The forthcoming HDMI 2.2 standard will bring more bandwidth, a new way to get a handle on lip-sync errors and a new, backward-compatible cable, the HDMI Forum said at CES 2025.
The good news is that most people likely won't even need to worry about HDMI 2.2 since the increased bandwidth won't be used by any mainstream TV, also. The lip-sync adjustments are potentially useful, but they might not be necessary for your system: the new higher-bandwidth cables won't be required in most situations.
Here's what you need to know.
More bandwidth
Bandwidth is how much data can pass between two devices. Essentially the size of the pipe to carry all the water (data). HDMI 2.2 doubles the size of the pipe, going from HDMI 2.1's 48 gigabits per second to 96 Gbps. This allows even higher resolutions and framerates. Resolutions and framerates that your TV can't do anything about. Even if your TV can accept and play back a 4K120 signal, or even an 8K TV with some mythical 8K60 source, HDMI 2.1 can carry that amount of data with no problem. That spec can handle up to 10K resolution, and no TV can display that.
A visual representation of how much more bandwidth HDMI 2.2's 96 Gbps gives compared to earlier versions.
HDMI 2.2's extra bandwidth is for virtual reality headsets, commercial usage like large-scale digital signage and even light field displays. So yeah, your TV doesn't need this bandwidth, especially considering we don't even have 8K sources other than computers.
More LIP
Of more interest to the mainstream consumer is the way this cable will help combat lip-sync errors. Latency Indication Protocol, a rather cheeky name given that its acronym is LIP, intends to further minimize discrepancies between something happening on screen and when you hear it. Usually, this is most noticeable when people are speaking and their words don't match with their mouths.
This is an evolution of a feature we first saw way back in the olden days of HDMI 1.3. LIP, according to the HDMI Forum, improves timing synchronization for "multiple-hop system configurations such as those with an audio video receiver or soundbar." We'll have to see how that's implemented when products with HDMI 2.2 eventually ship.
New cables
The Ultra96 cable certification.
To handle the increased bandwidth, HDMI 2.2 requires new cables. Although colloquially these will almost certainly get called "HDMI 2.2 cables" their actual name is Ultra96. Mercifully, the connector is the same, so you won't need to replace all your cables if you get a device with HDMI 2.2.
For most people, it's going to be a long time before they need Ultra96 cables. Most people don't need the 48 Gbps provided by HDMI 2.1, so 96 Gbps is like buying a Ferrari to drive in traffic. By the time anyone actually needs 96 Gbps the cables will be around the same price as any other cable (and we'll likely be on to HDMI version 4.0 Quattromegaultraspeed at that point).
HDMI Forum implies that to get some of the other features of HDMI 2.2 you might need these new cables. Even if that's the case, most people won't need these new features so don't worry about replacing all your cables right now and certainly not anytime soon if you don't buy any new gear.
The new Ultra96 cables will also be a part of the HDMI Cable Certification Program which requires each length of a cable offered by a company to be tested to carry the certification badge. This badge isn't required for a cable to work, but it is an added assurance that the cable will work, usually with a small bump in price.
When will it rollout?
HDMI 2.2 has an expected rollout of sometime in the first half of the year. It will take some time for it to make its way into a wide number of products. So you might see some products in 2025 but a wider variety next year.
The cables are the easy part, so you'll likely see those far sooner. Just remember, you almost certainly don't need them, even if you want to "future proof" your system.
Also, as it bears repeating, HDMI 2.2 gear will be backward compatible with gear that has an earlier version of HDMI. The newest features of 2.2 might not be supported, but a hypothetical PlayStation 6 with HDMI 2.2 will connect just fine to a 4K TV with HDMI 2.1 and likely most earlier versions of HDMI as well.
As well as covering audio and display tech, Geoff does photo tours of cool museums and locations around the world, including nuclear submarines, aircraft carriers, medieval castles, epic 10,000-mile road trips and more.
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