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Most people don’t spend much time thinking about HDMI specs, but avid gamers know that the adoption of HDMI 2.1 across the best TVs and monitors came with multiple upgrades to get the most out of the latest game consoles and PCs. The spec includes plenty of other benefits, making it a buzzworthy term among the litany of other confusing TV acronyms.
At CES 2025, the HDMI Forum announced the latest HDMI specification, HDMI 2.2, which advances the technology. Does that mean you need to worry about upgrading your TV, gaming gear, and other home theater devices all over again? The short answer is: No, you’re good. HDMI 2.1 is already well ahead of the game in terms of future-proofing your gear. That said, HDMI 2.2 is a cool innovation poised to bring real-world advances to consumers, especially in the realm of AR/VR technologies. Here’s what you need to know.
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What Is HDMI 2.1?
Before getting into the latest HDMI specification, it’s important to know everything you can do with the current generation. (If you're already an HDMI 2.1 pro, feel free to skip ahead.)
HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) is primarily tasked with transmitting high-definition video and multichannel audio between devices, which can take a lot of bandwidth. Officially announced by the HDMI Forum in November of 2017, HDMI 2.1 provided a major bandwidth upgrade over HDMI 2.0, moving from 18 Gbps (gigabits per second) to a whopping 48 Gbps. More pipeline means more room for advanced A/V transmission.
Now called HDMI 2.1b following minor updates, the spec's arrival brought new capabilities, starting with higher video resolutions and refresh rates. It supports 4K video at 120 Hz (higher with certain PC graphics cards), 8K video at 60 Hz, and even 10K video. HDMI 2.1b’s speedy refresh rates mostly come into play with gaming, where it facilitates other advanced features like VRR (variable refresh rate) for more fluid gameplay as well as ALLM (auto low-latency mode) and QFT (quick frame transport) for reduced latency. The spec also supports all high-bitrate audio formats, including DTS Master Audio, DTS:X, Dolby TrueHD, and Dolby Atmos.
Other notable features announced with HDMI 2.1 include HDMI eARC for lossless hi-res audio transmission between eARC-supported devices, and dynamic HDR support, which allows for HDR content to be optimized for video scene-by-scene or even frame-by-frame.
Before you worry too much about which port you’re using, there are some important caveats to note. Dolby Vision HDR delivered dynamic HDR to compatible TVs over HDMI 2.0 years before HDMI 2.1, due to how its dynamic metadata is embedded in the video, and its rival, HDR10+, can do the same. Similarly, HDMI eARC is available over HDMI 2.0, as shown in newer TVs from brands like TCL and Hisense, providing two HDMI 2.1 inputs and a separate HDMI eARC port.
HDMI 2.1 is backward-compatible with older HDMI versions, but not all features will be supported. You may also need to upgrade your HDMI cables for the higher bandwidth required, swapping out high-definition cables for ultra-high-definition cables like this one.
What’s New in HDMI 2.2?
With support for 8K and even 10K video (which essentially doesn't exist for consumers) and all major hi-res audio formats, HDMI 2.1b has your home theater covered for the foreseeable future. That means you don’t have to worry about upgrading your TV or audio devices for HDMI 2.2 anytime soon.
Instead, the HDMI Forum is pitching the new spec for commercial applications and advanced consumer tech like augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) devices. HDMI 2.2 once again upgrades the bandwidth transmission rate, this time doubling it from 48 Gbps to 96 Gbps to improve “demanding data-intensive, immersive and virtual applications …” according to the Forum.
Along with new AR/VR and mixed-reality applications, HDMI 2.2’s advanced bandwidth is designed to enhance commercial technologies like medical imaging, and potentially even next-gen movie, game, and TV production. Another potential application is machine vision, a mix of software and hardware that, among other things, allows robots, self-driving vehicles, and other machines to orient themselves.
The most practical home theater advancement announced with HDMI 2.2 is Latency Indication Protocol (LIP), designed to improve audio and video sync between your TV and A/V receiver or soundbar. This was also a promise of HDMI eARC, which has mostly delivered. As such, it’s hard to see many home theater brands jumping at HDMI 2.2 anytime soon—we’re still waiting for more widespread HDMI 2.1b adoption nine years later.
As with HDMI 2.1, you’ll need a new high-bandwidth cable to experience HDMI 2.2’s benefits, which will presumably land in conjunction with the spec’s arrival sometime in the first half of 2025. When we’ll see real-world adoption remains to be seen, but if HDMI 2.1 is any indication, it will be a good while before we see it on the market, let alone on your devices.
