It's worth noting, however, that Samsung's 8K Q900S QLED TV, which came out last year, will get an option to upgrade to HDMI 2.1 sometime this year, according to Samsung. What that upgrade will entail has not been announced. There are a number of HDMI 2.1 graphics cards available now, too, for those who do their gaming on PC rather than console. Keep in mind there's no such thing as HDMI cable "versions." As in, there's no such thing as an "HDMI 2.0" cable. The version numbers refer to the physical connections in your TV, receiver or sound bar. So your TV and 4K Blu-ray player need to both have HDMI 2.0 to watch HDR content, but the cable connecting them couldn't care less. It's just a dumb pipe. If you need an extra cable, or perhaps one that's longer or shorter than the one provided, you'll want to make sure it's fully HDMI 2.1 compliant. Being confident of that just got a fair bit easier, as the HDMI Forum, the organisation responsible for the HDMI spec, recently launched a certification program for HDMI 2.1 cables. Certified or tested cables have been tested to make sure they work reliably, and that they’ll support the resolutions and gaming/AV features that they should based on their category. Otherwise, there are a few cables with different swivelling or 90-degree connectors that might make it easier to use them with a screen that’s in a constrained space or mounted on a wall.

Taking advantage of this new technology requires faster cables that can handle speeds of up to 48Gbps. If you want to upgrade, HDMI 2.1 cables are required. These cables will still work with all your old devices as well. Whether you're looking for a short but durable cable or a bundle of multiple, there are options for everyone on this list. Nowadays, though, our old buddy can do much more than that, especially once you factor in the HDMI 2.1 specification. This latest HDMI spec has been bandied around for a couple of years now (hit the link for our earlier primer on it), but the latest consumer electronics are only now starting to support the new standard. And 2.1 brings with it some exciting "today" improvements—plus some future-looking potential—over existing HDMI specifications. Intriguingly, it may be possible for device vendors to make HDMI 2.1 features available on HDMI 2.0 devices via firmware upgrades. This, however, is by no means a guarantee, and no firmware upgrade will give you all HDMI 2.1 features. LG's OLEDs have supported HDMI 2.1 since 2019 (Image credit: Future / Jurassic World Evolution 2, Frontier)While the design and construction of the cable might not make any difference to your image or sound quality (as long as it works properly), it will make it more robust and reliable, or affect how easy it is to connect your screen and source devices. At first blush, HDMI 2.1 doesn't look all that different; in fact, some HDMI 2.0 TV and displays can masquerade as HDMI 2.1 devices. But when you consider its huge boost in bandwidth, support for up to 10K content and benefits for gamers — not to mention a new enhanced audio return channel — the standard should deliver a much more appealing experience.

That concludes our rundown of HDMI 2.1. As you can see, the new standard opens up a wealth of new possibilities. And with 2.1a already on the way, there’s never been a better time to opt for a 2.1-capable TV or receiver.HDMI Cable Power will be available for all categories of HDMI cable, but for ARC/eARC support, you'll want to look out for cables labelled as Ultra High-Speed HDMI Cable, Premium High-Speed HDMI Cable with Ethernet, High-Speed HDMI Cable with Ethernet or Standard HDMI Cable with Ethernet. What HDMI 2.1 sources are available now? In general, however, if you want the best results from your shiny new next-gen console, you'll want to have a TV which also supports the HDMI 2.1 connection so you can enjoy 4K gaming at a silky smooth 60 or 120fps. In the past, our advice was, “Go ahead and buy that TV with confidence.” HDMI 2.1 was still too far away. But if you’re intent on buying a flagship TV, we urge you to consider going with one that has HDMI 2.1 inputs. You’ll find a handful of great options from the likes of Samsung (the QN90A), LG (the C1 OLED), Vizio (the V-Series), and even Hisense (the U7G), all at fairly competitive prices. You can think of bandwidth like a pipe. You need to be able to get a lot of "water" through the pipe with 4K and HDR content. A high speed cable needs to be "big" enough to handle it all.

The result is a delayed output of a video signal relative to an audio signal, and the result of that mismatch is sound that (oh-so-frustratingly) doesn’t match the timing of your picture. HDMI 2.1 will make it possible for TVs to talk in real time to A/V receivers, soundbars, Blu-ray players, game consoles, and other source devices to ensure your video and audio are in perfect sync all the time. Do monitors have HDMI 2.1 too? The high-dynamic range is already the best improvement to TV picture quality since 1080p HD, but it can be even better. If you’re at all familiar with Dolby’s version of HDR, Dolby Vision, then you likely know the reason some reviewers consider it superior to other formats — it is a “dynamic HDR” medium. In other words, Dolby Vision makes changes to the settings of an image as the image itself changes. The result is a more accurate, vibrant, and … well … dynamic picture. Inputs with HDMI 2.1 features, like the one on this Samsung TV, primarily cater to gamers right now. Sarah Tew/CNET The really short version If you played it on the same TV, using a current-gen PS4 or Pro, you won't hit 60fps because the console simply isn't powerful enough to do so. In this case, the HDMI port and cable won't matter. Whereas active HDMI cables require a separate power supply fed from an external source, HDMI Cable Power cables can draw up to 300 mA from the 5V supply of a source directly from the HDMI connector, allowing for less convoluted cable runs in home cinema systems.Put simply, different HDMI cables can transmit different values. These values are the video and audio quality which are transferred from the HDMI cable to the screen. Its braided cable is a cut above the typical heat shrink tubing you'll find on more affordable options, mainly because it stands up to significantly more wear and tear. You won't have to worry about frayed wires or a cord that gives up on you at the drop of a hat, and reliability is a price worth paying for.