05-17-2022, 12:37 PM
HDMI Used To Simplify Our Home Theaters, Now It's Adding Confusion
<p dir="ltr">This month, I tried to upgrade my home theater setup with an LG C1 OLED television and an HDMI 2.1 receiver. <em>Tried</em>. In doing so, I discovered what a nightmare HDMI 2.1's definition of "compatibility" is. When HDMI arrived on the scene almost 20 years ago, it seemed like a godsend: Instead of having to plug in five cables to get a 480p image with stereo audio, you could just plug in one cable. It was universal, had a directional configuration to make sure you couldn't plug it in upside down, and it just worked. Two decades later, though, HDMI is alive and well but has somehow become needlessly confusing. Instead of a simple spec with complex cables, we're now saddled with one simple cable and a truly baffling set of specs. Listen ye to my cautionary tale and beware the dark woods of HDMI.</p><h3 dir="ltr"><strong>What is HDMI 2.1?</strong></h3><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/original/1603/16030002/3977767-pxl_20220516_160659062.portrait_2.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-3977767" data-ratio="0.5625" data-width="4080" data-embed-type="image" style="width: 4080px"><a href="https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/original/1603/16030002/3977767-pxl_20220516_160659062.portrait_2.jpg"><img alt="No Caption Provided" src="https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/scale_super/1603/16030002/3977767-pxl_20220516_160659062.portrait_2.jpg" srcset="https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/original/1603/16030002/3977767-pxl_20220516_160659062.portrait_2.jpg 4080w, https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/scale...rait_2.jpg 1280w, https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/scale...rait_2.jpg 480w" sizes="(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px" data-width="1280"></a></figure><p>HDMI 2.1 is the latest version of the High-Definition Multimedia Interface connector first unveiled in 2002. The initial HDMI 2.1 spec represented a big jump forward for the connector, allowing a bunch of new features. The HDMI 1.0-to-1.2a jump offered a 4.95 Gbps transmission rate. 1.3 bumped that up to 10.2 Gbps, and 2.0 brought it to 18.0 Gbps. It takes a lot of bandwidth to facilitate some of the modern advancements we've seen, such as 120 frames per second at 4K resolution; HDMI 2.1 is a huge leap forward that enables this, offering support for up to 48 Gbps. The more features you want to pass through that cable, the more bandwidth you need.</p><p dir="ltr">Along with that 48 Gbps bandwidth, HDMI 2.1 brings a variety of features. Some are for general use, but a bunch are specifically focused on gaming. General features include the introduction of the enhanced Audio Return Channel, or eARC, which offers easier connection between HDMI displays and audio devices, with greater compatibility across most modern audio formats. HDMI Cable Power lets HDMI devices transmit power through the cable for devices that require extra power to transmit the 48 Gbps bandwidth; this will mostly be a background thing that you won't notice. Quick Media Switching allows for faster transitions between media with the same resolution but different frame rates--for example, a television show filmed at 24 frames per second and a sports broadcast that airs at 60 frames per second, both running at 4K resolution.</p><a href="https://www.gamespot.com/articles/hdmi-used-to-simplify-our-home-theaters-now-its-adding-confusion/1100-6503472/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f/">Continue Reading at GameSpot</a>
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/hdmi-u...01-10abi2f
<p dir="ltr">This month, I tried to upgrade my home theater setup with an LG C1 OLED television and an HDMI 2.1 receiver. <em>Tried</em>. In doing so, I discovered what a nightmare HDMI 2.1's definition of "compatibility" is. When HDMI arrived on the scene almost 20 years ago, it seemed like a godsend: Instead of having to plug in five cables to get a 480p image with stereo audio, you could just plug in one cable. It was universal, had a directional configuration to make sure you couldn't plug it in upside down, and it just worked. Two decades later, though, HDMI is alive and well but has somehow become needlessly confusing. Instead of a simple spec with complex cables, we're now saddled with one simple cable and a truly baffling set of specs. Listen ye to my cautionary tale and beware the dark woods of HDMI.</p><h3 dir="ltr"><strong>What is HDMI 2.1?</strong></h3><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/original/1603/16030002/3977767-pxl_20220516_160659062.portrait_2.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-3977767" data-ratio="0.5625" data-width="4080" data-embed-type="image" style="width: 4080px"><a href="https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/original/1603/16030002/3977767-pxl_20220516_160659062.portrait_2.jpg"><img alt="No Caption Provided" src="https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/scale_super/1603/16030002/3977767-pxl_20220516_160659062.portrait_2.jpg" srcset="https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/original/1603/16030002/3977767-pxl_20220516_160659062.portrait_2.jpg 4080w, https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/scale...rait_2.jpg 1280w, https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/scale...rait_2.jpg 480w" sizes="(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px" data-width="1280"></a></figure><p>HDMI 2.1 is the latest version of the High-Definition Multimedia Interface connector first unveiled in 2002. The initial HDMI 2.1 spec represented a big jump forward for the connector, allowing a bunch of new features. The HDMI 1.0-to-1.2a jump offered a 4.95 Gbps transmission rate. 1.3 bumped that up to 10.2 Gbps, and 2.0 brought it to 18.0 Gbps. It takes a lot of bandwidth to facilitate some of the modern advancements we've seen, such as 120 frames per second at 4K resolution; HDMI 2.1 is a huge leap forward that enables this, offering support for up to 48 Gbps. The more features you want to pass through that cable, the more bandwidth you need.</p><p dir="ltr">Along with that 48 Gbps bandwidth, HDMI 2.1 brings a variety of features. Some are for general use, but a bunch are specifically focused on gaming. General features include the introduction of the enhanced Audio Return Channel, or eARC, which offers easier connection between HDMI displays and audio devices, with greater compatibility across most modern audio formats. HDMI Cable Power lets HDMI devices transmit power through the cable for devices that require extra power to transmit the 48 Gbps bandwidth; this will mostly be a background thing that you won't notice. Quick Media Switching allows for faster transitions between media with the same resolution but different frame rates--for example, a television show filmed at 24 frames per second and a sports broadcast that airs at 60 frames per second, both running at 4K resolution.</p><a href="https://www.gamespot.com/articles/hdmi-used-to-simplify-our-home-theaters-now-its-adding-confusion/1100-6503472/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f/">Continue Reading at GameSpot</a>
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/hdmi-u...01-10abi2f