Earlier this year, we first began hearing about the upcoming HDMI 2.1 specification which is set to support up to 4K/120Hz and 8K/60Hz. Now after several months, the HDMI Forum has finalized its specification, making HDMI 2.1 official. TV/monitor makers can start making good use of it.


The latest HDMI specification supports a range of higher resolutions, including the well-known 4K resolution. In addition 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). The cable, which is backwards-compatible, allows for a massive bandwidth of 48 Gb/s. The HDMI 2.0 had a significantly lower bandwidth of 18 Gb/s. Furthermore the HDMI 2.1 allows "dynamic HDR (high dynamic range)" scene-by-scene or even frame-by-frame.

HDMI 2.1 sports new features like variable refresh rate which can reduce or even eliminate lag, screen tearing and stuttering. The HDMI 2.1 Compliance Test Specification will be published between Q1 and Q3 next year. We expect to see soon new TV and monitor compatible with this new standard.



Source: HDMI Forum