You have only started to use HDMI 2.0, but technologies don`t stay still in one place. HDMI 2.1 is already here, but what is it? We've got everything you need to know about the update right here! This article will describe what HDMI 2.1 is and answer common questions in simple language for non-technical users.
What are the headline features of HDMI 2.1?
With this new release, there are three main things you should be aware of: 4K@120Hz (4:4:4) or 8K@60Hz maximum display resolution Dynamic HDR support (including BT.2020 color), improved tone mapping, and enhanced brightness and contrast Higher video frame rate support (up to 12K!).
What do these 4K120 and 8K60 resolutions mean?
There are two major types of display technologies: CRT, LED, OLED, or Projector type displays (previous generations) and the newer LCD type. The maximum resolution supported by each type is as follows: CRT/Projector = 2560x1600 (2.1 megapixels) LED/OLED = 3840x2160 (8.3 megapixels) LCD = 7680x4320 (33.2 megapixels). Therefore, if you want the highest possible resolution for your new TV, Projectors will be limited to 2160p @30Hz, CRT will be limited to 2560x1600p, LED/OLED will be capable of 3840x2160p @60Hz and LCDs can deliver 7680x4320p at up to 60Hz.
What does this mean for my new TV?
For some time now, 4K has been the "highest" resolution available on TVs with each new iteration of TV technology adding more pixels to the screen. With HDMI 2.1, you will see resolutions higher than 4K being advertised as supported by modern displays - but what does it all mean? Essentially, the term "4K" is being used differently in advertising materials compared to industry standards. Consumers must have an understanding of these differences.
How will HDMI 2.1 benefit me?
HDMI 2.1 is all about putting more electronics in the signal path for improved performance, so if you send a 10Gb/sec 4K video stream to your new TV, it should be able to process that information without any problems or delays getting it onto the screen. Since many TVs in the market support up to 8-bit color depth (and not BT2020 color), this is good news for consumers who want high dynamic range content in HDR formats!
What do higher frame rates mean?
There are two types of content with different requirements: Movies = 24 fps Games = 60fps Traditionally the home entertainment experience has been closer to movies than games (with interpolation techniques to make 24fps content look smoother), whereas games are usually rendered at 60fps or higher with some technologies claiming even more. Since HDMI 2.0, there have been TVs that support up to 120Hz (or even up to 240Hz for some models). With HDMI 2.1 it will be possible for TVs of this type to support 4K120 resolution on both input and output!
What does dynamic HDR mean?
This new release provides further improvement of picture quality by allowing devices that can produce HDR metadata dynamically instead of relying on the metadata being included in the source material. This is particularly useful for live broadcasts of events, which you can't modify afterward anyway!
Will I need a new cable?
New cables are currently available and supported for the new resolutions and frame rates. Some cables which support 4K60 will also work with HDMI 2.1, but we recommend that consumers use newer cable technology to get the full benefit of this new release!
Disadvantages of HDMI 2.1
New HDMI 2.1 may be more expensive. But there is no backward compatibility with older HDMI devices (to the best of our knowledge) Manufacturers will likely charge more for newer HDMI 2.1 products, as 4K content becomes available and new ecosystem support is introduced - therefore it's probably not a good time to upgrade your home theatre system!
Buy or not to buy?
Investing in future-proof gear is a gamble, as new technologies always have some unexpected side effects. If you want the upgrade path which will be supported by every device on the market for years to come, HDMI 2.1 is worth considering if you plan to invest in higher resolution devices!
Comments:
CRTs had a fixed refresh rate, so life was a little easier. But the issue is that with LCDs that is basically gone. They have a min and a max but can technically run anywhere between them. Your screen doesn’t have to refresh at 60 or 120 or 240 hertz, and if you don’t have a source that’s outputting at that frequency you get issues.For normal computer work it’s easy to have the computer only process and send frames at a fixed cadence. But when gaming or similar where the frame rate the computer can output varies constantly based on a number of different variables what do you do when the frame rate is less than the refresh rate? Or when it’s some weird fraction of that refresh rate? You either end up throwing out frames or you get tearing. This just lets the screen refresh rate vary to match the frame rate the computer/game console is capable of outputting at any given moment.
desoto61 / 2021-11-11 00:02:24
The ULTIMATE measure is the human eye, which can’t really appreciate anything much past 480p, so drop a dime where you will, it’s the difference between ‘Corvette Fast’ and ‘Lotus Fast’, the average user won’t appreciate much of anything beyond 65-mph, not for long, anyhow. Same with HDMI - another gimmick to part you with your money, and that’s about all. Let me guess, HDMI 2.1 is NOT backward compatible with HDMI 2.0 ports, hardware, computers, monitors, etc.?
