The HDMI Forum has announced plans to unveil a new specification on January 6, promising to support a range of higher resolutions and refresh rates. The details of the new spec will be revealed during a press conference, with the HDMI Forum confirming that the update will be accompanied by a new cable designed to support these enhanced capabilities, as per a news report by The Verge.
While the exact details of the new specification are yet to be disclosed, there are talks that it could be the long-anticipated HDMI 2.2. The Forum’s announcement also hints at this, noting that the HDMI Licensing Administrator is set to license Version 2.2 of the HDMI standard, which two of the event’s speakers represent.
Currently, HDMI 2.1, which was introduced in 2017, supports a bandwidth of 48Gbps, resolutions up to 10240 x 4320, and refresh rates of up to 120Hz. The new update is expected to push these limits even further, possibly enabling even higher resolutions and frame rates without the need for Display Stream Compression (DSC), which is currently used to manage higher bandwidth requirements.
One of the key takeaways from the announcement is the mention of a new HDMI cable, which may be necessary to take full advantage of the new specification. While it seems unlikely that the physical HDMI port will change, the introduction of a new cable could be required for users to unlock the full potential of the upgraded spec. However, existing cables may still support certain features of the new standard, depending on their bandwidth capabilities.
As the January 6 event approaches, more information is expected to shed light on how the new HDMI specification will impact everything from gaming and entertainment to professional displays and multimedia devices.
