A transmission configuration and/or configuration errors and recovery may be determined or implemented by temporal interpretation of one or more signals. A transmitter may interpret one or more signals a first way during one or more time windows and a second way during one or more other time windows. Video resolution may be indicated in a V-by-One® interface by temporal interpretation of HPD and/or CDR lock. Transmission format may be indicated before or after transmission begins. Transmitter configuration error detection and recovery may be implemented by temporal interpretation. A transmitter may transmit data in an assumed/default format. A receiver may indicate the assumed transmission format is incompatible with the receiver configuration. A receiver may indicate a compatible transmission format, for example, based on timing or pulsing transitions in a temporally repurposed signal. A transmitter may respond to the repurposed signal indication by transmitting a different (e.g., compatible) format.