When I was looking to buy my TV, I remember how important HDMI 2.1 was to me because of gaming and good sound, so imagine my shock this morning when I found out HDMI 2.2 is just about here, is my TV now outdated? Should I update? what are the differences?
Termed the next big thing in TV connectivity on the interwebs, the HDMI Forum unveiled HDMI 2.2 at CES 2025, touting doubled bandwidth and clever solutions for those annoying lip-sync issues. But here’s the kicker – most of us won’t need to upgrade anytime soon.
Let’s talk numbers: HDMI 2.2 is pushing a whopping 96 gigabits per second, twice what HDMI 2.1 offers. Sounds impressive, right? Well, it is – but it’s like having that Porsche 911 GT3 RS for your grocery runs. Even if you’re rocking the latest 4K TV with high refresh rates or dreaming about 8K, the current HDMI 2.1 standard handles everything just fine.
So who’s this speed demon really for? Think VR headsets, massive digital billboards, and futuristic light field displays. Unless you’re planning to turn your living room into Times Square, your current setup should serve you well.
The real crowd-pleaser might be the new Latency Indication Protocol (LIP) designed to tackle those maddening moments when actors’ words don’t match their mouth movements, especially in systems using soundbars or receivers.
The Ultra96 cables which are needed to handle all this extra bandwidth use the same familiar connector, so no need to rework your entire entertainment center, but you probably won’t need them anyway.
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The rollout is expected in the first half of 2025, but don’t expect to see it everywhere right away. And here’s the most reassuring bit: HDMI 2.2 plays nice with older equipment. That means your future-proof gaming console will still work perfectly fine with your current TV.
For those keeping score:
- HDMI 2.2 doubles bandwidth to 96 Gbps
- New Ultra96 cables will be backward-compatible
- Early 2025 rollout expected
- Most current TVs won’t benefit from the extra bandwidth
- Improved lip-sync technology might be the real MVP
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