HDMI 2.2 Specification Released
The HDMI Forum has officially released the new version of its interface technology, version 2.2, which it previewed at CES.
The main change is a boost to the maximum bitrate of signals up to 96Gbps which enables support for
- 8K at up to 240fps with support for 4:4:4 12 bit RGB signals (with DSC enabled)
- 8K at up to 60fps with a new Ultra96 HDMI Cable with 4:4:4 support and no DSC
The full table is below but at the extremes, support of up to 12K at 120fps and 16K at 60fps is possible.
The new certified cable is expected to be available in Q3 or Q4 2025 and consumers will be able to check certification using QR codes on the cables. Existing Ultra High Speed HDMI cables will be able to support up to 48Gbps through HDMI 2.2.
HDMI is allowing ports that can meet the 96Gbps to be marked with the ULTRA96 label. However, according to the presentation from HDMI, the labelling can mean support of 64Gbps, 80Gbps or 96Gbps. So, consumers will have to continue to check the detailed specifications of devices to see the level of high bitrate support. It has been the policy of HDMI for some years to allow makers to choose which features of each version of HDMI that they wish to adopt.
New Help to Minimize Latency Issues
As well as the boost in the throughput of the interface, there is a new Latency Indication Protocol (LIP) which helps with issues of sync between different sources of content including lip syncing. The system means that each device in the chain can communicate its level of latency, allowing a source device to compensate for the latency of the full system. The LIP protocol can offer ‘live’ switching, for example when moving between movie display and gaming.
Existing features such as
- Dynamic HDR support
- Source-Based Tone Mapping (SBTM)
- Enhanced Audio Return Channel (eARC)
- Enhanced Gaming Features including
- Variable Refresh Rate (VRR)
- Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM)
- Quick Frame Transport (QFT)
- Quick Media Switching (QMS)
- HDMI Cable Power
continue to be supported in Version 2.2
Unusually, HDMI has gone past DisplayPort to set its maximum bit rate. DisplayPort 2.1 supports a maximum bitrate of 80 Gbps. It is bound to take some time for chipsets to be available and for these to be integrated into new devices.
In practical terms, the development of V2.2 by HDMI is preparation for the future as products able to fully exploit the features will take some time to get to market. The 8K Association demonstrated, for example, 8K 120fps game play at the NAB Expo in April 2025 using HDMI 2.1b with DSC and that level of display is yet to come to market.
Will the eARC be upgraded to more than 37 Mbps?
Will the eARC be upgraded to a higher resolution than 24 Bit/192 kHz?
What about an eARC upgraded to
32 Bit/384 kHz?
What about an eARC upgraded to
64 Bit/1.536 kHz?
When is 16 Bit Color Depth
Smart TVs/Monitors coming
on the market?
16 Bit Color Depth will have
281 trillion colors (RGB).