ARTICLE: What is HDMI Version 2.1?

I seem to recall reading that Dolby Vision actually works okay over lowly HDMI 1.4, but HDR10 needs HDMI 2.0.

Also, doesn't Atmos (DD+) work over HDMI 2.0 and ARC as well?
 
Very interesting steve.

So, the VRR feature, I'm presuming would require a compatible tv/monitor like the g-sync/freesync monitors?

Or would this be a default feature of the hdmi 2.1 connection??

Happy new year by the way everyone
 
There must be miles of redundant supposedly properly speced High speed 18Gbps HDMI 2.0 cable that has been found lacking in real world use especially on the long runs required for projectors (10 meters)

If anyone who has recently changed kit to embrace UHD and has dropout issues their HDMI cable is an easy target and usually gets the blame.

It then becomes an expensive potluck minefield finding which HDMI cable will perform trouble free.
At the moment "Premium certified" cables are only available in short lengths

An example being my Oppo 203, with a 10 meter High speed 18Gbps HDMI, to a Epson 9300
Playing a UHD discs start fine other than a few seconds of blank screen then 5- 10 mins into the main feature the screen goes blank for a couple of minutes (this can happen a couple of times) the sound continues then video recovers and the movie will usually play Ok
 
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Thanks Steve - 'Once you include the support for Rec. 2020 and up to 16-bit colour, you quickly realise the new specifications cover any format that’s even being considered let alone used.'

The item that caught my eye is the 'up to 16-bit colour' as I would love to know where we are in terms of this.

My previous TV was a Full HD LCD Toshiba 42in that had a 10-bit panel but only 8-bit 'circuitry?'

My current Samsung 4K (2015 model) JU6400 50in has something called PurColor
'Using an advanced picture quality improvement algorithm, Samsung’s Wide Colour Enhancer drastically improves the quality of any image and uncovers hidden details. Now see colours as they were meant to be seen with Wide Colour Enhancer.'
which maybe 10-bit? or 8-bit with 10-bit colour interpolated?

Are 2017 4K models 10-bit or maybe 10-bit with 12-bit colour interpolated OR are any yet fully 12-bit? And do we have an idea as to the time-line towards higher 14-bit etc? Thanks.

EDIT Researching more - my TV has 'Active crystal colour' the PurColor is on the 55in model (unless these to are interchangeable terms)

Second EDIT - my JU Series TV has Wide Colour Enhancer (Plus) - it's the KU Series that has 'Active crystal colour' :-(
 
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There must be miles of redundant supposedly properly speced High speed 18Gbps HDMI 2.0 cable that has been found lacking in real world use especially on the long runs required for projectors (10 meters)

If anyone who has recently changed kit to embrace UHD and has dropout issues their HDMI cable is an easy target and usually gets the blame.

It then becomes an expensive potluck minefield finding which HDMI cable will perform trouble free.
At the moment "Premium certified" cables are only available in short lengths

An example being my Oppo 203, with a 10 meter High speed 18Gbps HDMI, to a Epson 9300
Playing a UHD discs start fine other than a few seconds of blank screen then 5- 10 mins into the main feature the screen goes blank for a couple of minutes (this can happen a couple of times) the sound continues then video recovers and the movie will usually play Ok

I've bought lots of HDMI cables on Amazon from a company called Neet (neetcables)...zero issues no matter what configuration or length of cable I need. A quick look at the reviews will show how reliable they are- and they are dirt cheap (affordable- not poor quality)
Just avoid the unbranded HDMI cables with no reviews you should be ok.
 
Good luck finding 48gbps cables when it seems that the market can barely provide working solutions for 18gbps at any kind of useful length. Any details on new cable certification schemes or technical specs? I would hope that for this to have any kind of likelihood of working for those of us needing a cable longer than 1m that they will properly specify a fibre solution.
 
I seem to recall reading that Dolby Vision actually works okay over lowly HDMI 1.4, but HDR10 needs HDMI 2.0.

