Tag: HDMI 2.2

The new HDMI 2.2 specification, announced at CES 2025 earlier this year, doubles the transmission bandwidth to 96Gbps and adds support for stable transmission of uncompressed audio and video content. The HDMI Forum has now officially finalized the specification and established a certification mechanism, paving the way for next-generation high-end displays and audio-visual devices. The biggest highlight of the HDMI 2.2 specification is the significant bandwidth expansion to 96Gbps, almost double the 48Gbps transmission bandwidth of the current HDMI 2.1b version. It also introduces a new label called Ultra96, which will be mandatory on all cables compliant with the HDMI 2.2 specification, allowing consumers to more intuitively identify cable quality. According to the HDMI Forum, HDMI 2.2 supports 4K and 8K display outputs and can transmit stable 12K@120fps and 16K@60fps video. It also supports uncompressed 4:4:4 color sampling, enabling 8K@60fps or 4K@240fps output, and covers 10-bit and 12-bit color depths, bringing display quality and color performance closer to professional standards. The HDMI 2.2 specification also incorporates a new fixed-rate link signal technology to support uncompressed audio and video content transmission at resolutions above 4K60. A new LIP latency indicator protocol is also included to improve the synchronization between video and audio data. This significantly reduces latency when connecting to complex audio-visual setups such as AV receivers or multi-channel soundbars, ensuring precise audio-visual alignment. To ensure consistent quality, the HDMI Forum emphasizes that all HDMI 2.2 cables must undergo individual verification testing for different lengths, and only those that pass the specification can be labeled as compliant with Ultra96 certification. Currently, HDMI 2.2 is not yet widely adopted with commercially available devices. However, with the upcoming release of next-generation monitors and audio-visual players, related accessories and equipment are expected to gradually enter the market. In particular, for high-end gaming monitors, home theater projection systems, or the need for 8K/12K professional video playback, HDMI 2.2 will become an indispensable new transmission standard.

As previously announced, the HDMI Association unveiled the new HDMI 2.2 transmission technology specification at CES 2025, doubling the transmission bandwidth to 96Gbps to meet the demands of higher resolution video content transmission. Compared to HDMI 2.1b, which supported 48Gbps bandwidth, HDMI 2.2 offers twice the bandwidth, allowing for more stable transmission of 4K and 8K resolution video, while also supporting higher refresh rates. The HDMI 2.2 specification also incorporates a new fixed-rate link signaling technology to support uncompressed audio and video content transmission at resolutions of 4K60 and above, and a new LIP latency indicator protocol to address synchronization issues between video and audio data. Furthermore, the HDMI Association introduced the new Ultra96 HDMI cable certification, making it easier for consumers to select HDMI cables that meet the 96Gbps bandwidth requirement. The HDMI Association expects to begin providing the HDMI 2.2 design specification to all manufacturers that launch HDMI 2.x version products in the first half of this year. Related products are expected to enter the market gradually after some time, so it may take more time before they become widespread.

Following the release of the HDMI 2.1 specification in 2017, and subsequent minor adjustments to versions 2.1a and 2.1b, the HDMI Association is expected to announce the new HDMI 2.2 transmission specification at CES 2025. In the previous design, HDMI 2.1a added Source-Based Tone Mapping (SBTM) to enhance HDR display effects, enabling PCs and game consoles to automatically output optimized HDR visuals. HDMI 2.1b increased the transmission bandwidth to 48Gbps and supported 10K resolution display output. The upcoming HDMI 2.2 version is expected to be backward compatible with the HDMI 2.1 specification, and is also expected to include higher transmission bandwidth and support for higher resolution display output. With the release of the new HDMI specification, we can expect to see more smart TVs, monitors, and upcoming graphics cards with completely redesigned specifications.