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So, while it's nice to be ahead of the curve, if you adopt HDMI 2.1 soon, expect to be about a year or two ahead of that curve before you can take full advantage of its value. Now, it's important to note that you will be limited by your TV's capabilities. If your TV doesn't support 4K resolutions, for example, you won't be able to play PS5 games in 4K, at any frame rate – likely making do with HD. You'll need an 8K TV for 8K gameplay, too, but there aren't really any 8K PS5 games in sight (at least not right now), so that's a problem for another day. Dynamic HDR improves on this by allowing frame-by-frame tuning for a better visual experience. It allows each scene in a movie to use the full range of colors, contrast, and brightness. HDMI 2.0 partially supports it for 4K60 content, but HDMI 2.1’s increased bandwidth allows dynamic HDR with 4K120 and future HDR standards. Enhanced Audio Return Channel (eARC)
If you need an extra cable, or perhaps one that's longer or shorter than the one provided, you'll want to make sure it's fully HDMI 2.1 compliant. Being confident of that just got a fair bit easier, as the HDMI Forum, the organisation responsible for the HDMI spec, recently launched a certification program for HDMI 2.1 cables. It is important to note that while the new consoles use HDMI 2.1 as the connection, it doesn't mean your TV also needs to support HDMI 2.1. HDMI cables can deteriorate over time. If you're plugging and unplugging the cable consistently, it will wear down faster, and HDMI cables made of better materials last longer. Eventually, though, HDMI cables will become faulty.The original Standard or Category 1 cables were certified to handle 1080i or 720p video. The later High Speed or Category 2 cables took the bandwidth up from 4.95Gbit/sec to 10.2Gbit/sec, which meant they could transport 1080p video at 60 frames per second or 60Hz, or 4K video at 30fps or 30Hz. Category 3 or HDMI Premium cable reaches 18Gbits/sec and supports 4K video at 60Hz, while the highest spec Category 3 (8K) or Ultra cable can do 4K at 120Hz or 8K at 60Hz. This will simplify system setups dramatically because it means users can connect everything to their TV and then run a single HDMI cable to their receiver or soundbar without losing sound quality. Fewer cables, less mess, better sound! Dynamic HDR Now, it's important to note that even if your TV doesn't support an HDMI 2.1 connection, you can still plug the console into a standard HDMI port in a TV or monitor – just with more more picture limitations.
In the past, our advice was, “Go ahead and buy that TV with confidence.” HDMI 2.1 was still too far away. But if you’re intent on buying a flagship TV, we urge you to consider going with one that has HDMI 2.1 inputs. You’ll find a handful of great options from the likes of Samsung (the QN90A), LG (the C1 OLED), Vizio (the V-Series), and even Hisense (the U7G), all at fairly competitive prices. Keep in mind there's no such thing as HDMI cable "versions." As in, there's no such thing as an "HDMI 2.0" cable. The version numbers refer to the physical connections in your TV, receiver or sound bar. So your TV and 4K Blu-ray player need to both have HDMI 2.0 to watch HDR content, but the cable connecting them couldn't care less. It's just a dumb pipe. If you played it on the same TV, using a current-gen PS4 or Pro, you won't hit 60fps because the console simply isn't powerful enough to do so. In this case, the HDMI port and cable won't matter.
PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X
Since the PS5 doesn't support 1440p, the resolution of many gaming monitors and projectors, it seems likely that the graphics would instead default to 1080p, which means the PS5 won't benefit massively from a 1440p resolution monitor or screen. HDMI 2.1 vs HDMI 2.0 If you're playing certain games on a TV which has an HDMI 2.0b port, though, you'll find that you can up the frame rate if you drop the resolution, say HD at 120Hz compared to 4K at 60fps. This does vary between games, though. Enhanced Audio Return Channel (also known as eARC) is the next generation of ARC. It’s a feature implemented in the most recent HDMI 2.1 specification. Picture the scene. You have a set-top box, games console and Blu-ray player all plugged into your TV via HDMI.
The high-dynamic range is already the best improvement to TV picture quality since 1080p HD, but it can be even better. If you’re at all familiar with Dolby’s version of HDR, Dolby Vision, then you likely know the reason some reviewers consider it superior to other formats — it is a “dynamic HDR” medium. In other words, Dolby Vision makes changes to the settings of an image as the image itself changes. The result is a more accurate, vibrant, and … well … dynamic picture.
The really short version
If you've heard of HDR, you know it's a technology built into content and televisions that allows for expanded contrast and color in video, creating far more attractive visuals. HDMI Cable Power will be available for all categories of HDMI cable, but for ARC/eARC support, you'll want to look out for cables labelled as Ultra High-Speed HDMI Cable, Premium High-Speed HDMI Cable with Ethernet, High-Speed HDMI Cable with Ethernet or Standard HDMI Cable with Ethernet. What HDMI 2.1 sources are available now? The difference between HDMI 2.0 and 2.1 is pretty noticeable too. A PS5 game, running in 4K at 60fps (or 120fps) will look and play magnificently compared to 4K at 30fps. With an eARC channel, you can enjoy the depth of movie theatre quality surround sound via DOLBY ATMOS and DTS:X. Due to the limitations of regular ARC, only eARC is able to process these formats. Typically, modern TVs and monitors which run in Full HD (1080p) come outfitted with an HDMI 2.0 port, which means you'll have no problem enjoying PS5 games in wonderful quality and hitting 60 or 120fps if your TV allows.
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