Nowadays, most of us
know or at least use an HDMI cable as it has many uses to connect TV or monitor
to all speakers, DVD players, game consoles, laptops, and more. However, not
all HDMI cables offer the same performance equally. While HDMI 2.0 has been used
for years by all users, its successor, HDMI 2.1, has been launched which offers
notable improvements that are important to know. So let's explain here all
about the differences between HDMI 2.0 and 2.1 and which one is right for you
if you are thinking of building a home theater or assembling a gaming PC.
Basically, in case you
didn't know, HDMI is an acronym for High-Definition Multimedia Interface or
High-Definition Multimedia Interface. In simpler terms, it is a communication
standard for transferring media from a source (such as a receiver) to a display
screen (such as a television), and it was designed in 2002 by a group of 7
companies to produce a technology that revolutionized the standards of digital
audio and video transmission as for the first time It can transmit high
definition audio and video with a single cable. And now there are billions of
devices using this technology, according to the HDMI Forum. The latest
generation of this standard is HDMI 2.1 which was released in 2017. However,
HDMI 2.0 released in 2013 is still the most popular and used one.
What is the difference between HDMI 2.0 and HDMI 2.1?
The main difference
between HDMI 2.0 and HDMI 2.1 is that the latter has higher bandwidth. This
means that HDMI 2.1 can transmit a huge amount of data simultaneously, allowing
it to support higher screen resolutions, faster refresh rates, and other
features listed below. Simply put, it can be said that "bandwidth"
is, for example, a water pipe; The wider it is, the greater the flow of water
simultaneously. In the same way, a higher bandwidth capacity allows more data
to be transmitted at once. While the bandwidth is 18 Gbps on HDMI 2.0, the HDMI
2.1 port supports more than double that capacity, specifically up to 48 Gbps.
With such high bandwidth
capacity, HDMI 2.1 will not have to compress data as much as the previous
standard 2.0 which will ultimately result in better audio and video quality.
However, you may not be able to take advantage of its new features unless you have
modern enough hardware.
Impact of HDMI 2.1 on video resolution
Imagine that an HDMI 2.1
cable can display uncompressed video resolutions of up to 10K or 8K! It is true
that there are no screens yet that support such high resolutions, but if there
is a future, the HDMI standards of the new generation are ready to deal with
them. At the same time, we find that the previous generation HDMI 2.0 supports
a maximum resolution of 4K. This means that you will be able to see more
details, and images will look clearer when using an HDMI 2.1 cable, but only if
the monitor used supports a higher resolution.
It should be noted that
HDMI 2.0 only allows viewing 4K content at 60 frames per second, which is not
fast enough for some content. So, if you have a 4K monitor with a high refresh
rate, you may still need to choose the HDMI 2.1 port.
Impact of HDMI 2.1 on refresh rates
HDMI 2.1 supports
refresh rates of up to 60 Hz on 8K resolution and 120 Hz on 4K resolution,
while in contrast, as we have indicated, HDMI 2.0 only supports 60 Hz on 4K
resolution. It is worth noting that the refresh rate is the number of times the
screen refreshes the image per second. A higher refresh rate generally results
in smoother motion, especially when gaming.
Ideally, your monitor's
refresh rate should be equal to or higher than the video frame rate that your
GPU produces, or else you'll notice a blurry effect in fast-moving scenes. At
the very least, HDMI 2.0 supports 1080p video at 240Hz or 1440p at 144Hz,
making it fast enough for most movies and games.
And while you can get
away with using an HDMI 2.0 cable with a 4K display, some content won't look
smooth because there will be some problems at 60Hz. Therefore, you should buy
an HDMI 2.1 cable if you have an 8K or 4K display or if you want the best
performance from your gaming PC. It is important to know that taking advantage
of these resolutions at those refresh rates requires the use of the new Ultra
High-Speed HDMI cable.