Also, doesn't Atmos (DD+) work over HDMI 2.0 and ARC as well?
Yes Dolby Vision can apparently be delivered over HDMI 1.4, although I have to say my AVR can't pass DV and that has HDMI 2.0 so I have my doubts but it can obviously be delivered over HDMI 2.0 with certain chipsets. In fact HDR10+ might not actually require full HDMI 2.1 either but we'll have to wait and see. As for Dolby Atmos, that can be delivered via DD+ but for lossless object-based audio you'll need eARC, although that can also be delivered via HDMI 2.0. So apart from features like 8K, 12-bit and HFR, we might find that the manufacturers find ways of delivering the other aspects of HDMI 2.1 by actually using HDMI 2.0.
 
Very interesting steve.

So, the VRR feature, I'm presuming would require a compatible tv/monitor like the g-sync/freesync monitors?

Or would this be a default feature of the hdmi 2.1 connection??

Happy new year by the way everyone
I think it will be a feature of HDMI 2.1 but it's possible that like many of the features included in HDMI 2.1 it could be delivered via HDMI 2.0 under certain circumstances.
 
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Thanks Steve - 'Once you include the support for Rec. 2020 and up to 16-bit colour, you quickly realise the new specifications cover any format that’s even being considered let alone used.'

The item that caught my eye is the 'up to 16-bit colour' as I would love to know where we are in terms of this.

My previous TV was a Full HD LCD Toshiba 42in that had a 10-bit panel but only 8-bit 'circuitry?'

My current Samsung 4K (2015 model) JU6400 50in has something called PurColor
'Using an advanced picture quality improvement algorithm, Samsung’s Wide Colour Enhancer drastically improves the quality of any image and uncovers hidden details. Now see colours as they were meant to be seen with Wide Colour Enhancer.'
which maybe 10-bit? or 8-bit with 10-bit colour interpolated?

Are 2017 4K models 10-bit or maybe 10-bit with 12-bit colour interpolated OR are any yet fully 12-bit? And do we have an idea as to the time-line towards higher 14-bit etc? Thanks.

EDIT Researching more - my TV has 'Active crystal colour' the PurColor is on the 55in model (unless these to are interchangeable terms)
Many, although not all, 2017 TVs are 10-bit and they can accept a 12-bit signal but genuinely 12-bit panels are still a few years away. As for 14- or 16-bit, well that's a long way off but like I said, the idea behind HDMI 2.1 is to have a standard that will be applicable for decades.
 
Very interesting thanks steve.
But the older i get the more my brain hurts trying to keep up with these changes.
Thank god for AVForums
 
@Lesmor I have 5 of the same HDMI cables (the 5 metre one). One of the five had to be exchanged fairly early as it started dropping video after a couple of weeks of use. Sometimes unplugging the cable would bring video back, but it got worse and it was definitely the cable as I swapped it around with the others. The only trouble I have now is that I occasionally get sparklies and/or loss of video (which normally returns after switching inputs on TV), but strangely it only occurred when I upgraded my PS4 to a Pro and is fine on other devices... My experience of these cables is that they seem top quality & really robust, but I probably wouldn't purchase them again.
 
@Lesmor I have 5 of the same HDMI cables (the 5 metre one). One of the five had to be exchanged fairly early as it started dropping video after a couple of weeks of use. Sometimes unplugging the cable would bring video back, but it got worse and it was definitely the cable as I swapped it around with the others. The only trouble I have now is that I occasionally get sparklies and/or loss of video (which normally returns after switching inputs on TV), but strangely it only occurred when I upgraded my PS4 to a Pro and is fine on other devices... My experience of these cables is that they seem top quality & really robust, but I probably wouldn't purchase them again.
Great feedback thanks for that I will now look at the suggested alternatives

I bought the cable way in advance of adopting 4K and buying my PJ so it was beyond the return period
I have read on a JVC projector forum that many owners are having HDMI cable problems
one who had no issues with his existing HDMI and a Epson 9300 and is having to change it
So that adds another 2 redundant supposed High Speed 18 Gbps HDMI to the miles already designated to the skip
I don't hold out much hope of trouble free 2.1
 
