There's more to HDMI 2.1 than just bandwidth, however. So as far as the additional potential bandwidth of HDMI 2.1, when it comes to resolution and frame rates, only a few TVs can take any advantage of it, and then only with gaming consoles and PCs.
Your average Roku or Apple TV can do 4K, and that's it. This is largely because 8K sources are also basically nonexistent. While we are seeing a handful of 8K TVs, actual 8K content is almost nonexistent. While there are a handful of movies or TV shows with higher frame rates, you won't find those versions on Netflix or Vudu.
PCs and high-end gaming rigs, plus the PS5 and Xbox Series X, are the only sources currently that can output 4K at more than 60fps. This is predominantly what HDMI 2.1 is for: higher resolutions and frame rates that aren't necessary for most people right now. Even way further down the road, maybe we'll see 10K TVs. Don't worry, they're not going to be common anytime soon. We're already seeing TVs that are capable of higher frame rates, plus higher resolution TVs, like those with 8K. Though most current HDMI cables can handle nearly all of today's content, the TV industry never sits still.
If you think of cables as pipes, you need a bigger pipe to transmit a 4K signal than a 1080p one. A 3,820x2,160-pixel 4K Ultra HD signal sent over HDMI is roughly four times the amount of data as an HD 1,920x1,080 signal. When you increase the resolution of a TV signal, the amount of data of that signal goes up. This is the same as HDMI 2.0a/b, and is what makes wide color gamut possible. On the color front, 2.1 supports BT.2020 and 16 bits per color. You should be able to get 4K/60, and a basic 8K/30, with current cables, but the rest will need an Ultra High Speed HDMI cable. The increased resolution and frame rate possibilities are a futurist's dream:
Inputs with HDMI 2.1 features, like the one on this Samsung TV, primarily cater to gamers right now.ĭon't like reading (much)? Here are the highlights: Read more: Best HDMI cables for your new 4K and HDR TV But if you want to take advantage of everything 2.1 has to offer, you'll need some select upgrades and potentially new cables too. The connector itself isn't changing, however, so new HDMI 2.1 gear will be backward-compatible with your current cables and equipment. The short version is HDMI 2.1 allows for higher resolutions, higher frame rates and a lot more bandwidth. Many midrange and higher-end sets support the new connectivity standard, though, so it's worthwhile to understand what it means if you're in the market for a new TV. If you're shopping for a new TV on a budget, it's not a necessary feature by any means: Those new consoles will play perfectly well (and still look spectacular) on a TV that lacks HDMI 2.1. For most people it's not a good enough reason, on its own, to buy a new TV right now. That doesn't mean you need HDMI 2.1, however. In fact, to get the most out of those consoles you'll need a TV that supports at least some HDMI 2.1 features. HDMI 2.1 is also on both of the next-generation game consoles, the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.
It's currently found on the best new TVs, including recent models from LG, Samsung, Sony, TCL, Vizio and more. The latest version HDMI is called 2.1, and it's a big leap forward compared to HDMI 2.0.