Distinguish HDMI 2.1, 2.0 and 1.4

HDMI is simply HDMI? No, it's not so simple. You will see the same cable and port, but the standard may vary. Today's article will discuss the difference between HDMI 1.4, HDMI 2.0 and current standard HDMI 2.1.

HDMI 1.4: still exists

HDMI 1.4 has a data transfer speed of 10.2Gbps and is the first standard to support 4K video, although limited to 4K30 compression. There is almost no new hardware released with this specifications anymore, but you may still have a device using this standard, such as PS4 or Xbox One original.

The highest video specifications for this standard include 1080p60 and 4K30 – most HDMI 1.4 devices will use one of these resolutions, although some HDMI 1.4 devices can support resolution Tall to 1080p120.

HDMI 2.0: General standard

HDMI 2.0 has 18Gbps data transfer speed, strong support 4K and 1440P videos. Many new devices still use this standard. Most 4K TVs, high -end laptops, laptops and camera only use HDMI 2.0 because 4K60 is still standard for most videos.

The top -notch video parameters for HDMI 2.0 include 1080p240, 1440p144 and 4K60. These are the most popular video resolution and Refresh speed, with the highest specifications for HDMI 2.0, although its bandwidth can support more video standards, even technically 8K30 on Some devices. HDMI 2.0 also supports HDR (high dynamic range) to increase color depth and contrast range compared to SDR (standard dynamic range).

HDMI 2.1: New standard

HDMI 2.1 has a data transfer speed of 48Gbps and is the first HDMI standard to support 8K video at high frame speed. The large increase in data bandwidth allows more features, such as HDR support (higher dynamic range) and completely uncompressed videos.

Although the HDMI 2.1 standard was announced in 2017, it was not until later that new devices began to integrate this technology. Most new console games, such as PS5 and Xbox Series X, and almost every PC has a new GPU (any product after NVIDIA RTX 30-Series or AMD 6000-Series) support HDMI 2.1. Moreover, HDMI 2.1 cards have just started to produce, so streamers can use their HDMI 2.1 devices while playing games and streaming.

The highest video specifications for HDMI 2.1 standard include 8K60 and 4K144. Video signals may have higher specifications with HDMI 2.1 thanks to large data bandwidth, but they are currently not popular. Moreover, many devices that use HDMI 2.1 have a high price for most people, such as 8K TVs or 4K144 gaming screen.

In addition to the raw resolution and frame speed, HDMI 2.1 also supports dynamic HDR (high dynamic range), providing color depth even more than the standard HDR, changing Refresh speed (VRR) and lots of information The difference you can find out on the HDMI website.

To summarize, the following are the main specifications of each HDMI standard:

HDMI 2.1 technology has been existed for many years, but many devices use this standard, such as 8K TV, still too necessary and too expensive for most people. If you are satisfied with HDMI 2.0 at 4K60, maybe you should wait for the price to drop when HDMI 2.1 becomes more popular.