The HDMI Forum, the organization responsible for the HDMI standard, has announced plans to reveal a new specification during a press conference on January 6th.
This upcoming release promises to support “a wide range of higher resolutions and refresh rates.” According to an email from the HDMI Forum, these enhanced capabilities will require “a new cable.”
As VideoCardz suggests, this new specification is likely to be HDMI 2.2. The HDMI Forum’s email hints at this as well, stating that two of the event’s scheduled speakers represent the HDMI Licensing Administrator, which is responsible for licensing “Version 2.2 of the HDMI specification.”
HDMI 2.1, first introduced in 2017 and subsequently updated with minor lettered revisions, currently supports up to 48Gbps bandwidth, 120Hz variable refresh rates, and resolutions as high as 10240 x 4320.
VideoCardz speculates that the new specification might push these limits further, potentially achieving higher resolutions and frame rates without relying on Display Stream Compression.
The mention of a new cable serves as a timely reminder that, much like USB-C, not all HDMI cables are created equal.
It seems improbable that the HDMI Forum would alter the port itself, so existing cables will likely remain compatible with the updated specification.
Some older cables might even support its higher bandwidth requirements. However, there’s always a possibility that new cables will be necessary to fully utilize the enhanced features when they arrive.
