HDMI 2.1 Is Here With 10K and Dynamic HDR Support (engadget.com)

Swapna Krishna reports via Engadget: Back in January, the HDMI Forum unveiled its new specifications for the HDMI connector, called HDMI 2.1. Now, that HDMI specification is available to all HDMI 2.0 adopters. It's backwards compatible with all previous HDMI specifications. The focus of HDMI 2.1 is on higher video bandwidth; it supports 48 GB per second with a new backwards-compatible ultra high speed HDMI cable. It also supports faster refresh rates for high video resolution -- 60 Hz for 8K and 120 Hz for 4K. The standard also supports Dynamic HDR and resolutions up to 10K for commercial and specialty use. This new version of the HDMI specification also introduces an enhanced refresh rate that gamers will appreciate. VRR, or Variable Refresh Rate, reduces, or in some cases eliminates, lag for smoother gameplay, while Quick Frame Transport (QFT) reduces latency. Quick Media Switching, or QMS, reduces the amount of blank-screen wait time while switching media. HDMI 2.1 also includes Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), which automatically sets the ideal latency for the smoothest viewing experience.

Comments

Why celebrate?

[DaMattster]

Sure, I like innovation but most television providers still deliver their content at 720p. The Verizon FiOS install guy quietly admitted to Verizon only offering HD content at 720p. Why in the sam hill would I pony up the money for a 10K TV when content is nowhere near ready.

Re:Why celebrate?

[phayes]

I think that _you_ missed the point. When the existing standards have bandwidth requirements that are beyond the ability of content providers to distribute and there is virtually no planned upgrade path, further upgrades to that standard are of little/no use.

Re:Why celebrate?

[TheRealMindChild]

You don't make any sense. You want a standard to be upgraded only when it has to be, rather than BEFORE we need it upgraded? That is simply stupid.

Re:Why celebrate?

[beelsebob]

What makes you think that viewing content provided by Verizon over their TV feeds is the only use for HDMI?

Re:The same megapixel craze mistake as in digicams

[Immerman]

In addition to the other good points raised - the human eye can detect the *presence* of detail at considerably higher detail than it can actually resolve what that detail is. E.g. it can tell that there's a difference between a high-resolution checkerboard pattern and a uniform field of the same average color, even though it can't tell what exactly the pattern is.

Perhaps more relevantly,HDMIis a video interconnect standard, and there's lots more video uses than just TVs, monitors, and signs. A couple obvious ones:

- Light field displays - the HoloPlayerOne for example integrates images from 32 different angles using a "2k" 2560x1600 display, meaning that assuming an optimal pixel distribution it averages only 128k pixels per view, or about 358 pixels square on a display about a foot across. Pretty chunky. 7680x4320 8K would push that up to a 1018 square, 10k a bit farther. I bet you a 40" lightfield display would benefit from many times more pixels than that.

- VR/AR, because lets be honest - pixel densities and field-of-view both have a long way to go before they start reaching human perceptual limits. And that's even before you consider integrating light-field or other technology to provide proper focal depth.

Basically, a video interconnect standard is well behooved to stay many years in front of widespread adoption, so that developing display technologies are inclined to user the existing standard rather than having to develop a new one that might become a competitor.