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- cross-posted to:
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The HDMI Forum is using CES — the annual showcase of all things home theater — to announce the new HDMI 2.2 specification. In a press release this morning, the trade association confirmed that the new spec will up total bandwidth significantly to a new high of 96Gbps. And yes, that means the introduction of an “Ultra96” HDMI cable that “enables all the HDMI 2.2 specification features.”
“Higher resolutions and refresh rates will be supported and more high-quality options will be provided,” the HDMI Forum said in its release. An example of an HDMI 2.2 cable (below) calls out some of those, including 4K at up to 480Hz, 8K at up to 240Hz, and 10K at 120Hz. Current HDMI cables can already pass 4K at 120Hz, so I doubt most people will feel any temptation to upgrade for years to come. And you’ll need content for any of these higher resolutions to be worthwhile, and there’s still a dearth of native 8K entertainment out there.
But with many TVs now offering 4K at up to 144Hz, and as consumers gravitate towards larger screens, the HDMI Forum sees ample reason to keep pushing forward.
There is at least a more helpful aspect of this spec for everyone: HDMI 2.2 includes a “Latency Indication Protocol (LIP) for improving audio and video synchronization, especially for multiple-hop system configurations such as those with an audio video receiver or soundbar.” In my experience, HDMI 2.1 and eARC have mostly resolved frustrating audio / video sync issues, but they can still pop up as a frustration depending on your setup. Apparently HDMI 2.2 will go further in keeping everything lined up and keeping this headache in the past.
Interestingly, the HDMI Forum is already anticipating tariff issues and has implemented an extensive certification program that includes anti-counterfeit labeling on packaging. You certainly can’t miss the Ultra96 badging.
HDMI 2.2 will be released in the first half of this year and be widely available “to all HDMI 2.x adopters.” Your TV and external devices will need to support the specification in order to unlock that new level of bandwidth, so we’re just starting down what’s inevitably going to be a long road.
Instead, they’re trying to force everything to USB with DP Alt mode which has a ton of the same annoyances…but at least USB C is flippable I guess.
HDMI 2.1 cables have 19 wires and USB 3.2 has 13 or 14 (can’t remember) so they’re really finicky and fragile. Fiber has 1 or 2 and is VERY rugged in comparison…you can literally tie a knot in a fiber cable and it’ll still work.
Plus with fiber, if your AVR blows up, it can’t take the other equipment out with it since it’s electrically isolated.
Fiber is also cheap cheap cheap!
Fiber is thin and easy to route.
Fiber can ALSO be shortened, extended, etc. in the field.
The only downside is the cost of the splicing tools (and the cleanliness required)
And I guess SFP connectors are pretty gnarly. But if it was aimed at consumers, they could slap a nice rubberized coat on it…
Man, I love fiber.
Fiber needs like an 8” minimum bend radius… I think that’s for just a single strand.
It definitely depends on the application but my instructor showed it to us in training and I replicated it for a tech who wasn’t there later
There’s also two minimums, one for how much it can bend before the fiber breaks and one (much larger) radius for peak operation. A knot causes optical loss but it still works
Yeah man you can fuck up fiber all kinds of ways and it still works great. Short of intentionally stomping the patch it’s fine.
They have cables with harder jackets for racks that I’m sure is what most people are thinking of with the bend radius but yeah…bulk fiber is incredible. The big caveat is temperature… don’t pull fiber when it’s freezing out.
Good to know, but I’m lucky in that I only do indoor work. Don’t get paid nearly as much but I’m kind of ok with that.
What about leaving fiber in a vehicle when it’s freezing out? Should that not be done?
If it’s stationary, the temperature doesn’t matter. Well…it probably does at SOME temperature but the issue I’m referring to is flexing the cable when it’s brittle.
I moved to the pre-install engineering side of things so I don’t have to run it anymore but it was a dream to work with over CAT6A
Emm, not with glass fibers. My friend uses it between router and switch, and the one of the fiber breaks. So, traffic can be sent to router but nothing the other way around. He said he didn’t even touch or put significant stress on the cable. Yet, it breaks in a weird way, and hard to troubleshot without proper equipment.
This can happen but it’s rare. I’ve seen fiber tied in tight knots still work.