HDMI 2.1 Supports Larger Bandwidth, Higher Resolutions

News
By Rexly Peñaflorida
published

The HDMI Forum has a new spec for its widely-used connector. HDMI 2.1 will support larger resolutions, new display formats, and allow for higher bandwidth.

The cable, which is backwards-compatible with other specs, allows for a massive bandwidth of 48 Gb/s. The previous spec, HDMI 2.0, had a significantly lower bandwidth at 18 Gb/s. HDMI 2.1 also allows for “dynamic HDR (high dynamic range),” which features the same high range of contrast and brightness in a scene-by-scene or even frame-by-frame basis.

In addition to the well-known 4K resolution, the new specification will work with higher resolutions such as 5K (5120x2160), 8K (7680x4320), and 10K (10240x4320). It can also work with higher refresh rates, specifically at 4K (120Hz) and 8K (60Hz).

HDMI 2.1 also has some new features to increase refresh rates on your TV or monitor. Variable Refresh Rate can reduce or even eliminate lag, screen tearing, and stuttering, and Quick Frame Transport helps with “smoother no-lag gaming and real-time interactive virtual reality.” There’s also Quick Media Switching, which is helpful for movies and video because it eliminates the delay (often displayed as a black screen) before content appears on the screen.

Even though the HDMI Forum released the new specification, adopters will need to conduct a compliant test to get the official nod from the group that their products work with HDMI 2.1. The group said the HDMI Compliant Test Specification, which includes minimum requirements and testing procedures for eligible products, will be available “in stages” between Q1 and Q3 of 2018.

Rexly Peñaflorida
13 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Hupiscratch
    So TVs only on 2019, if all goes well.
    Reply
  • mrmez
    About time. I've been using 5K since 2014.
    Reply
  • Lkaos
    Dynamic HDR? Isnt HDR already dynamic?
    Reply
  • cats_Paw
    Im still on 1080p.
    I had the option of going 4K or high refresh rate for my last monitor and I decided for High refresh rate.
    I dont know if thats the "better" option but I do think that because 4K is very demanding in gaming its still too small of a market for prices to drop significantly.
    Reply
  • photonboy
    "Let’s start with Dynamic HDR, a rendering technique in which high dynamic range information is sent to the TV throughout a video—scene by scene, or even frame by frame—and not just at the beginning, as HDR-10 handles it. This allows for finer control of brightness and color levels. Dolby Vision delivers Dynamic HDR via the current HDMI 2.0a spec."

    https://www.techhive.com/article/3153629/smart-tv/new-hdmi-21-spec-includes-support-for-dynamic-hdr-8k-resolution-and-more.html
    Reply
  • photonboy
    LKAOS,
    Even though I linked about Dynamic HDR, I don't really understand the difference between that and Standard. I thought HDR was already described for each frame.

    HDR does not. HDR+ does have Dynamic metadata support, as does Samsung's version.

    More info (from 2016 video): https://vimeo.com/164619204
    Reply
  • therealduckofdeath
    Dynamic High Dynamic Range....
    Yeah, this is what you get when you take a term used by another technology (photography) and applies it to your own (selling TV's and computers).
    Reply
  • derekullo
    Waiting on SuperDynamic High Dynamic Range with the inclusion of imaginary colors
    Reply
  • therealduckofdeath
    20429125 said:
    Waiting on SuperDynamic High Dynamic Range with the inclusion of imaginary colors

    The funny one will be when the release the "perfected" edition, called High Dynamic Range HDR.
    Reply
  • Lkaos
    Maybe they should just chage the name to UDR as in Ultra Dynamic Range...
    Reply