HDMI 1.3 is a function of the source? the cable? the TV? all of the above?

I don’t own any HD equipment, so this is only theory, but I think that the option is “all of the above”: to see content in HD, the content, the cable AND the TV must conform to HDMI… yeah, it sucks

When one of the components doesn’t, quality degrades.
I have no idea how upconversion works.

Oh, they all have HDMI. It’s just that HDMI itself is an evolving standard.

HDMI (High definition multimedia interface) allows a single cable to carry both video and audio signals, notably with significant bandwidth to support high-def picture plus high-def lossless audio formats. For the consumer, it means you plug just one cable in and get really great picture and sound. It’s supposed to be simple.

Maybe a better wording for my question would have been to ask:

“Will my 1080p-capable HDTV purchased mid-year 2007 support a 1080p signal coming in from the HDMI input?”

The HDMI 1.3 specification apparently was released in June 2006, more than a year before I purchased my HDTV. However, I haven’t found anything in the owner’s manual that purports to explain exactly which level of HDMI the television supports. In keeping things “simple” for the consumer, I have no way of knowing what the exactly capabilities of my hardware is.

My current upconverting DVD player only can send 1080i signal over HDMI… and it’s even newer than the TV! So just going by manufacture date isn’t sufficient.

HDMI 1.3 is a function of both. Basically, you need to have a device that supports the HDMI 1.3 specification and a cable that runs at that speed/specification. Both the ports and the cables are backwards compatible, however, so if you don’t have both it will still run. It just may not look as nice “in theory.” Check this out for the lowdown on HDMI 1.3.