.
With that in mind, HDMI Licensing LCC -- the group responsible for developing and maintaining the high-definition media interface (HDMI) standard for all devices that use high-definition displays -- has stepped forward with a new certification program for HDMI cables.
So has Underwriters Laboratory, whose "UL" certification is listed on countless electronic consumer products. The latest edition of FierceInstaller has a compete look at these emerging certification programs here.