Right now, the most popular standard for PC and TV video interfaces is HDMI 2.1, but we can soon expect a switch over to HDMI 2.2 — and that switch is apparently coming sooner than expected.
The new HDMI 2.2 standard is set to be unveiled at CES 2025, the Consumer Electronics Show convention that’s taking place between January 7 to 10, 2025.
According to Marketwatch, HDMI 2.2 will be officially introduced on January 6th via a presentation held by Chandlee Harrell (president of the HDMI Forum), Rob Tobias (CEO and president of HDMI LA), and Brad Bramy (VP of operations and marketing of HDMI LA).
What will HDMI 2.2 bring?
As of yet, there aren’t many concrete details about HDMI 2.2, its specifications, or its performance. The announcement merely states that the new specification is intended to deliver “higher bandwidth” and “a wide range of higher resolutions and refresh rates,” which will be “supported with a new HDMI Cable.”
For comparison: HDMI 2.1 transmits data at up to 48Gbps, allowing for refresh rates of up to 120Hz at 4K resolution. Its main competition comes in the form of DisplayPort 2.1, which can reach 80Gbps. That’s the benchmark that HDMI 2.2 will need to surpass if it’s going to turn heads and re-affirm its status as king of the video inputs.
That said, the advent of HDMI 2.2 is certainly going to muddy the waters when it comes to buying HDMI-capable devices and HDMI cables, so it’ll be ever more important to cut through HDMI’s confusing marketing.
Too late for RTX 5000 and RX 8000
The switch to HDMI 2.2 isn’t just important for end users like you and me, but also for manufacturers of graphics cards and other hardware. Nvidia is planning to introduce the new RTX 5000 series soon, and AMD also wants to show off with their Radeon RX 8000 series.
Both manufacturers are expected to announce (or even release) their new GPUs at CES 2025. Whether HDMI 2.2 is already on board is questionable, however, as time seems to be running out.