levicullen / 2021-11-13 12:50:34
HDMI cables aren’t magic, they’re simply bundles of copper wires, like every other type of cable in the world.A five-dollar monoprice cable can pass a 2.0 signal just fine, and while there will probably be changes to the pin layout for 2.1, there will be cheap cables that will pass that signal just fine, too. For example, the reason there are USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 cables has nothing to do with the quality of the cable, but with the number of pins (and thus, copper wires in the bundle).For digital cables, there is no signal degradation or static. There isn’t “high-qulaity” and “low-quality” signal and there’s no “static” from EM interference. It’s digital: it either works or it doesn’t.You will need thicker cables (with more insulation between each individual wire) or active cables (that have signal aligners on one end) for longer lengths (30 feet, 50 feet), but in the end, it’s still literally just copper wires. You basically can’t buy an HDMI cable that won’t work even if you tried.Trust me, you can *always* buy the cheapest available option. Always.
TheNobleRobot / 2021-11-14 14:41:43
Contrary to popular belief there is very little change in HDMI cables from one ‘version’ to another. It is for this reason that as it’s misleading. There are two main differences between cables – 1. Speed, and 2. whether it has Ethernet Channel or not. Each new Compliance Test Specification (CTS) that is released supersedes earlier versions. We as HDMI Adopters could theoretically submit an old cable for new testing and have it pass. This is widely misunderstood with popular thinking that a later ‘version’ cable can do more than an older one.All you need to know now is whether a cable is ‘Standard’ or ‘High Speed’. The former could be labelled as supporting 1080p and 3D, and if that’s all you need, that’s fine. High Speed extends bandwidth to include upcoming 4K video and other more advanced features. Be cautious in longer length though, as mislabelling is rife. Also, the labelling suffix “with Ethernet” allows for the new HDMI Ethernet Channel, but that’s hardly being used in the real world. Usually costs no extra though, so consider it a bonus feature.One final note – a well-constructed ‘vintage’ HDMI cable from 2005 should support 3D, 4K and Deep Color, even if it’s labelled “v1.2”.
briansgreen / 2021-11-16 01:38:58
You are both right and wrong here. You are right that a “well constructed” cable from 2005 SHOULD work...but they often do NOT with newer standards. The main reason is that many cables went to an ACTIVE design (with a built in repeater/signal re-generator)...often referred to as “Redmere” technology, these chips limit you to 10.1 Gbps and UHD with full bandwidth (4:4:4 color and HDR) required a 18Gbps connection. New cables are on the way with new Redmere chips that WILL pass that...but they aren’t here yet. This is typically for lengths over 20 ft as well...so shorter lengths aren’t affected.
jnemesh / 2021-11-16 22:55:29
No, I won’t “trust you” because your information is totally wrong. By the way, there IS a difference between USB 2.0 and 3.0. Look it up if you don’t believe me, the specs are freely available.And there ARE issues with transmission of high bandwidth digital signals over copper. Why don’t you think you see 200ft long HDMI cables (other than fiber optic types)? You WILL get EM interference too! Try running an HDMI cable in wall parallel to a power line!I could sit here all day and explain it to you, but you obviously buy the cheapest gear anyway, and you probably don’t run cables over 6ft...so you have never encountered the issues I am talking about. And it wouldn’t make any difference on your Costco TV anyway.
jnemesh / 2021-11-18 08:21:45
Quick recap:I said there *was* a difference between USB 2 and 3, but it’s not the “quality” of the cable, it’s that the spec is different.I also said that you won’t get “static” from EM interference, not that digital cables aren’t effected by EM. The cable will just stop working. However, in my experience, this has never happened if I’m using the correct AWG for the task. Moreover, if the cable works at all, it’s running at maximum “quality.” There is no inbetween.Interestingly, I do, in fact, run HDMI cables in the walls of my home parallel to internal power. I have about 200' of HDMI running thoughout my home. I use fire-rated cables (which use extra insulation for building code reasons) and as I said, you need thicker cables for longer lengths, but guess what, you can’t really buy anything at that length which aren’t up to the task, and they are still cheap AF.You could sit there all day, but it’s hard for me to understand if we’re actually disagreeing about anything other than you prefer to waste money on cables I guess.As I said, you can *always* buy the cheapest option available to you. If you want to run 50' or 100' of HDMI cable, the cheapest option (AWG rating notwithstanding) will have the amount of necessary shielding that you need.I’m not saying that there aren’t differences in cable types, only that a cheap 50' cable that has the same AWG rating as a pricy 50' Monster cable will perform *identically*.
