HDMI was developed in the early 2000s by a consortium of major electronics companies, including Sony, Philips, and Toshiba. The first HDMI specification was released in December 2002, and it became rapidly adopted as the standard for high-definition video and audio connections. Over the years, several versions of HDMI have been released, improving bandwidth and adding features such as 3D support, Ethernet capability, and higher resolutions.