The HDMI Forum has announced a press conference scheduled for January 6th, where it will detail a new specification release enabling “a wide range of higher resolutions and refresh rates.” According to an email sent to various publications, the new capabilities will require a new cable.
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As noted by VideoCardz, and hinted at by the HDMI Forum’s own communication that mentions the HDMI Licensing Administrator being appointed “to license Version 2.2 of the HDMI specification,” the new standard is likely to be HDMI 2.2.
Introduced in 2017, HDMI 2.1, which has only seen lettered revisions since its initial release, currently supports 48Gbps bandwidth, variable refresh rates up to 120Hz, and resolutions reaching 10240 x 4320. VideoCardz speculates that the upcoming spec could potentially enable even higher resolutions and frame rates without relying on Display Stream Compression.
The announcement of a new cable serves as a reminder that, much like USB-C, HDMI cables are not universally compatible. While it’s unlikely the HDMI Forum will change the port itself, meaning existing cables will likely still function with the updated spec, some may not support the increased bandwidth. Therefore, to fully utilize all the new features of the upcoming HDMI specification, users may need to purchase new cables.
