Amid the smartphones, laptops, and other gadgets announced earlier this year at CES 2017, there was HDMI 2.1. The new standard was finalized this week and, as expected, supports features like 10K resolution and dynamic HDR.
GOOD NEWS! HDMI 2.1 officially launched, supports up to 10K resolution
Amid smartphones, laptops, and plenty of other gadgets announced earlier this year at CES 2017, there was HDMI 2.1. At the time, the specifications still had to be adjusted. The new standard was finalized this week and, as expected, supports features like 10K resolution and dynamic HDR.
The HDMI Forum, the group responsible for the technology, has tried to match the new specifications with the previous ones. This means that HDMI 2.1 uses the same connection scheme that we are already familiar with and, with one exception, works with devices based on earlier versions of HDMI. Obviously, all the new features can only be used on HDMI 2.1 compatible devices.
On the outside, nothing changes, but on the inside the difference to HDMI 2.0 is huge: while it has a bandwidth of 18 Gb / s (gigabits per second), HDMI 2.1 offers 48 Gb / s. s. Thanks to this, the new standard can support various combinations of transmissions, including 4K resolution with a frequency of 120 Hz and 8K with 60 Hz.
Most surprisingly, the 10K resolution support (10240 × 4320 pixels). We don’t have content in this resolution – indeed, even the 4K video offering is still low – but it’s a way of showing the potential of the technology, leaving it ready for the future and ending up serving very specific applications.
Another important attribute is the support for dynamic HDR, which basically allows adjusting HDR frame by frame. In this sense, VVR (Variable Refresh Rate) is also supported, a standard that adjusts the refresh rate at any time, but without affecting the smoothness of a game, for example.
Other features highlighted by the HDMI Forum support for the QFT (Quick Frame Transport) and ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) standards: the first decrease in latency in gaming and virtual reality applications; the second automatically adjusts the latency for each application.
Also highlight QMS (Quick Media Switching) support, which reduces the time it takes to display the black or white screen before content is displayed, and eARC, which makes HDMI 2.1 compatible with new audio standards, like Dolby. Atmos and DTS: X.
Although specifications have been finalized, it can take months for the first compatible devices to hit the market. However, if you want to take full advantage of the potential of the new version, you will have to use a 48G HDMI cable which will certainly be cheap.
So what do you think? Just share your opinions and thoughts in the comments section below.
