As we’re stepping foot into even higher resolution territories, the standards concerning the ecosystem also need to be upgraded as time goes on. HDMI Forum, the organization which has been tasked with defining the future of HDMI technology, has released the new HDMI 2.1 standards for hardware makers. Let dive in and take a closer look at what all the hype is about.
HDMI 2.1 Features
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Support for Higher Resolutions And Refresh Rates
HDMI 2.1, as described in the official draft, brings along support for a wide variety of high resolutions and refresh rates. This standard will enable you to view 8K videos at 60Hz and 4K videos at 120Hz refresh rates, alongwith support for video at 10K resolution for commercial and special use-cases. The support for enhanced refresh rates means you’ll now enjoy even smoother transitions in videos, games or movies.
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Ultra High-speed HDMI cable
The HDMI 2.1 standard takes care of the increased bandwidth requirements for high resolutions. It now supports speeds up to 48 Gbps with the Ultra High-Speed HDMI Cable, which is also backwards compatible with all previous versions of the specification. The high speeds ensure that you’re able to transfer uncompressed 8K videos with HDR in a jiffy.
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Dynamic HDR support
It also includes support for Dynamic HDR, a necessity for today’s age, which ensures wider colour gamut, ideal contrast and brightness for the contents playing on our television or monitor screen. You don’t need to make major changes to your hardware system, just purchase an HDMI 2.1 cable and replace the current one to bump up your viewing experience.
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Auto Low Latency Mode
The new standard will come in handy for heavy gamers and streamers who prefer no visible lag between the control inputs and output. Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) for this new standard automatically updates the latency settings on the fly to provide you with an uninterrupted and smoother experience.
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Enhanced Audio Return Channel
A shorthand representation for eARC, this feature would simplify the overall connectivity process and makes it easier for HDMI to support the most advanced audio formats. It ensures full compatibility between audio devices and upcoming HDMI 2.1 products while maintaining the highest audio quality.
Talking about the formal widespread rollout of this new standard, Robert Blanchard of Sony Electronics, president of the HDMI Forum stated:
“The HDMI Forum’s mission is to develop specifications meeting market needs, growing demands for higher performance, and to enable future product opportunities.”
The HMDI 2.1 standard was first shown off at CES 2017 and we were promised support for a large number of pixels. We’ve gotten more than what was written in the first draft of the new HDMI standard, meaning an even immersive and detailed viewing experience. So, are you excited about the pixel-rich future? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.