TheNobleRobot / 2021-11-19 11:43:47
The HDMI spec only allows for a single bit error for every billion bits, which is effectively no more than one pixel per second. This is a worse case scenario, and even the cheapest HDMI cables conform perfectly well to this spec.In the case of major interference (say, a microwave exploding in your living room), the picture will drop out entirely long before it loses “detail” or modifies the color composition of the image.
TheNobleRobot / 2021-11-21 06:17:08
He never said there was no difference between USB 2.0 and 3.0. He said that the only differences between cables was the pins, which is true. You’re confusing cable specifications and the protocol governing data transmission through the specification. There’s a difference and you clearly don’t understand it.As for 200 ft HDMI cables, you can technically if you the correct gauge. However the cable would be incredibly thick and impractical. There is repeater technology that can alleviate this however. You COULD actually run it parallel to a power line with shielding. Again clearly you don’t understand the technical standpoint and only the consumer standpoint. Please educate yourself.
mnl1121 / 2021-11-22 09:38:25
Not true at all. The human eye can discern FAR more than 480p. The main caveat is that it depends greatly on the distance you are viewing at and the size of the screen. But you CAN see the difference between UHD/4k and 1080p on a 65" screen from up to 8ft away.HDMI 2.1 will be backward compatible. You SHOULD be able to plug in a HDMI 1.x or 2.0 device into a 2.1 display. You will probably NOT be able to plug in a 2.1 device to an earlier version display, though...or if you do, it will only display at the frame rate and resolution supported by the display device. We will see.And it depends on what you mean by “average user”. If by “average user” you mean the type that shops at Costco for their TV, doesn’t hire a professional to calibrate, (gets HDMI Cable advice from Lifehacker) and is happy with the picture quality of cable TV, then yeah, it’s not going to make much difference for them.If you mean the type of person who CARES about video quality, wants to get the most from their equipment, has a calibrated display, and buys “best in class” (not necessarily the most expensive) electronics, then you are wrong.
jnemesh / 2021-11-23 17:34:06
Actually, again, I have...and again, I have worked in the CE industry (at FAR more reputable shops than Best Buy) for over 20 years. But keep thinking you are the industry expert bub, I am sure that will work out for you. In any case, I have better things to do with my time than educate someone who’s personal biases override their ability to do a simple google search. Good day to your sir! Have a nice life.
jnemesh / 2021-11-24 22:27:01
LMAO you just proved my thought that you’re on the consumer side. Shops have a need to sell overpriced accessories to beef up their bottom line because the actual products the accessories go with don’t have very good margins. Who’s bias now? You haven’t convinced me at all that Monster cables are actually worth it because you haven’t detailed anything technical. I on the other hand proved to you with technical details why you’re wrong, yet you’re insistent that you’re correct. With that all said, there’s no point in arguing. You’re clearly set in your ways.
mnl1121 / 2021-11-26 07:53:14
The main problem with connecting a computer to an HDTV (via HDMI) is that most TV manufacturers refuse to allow your computer to activate the TV’s Power Management/Sleep Mode. So when the Computer goes to sleep... instead of the TV also going to sleep you’ll see this huge error message saying NO Connection. That used to bug me... and it’s probably done to get people to buy PC Monitors instead of lower priced TV’s to use as a monitor.I’m not too familiar with this spec but I’m assuming HDMI 2.1 is better than Displayport 1.4... and if so, does this mean Displayport 1.5 will come out soon or will people need to use an adapter?One of the most serious problems with HDMI cables is... so many manufacturers intentionally won’t label the spec/speed... and lots of people have no clue about HDMI... they’ll go to the store to get a cable... see HDMI and think they’re all alike.
SBM_from_LA / 2021-11-27 12:46:25
Big time audio/theater guy but I’m resisting all these new technologies. There is so much value in “old” high-end electronics. My pioneer kuro 6020 is still on par with all mid to low-income level TV’s (damn it’s an energy hog, heats the room ha), smart TV’s are a terrible idea (separate boxes are better in every way and easily swapped out) and an old $1600 dollar receiver I have (pioneer elite sc25) can be paired with external equalization that’s able to be swapped out as desired... Unless you have room for a proper Atmos setup (not the ridiculous upfiring modules) then there is no point in any of this until Dolby vision and oled mature (oled has me drooling though, and with Dolby vision mmmmm)
cbarry82 / 2021-11-28 19:10:11
I am officially old. This HDMI 2.1 crap is yet another thing to piss me off about hardware’s own version of bloatware. If the phone companies figured out how to push 25mbps (or whatever they can now) through its lines when they once said “nope, this is the absolute minimum” each time they figured out how to increase bandwidth then the hardware cartel can. WTF happened to industries creating and adopting standards?! Oh, right, that doesn’t work with the modern business mode: creating intentional obsoleteware. I want off this crazy ride.- Git off mai lawn
hautetake / 2021-11-29 16:26:59