The HDMI Forum is using CES — the annual showcase of all things home theater — to announce the new HDMI 2.2 specification. In a press release this morning, the trade association confirmed that the new spec will up total bandwidth significantly to a new high of 96Gbps. And yes, that means the introduction of an “Ultra96” HDMI cable that “enables all the HDMI 2.2 specification features.”
“Higher resolutions and refresh rates will be supported and more high-quality options will be provided,” the HDMI Forum said in its release. An example of an HDMI 2.2 cable (below) calls out some of those, including 4K at up to 480Hz, 8K at up to 240Hz, and 10K at 120Hz. Current HDMI cables can already pass 4K at 120Hz, so I doubt most people will feel any temptation to upgrade for years to come. And you’ll need content for any of these higher resolutions to be worthwhile, and there’s still a dearth of native 8K entertainment out there.
But with many TVs now offering 4K at up to 144Hz, and as consumers gravitate towards larger screens, the HDMI Forum sees ample reason to keep pushing forward.
There is at least a more helpful aspect of this spec for everyone: HDMI 2.2 includes a “Latency Indication Protocol (LIP) for improving audio and video synchronization, especially for multiple-hop system configurations such as those with an audio video receiver or soundbar.” In my experience, HDMI 2.1 and eARC have mostly resolved frustrating audio / video sync issues, but they can still pop up as a frustration depending on your setup. Apparently HDMI 2.2 will go further in keeping everything lined up and keeping this headache in the past.
Interestingly, the HDMI Forum is already anticipating tariff issues and has implemented an extensive certification program that includes anti-counterfeit labeling on packaging. You certainly can’t miss the Ultra96 badging.
HDMI 2.2 will be released in the first half of this year and be widely available “to all HDMI 2.x adopters.” Your TV and external devices will need to support the specification in order to unlock that new level of bandwidth, so we’re just starting down what’s inevitably going to be a long road.
Can someone force cable manufacturers to print the bandwidth or at least the version on the fucking cable already?!
Sounds like “burdensome regulation” to me.
Communist.
/s
They do but probably not in a way that you understand. Instead of the bandwidth which to be honest most people won’t know what that means either, they use
STANDARD HDMI CABLE
STANDARD HDMI CABLE WITH ETHERNEiT
HIGH SPEED HDMI CABLE
HIGH SPEED HDMI CABLE WITH ETHERNET
ULTRA HIGH SPEED HDMI CABLE
Each one specifies the standard and is almost always printed on the cable. I can’t think of any off the top of my head that wasn’t labeled but I’m sure there are and if you don’t see it printed on the cable then throw it out.
You can read more about this naming convention here. https://www.cablematters.com/Blog/HDMI/HDMI-cable-types-the-ultimate-guide
High Speed is the second slowest cable and the slowest one still being sold. Last time I bought an HDMI cable, I didn’t even know there was anything slower than 1080p@60hz so I just assumed that was “Standard” and, by buying “High Speed”, I was getting something better. Yes, I should have done more research before buying but the point is that calling the slowest cable still being sold “High Speed” is confusing and deceptive. That’s why I want them to be forced to label the cables with the bandwidth or version.
At this point we should just swing to 10 gbps sfp+ ports, it’s faster, it’s lower latency, it’s upgradable to 100gbps, it travels over fiber, but most importantly, it is a network protocol and we can use it for our Internet.
Instead, they’re trying to force everything to USB with DP Alt mode which has a ton of the same annoyances…but at least USB C is flippable I guess.
HDMI 2.1 cables have 19 wires and USB 3.2 has 13 or 14 (can’t remember) so they’re really finicky and fragile. Fiber has 1 or 2 and is VERY rugged in comparison…you can literally tie a knot in a fiber cable and it’ll still work.
Plus with fiber, if your AVR blows up, it can’t take the other equipment out with it since it’s electrically isolated.
Fiber is also cheap cheap cheap!
Fiber is thin and easy to route.
Fiber can ALSO be shortened, extended, etc. in the field.
The only downside is the cost of the splicing tools (and the cleanliness required)
And I guess SFP connectors are pretty gnarly. But if it was aimed at consumers, they could slap a nice rubberized coat on it…
Man, I love fiber.
Fiber has 1 or 2 and is VERY rugged in comparison…you can literally tie a knot in a fiber cable and it’ll still work.
Emm, not with glass fibers. My friend uses it between router and switch, and the one of the fiber breaks. So, traffic can be sent to router but nothing the other way around. He said he didn’t even touch or put significant stress on the cable. Yet, it breaks in a weird way, and hard to troubleshot without proper equipment.
This can happen but it’s rare. I’ve seen fiber tied in tight knots still work.
That would be awesome, but the fucking corpo bullshit cunts need proprietary bullshit cause “piracy”
At this point we should just swing to 10 gbps sfp+ ports
That’s not enough bandwidth unless you want compressed video.
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DisplayPort better
Imagine how large those 10k resolution games are gonna be.
Not all that much larger. It’s going to be upscalled 1440p textures that look like a smeared mess. But people will eat up the 10k claims.
HDMI 2.2 will be released in the first half of this year and be widely available “to all HDMI 2.x adopters.” Your TV and external devices will need to support the specification
Will this solve eARC sync issues on existing devices that support 2.1? Like I could just get a new cable and it would work?
No, the cable isn’t going to implement the protocol. You need endpoints that are able to talk that protocol. That might be done with a firmware update or require new hardware.
Hey smart person, my cats wrecked my receiver by ripping out the HDMIs too many times, specifically the ARC. I’m barely an amateur at solder, is there anything I can do?
I’m not the smart person you replied to and I don’t know for sure, but given many modern circuits have become very fine and compact, I’m not optimistic about your chances to repair it. It would depend on the nature and extent of the damage, of course, but if you’re an amateur, I think you’re better off replacing (though you might get away with replacing just a part instead of the whole device).
Thank you for the info. I took it apart and it’s not looking good for a part replacement. This is (was) a really nice Yamaha. Damn cats are lucky I love them.
Damn cats are lucky I love them.
The shit cats get away with by being cute…
Can we just completely drop HDCP so I can make things work together without having to burn incense and make a sacrifice to the Tech gods?!
Sorry, best we can do is one more streaming app on your smart TV.
Then I want one more Streaming Service button straight on the remote!
Also make it so badly placed I always hit it by accident or else I ain’t buying!!
Can anyone ELI5 how we are able to release new standards all the time? Are there technological advances that allow more bandwidth? If not, why not start with higher bandwidth?
Going for higher bandwidth tends to increase signal interference. There are various ways to deal with that, most of which cost money. For example, most high speed data cables use twisted pairs that help cancel out interference. To go faster, the twists need to be tighter, and that’s more expensive to make.
If there is no customer demand for those use cases, then there’s no reason to force a more expensive cable, connector, or signalling electronics just so you can meet specs.
Makes sense, thanks!
Let me know when we have cables that can hit 1000Hz at 8K, so I can finally own a blur-free OLED. Until then, I’m perfectly content with 4K120.
Perfectly content with 4K120
Come on. You say it like it’s a compromise.
The point I’m making is that we will still have to deal with motion blur at 240 and 480Hz, so I might as well save some money and hang onto my 4K120 OLED until we reach 1000Hz.
Seems like you got a perfect is the enemy of good kinda situation going on.
I’m picturing cables in my head like the ones they deploy on seabeds to accommodate this 😄
Which is just silly. Displayport is 80 Gbps already.
Was there any doubt this was serious?
Us: please increase the audio on dialogue
Them: 96gbps hdmi max infinity audio sync!!!
This is a mixing issue. Interesting video on it here.