Sparkles (flat out noise, like an analogue 'snow' at times) blighting my Xbox One S at the moment, but only on the HDMI ARC channel at 60hz with HDR and even then it's only intermittent, fine on HDMI 2 at all times using the same standard Xbox cable. I'm changing cables before I jack the telly in(for the second time!). It's a Sony 43XE8005 and enhanced HDMI is active, but I think the ARC is to blame here.
I've ordered a certified premium HDMI cable to handle it, if it doesn't work I'm going on a rampage of some description.
 
I've bought lots of HDMI cables on Amazon from a company called Neet (neetcables)...zero issues no matter what configuration or length of cable I need. A quick look at the reviews will show how reliable they are- and they are dirt cheap (affordable- not poor quality)
Just avoid the unbranded HDMI cables with no reviews you should be ok.
I personally use a company called Kabeldirect, they have an ebay store and produce very good quality cables and reasonable prices, i fell for the old expensive "premium hdmi cable" trick once before, I'll have a check out of neet cables......

One can never have enough connectivity options
 
I think the reality for HDMI 2.1 is that backward compatibility needs to be paramount so that adoption of the standard is possible without chucking out all your kit and starting again. I think if Sony PS5 comes with HDMI2.1 and VRR support then it will be a strong upgrade driver.
 
I dont like these companies overcharging the customer with miss leading advice, because it does still go on.
I couldnt resist embarrassing this know it all sales assistant, trying to fob of wrong information to an old couple regarding HDMI. The more the lead cost the better the picture...yet the tv wasn't even 4k !!
I still wonder how these retailers have the cheek to still price HDMI at a ridiculous high price. Shame somthing cannot be done about it
 
I've always used Amazon Basics for HDMI cables and never had a problem. Will do the same when I get my new OLED TV with HDMI 2.1.
 
Sparkles (flat out noise, like an analogue 'snow' at times) blighting my Xbox One S at the moment, but only on the HDMI ARC channel at 60hz with HDR and even then it's only intermittent, fine on HDMI 2 at all times using the same standard Xbox cable. I'm changing cables before I jack the telly in(for the second time!). It's a Sony 43XE8005 and enhanced HDMI is active, but I think the ARC is to blame here.
I've ordered a certified premium HDMI cable to handle it, if it doesn't work I'm going on a rampage of some description.


...from my experience, "sparklies" have always occurred because of a rubbish HDMI cable.
 
So my two HDMI cables are a)the one that came with the Xbox One S, which you'd think would be able to handle HDR at 4k/60 but clearly has it's off moments and b) An Amazon basics one , high speed with Ethernet, about five years old. Both have the same problem of fizzy piddle on screen when the signal is using up max bandwidth.
I plug in my Nintendo one, from the redundant Wii U...touch wood, no problems so far. It's pretty much guesswork what constitutes a good cable, which I guess is why people want them graded like the ports. Which is why I've had to opt for a certified one to be (more) confident I get uninterrupted signal. I understand it's just copper and that coathangers would carry the signal...which is why it all mystifies me and I've bowed to the market forces.
 
Sparkles (flat out noise, like an analogue 'snow' at times) blighting my Xbox One S at the moment, but only on the HDMI ARC channel at 60hz with HDR and even then it's only intermittent, fine on HDMI 2 at all times using the same standard Xbox cable. I'm changing cables before I jack the telly in(for the second time!). It's a Sony 43XE8005 and enhanced HDMI is active, but I think the ARC is to blame here.
I've ordered a certified premium HDMI cable to handle it, if it doesn't work I'm going on a rampage of some description.

KabelDirekt 3m HDMI Cable compatible with HDMI 2.0a/b 2.0 1.4a (Ultra HD 4K 3D F | eBay

This is what I'm using from my x900e to my pc, it works perfect, displays everything i chuck through it.

4k 60hz
1080p 120hz
Full hdr

All without any hitches/sparklies or artifacts
 
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