Impact of HDMI 2.1 on sound quality
HDMI 2.1 and HDMI 2.0
both support a feature called ARC for Audio Return Channel, which allows a
single cable to send and receive audio signals from the TV to the speaker. For
example, you can connect your sound system with a single HDMI cable, then
connect the speakers to the TV screen using the dedicated ARC port, and then
you can use that sound system on every device connected to the TV, including
consoles and Blu- media players ray and others, where the TV will act as the
distribution of the audio system to the devices instead of the need for a
separate audio receiver. All thanks to an advanced HDMI cable.
However, HDMI 2.1
supports the enhanced version of ARC technology or as it is called eARC
(Enhanced Audio Return Channel) which comes with support for surround sound
technology and offers higher bandwidth capacity, including support for popular
audio formats such as DTS Master and DTS: X and Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Atmos 3D
sound. Of course, to take advantage of eARC with HDMI 2.1, you'll need a
compatible TV or monitor paired with a compatible amplifier or home theater.
Impact of 2.1 HDMI on the video game experience
One of the biggest
differences between HDMI 2.0 and HDMI 2.1 is seen in the gaming experience.
HDMI 2.1 standard includes advanced features such as VRR (Variable Refresh Rate),
which reduces screen tearing (the appearance of horizontal separation in the
picture) and many other issues to ensure a more detailed and smooth gaming
experience. This is achieved by matching your screen's refresh rate to the
frame rate of your game in real-time. Without this feature, your screen will
sometimes attempt to display information from two windows simultaneously, which
will eventually cause screen tearing.
In addition, HDMI 2.1
also has an Auto Low Delay Mode (ALLM), which automatically adjusts the optimal
latency settings on your screen (usually Game Mode) for smooth, continuous,
lag-free interaction when you return to watching a movie, this setting will be
turned off automatically and switched to another mode that gives you the best picture
quality.
There is an HDMI 2.1
port in the new generation of consoles like the Xbox Series X and PlayStation
5. But while you don't need an HDMI 2.1 cable to run any consoles of this
generation, you won't get the best features with an HDMI 2.0 cable.
The problem with cheap HDMI 2.1 cables
There are quite a few
problems that you can encounter when using an uncertified HDMI 2.1 cable,
however, they are very frustrating, for example, while playing 4K games on the
PS5 or XBOX Series X console you may encounter a black screen every now and
then. Also, you are likely to encounter image distortion issues in different
areas on the screen surface. Sometimes you may get an explicit message that the
TV is having a problem while shaking hands and connecting to the routing
source, and this is most likely the result of the cable being too weak to pass
the full range signal allowed.
You will notice that the
best HDMI 2.1 cables are short because long cables cause the signal to drop
before it reaches the TV screen, and this results in some problems as well.
Therefore, it is always better to have the cable within a maximum of 3 meters
to get 4K resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. As for the lower resolution than
4K, it is possible to adopt a 6-meter cable, but if you encounter problems with
it, the reason may be the excessive length of the cable, so you will have no
other choice but to try another cable that is shorter in length.
Sometimes, you may find
that your TV monitor has an HDMI cable included in the box, and it is necessary
to try it before purchasing another cable because it can be very suitable for
all your uses. It should also be noted that it is necessary not to rush to
cables with gold conductors, thinking that they are the best in quality and
characteristics, in fact, they do not offer anything unique from other cables
with silver conductors except for the color of their luster.
Should you upgrade to HDMI 2.1?
The HDMI 2.1 cable is
designed to be able to meet the requirements of modern consoles and connect
them to high-end TV screens and receivers. The only difference that is clearly
visible between both HDMI 2.1 and HDMI 2.0b standard is that the former has the
ability to transmit a data rate of 48Gbit while the second is only limited to
18Gbit, this means that the HDMI 2.1 cable is ready for 8K monitors at 60Hz or
4K monitors at 120Hz.
Fortunately, new
generation consoles come with an HDMI 2.1 cable already, so you don't need to
replace this cable with any other alternative, for older NVIDIA and AMD cards,
it requires nothing more than an HDMI 2.0b cable. Only modern game consoles and
NVIDIA 30 Series cards support HDMI 2.1, at the same time there are not many
monitors that support or have this port yet. So if you are now planning to
purchase an Ultra High-Speed HDMI cable in the future, just remember to make
sure it is certified with an HDMI Administrator License.