What is HDMI 2.2? Should I upgrade?

The next version of HDMI, version 2.2, is officially here after the HDMI Forum announced the new standard at CES 2025. HDMI 2.2 promises a lot of exciting features for home entertainment, and many people are looking forward to upgrading to the new version.

What is HDMI 2.2?

HDMI 2.2 is the latest version of the High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) standard. If you're not familiar with HDMI, it's a digital interface for transmitting audio and video signals between devices. HDMI 2.2 is the successor to HDMI 2.1, which was announced in January 2017. (Here's a comparison of HDMI 2.1, 2.0, and 1.4 for your reference.)

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As such, HDMI 2.2 unlocks new capabilities, including support for 12K (12,288 x 6,480) and 16K (15,360 x 8,640) resolutions and higher refresh rates for resolutions currently supported by HDMI 2.1. This makes the new standard a key element in the next generation of high-resolution displays, games, and multimedia setups.

The increased bandwidth will also help power data-intensive applications like augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality. The standard uses special Ultra96 cables to take advantage of the extra features, a new option for different HDMI cables that you should know about.

Why upgrade to HDMI 2.2?

By doubling the bandwidth from 48Gbps to 96Gbps, HDMI 2.2 unlocks higher display resolutions and refresh rates. With the additional bandwidth, the standard can now support 12K and 16K display resolutions. To put that in perspective, HDMI 2.1 could only support resolutions up to 10K.

Of course, these higher resolutions are aimed at commercial use cases (like digital signage). The interesting upgrade for regular consumers is the new specification, which improves the maximum refresh rate across different resolutions. It supports 4K at 480Hz, 8K at 240Hz, and 10K at 120Hz. HDMI 2.1 is important for gaming, so for gamers, the next version means an even better experience on both PC and console.

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Another notable upgrade with the move to HDMI 2.2 is the new Latency Indication Protocol (LIP), which, according to the HDMI Forum, should improve audio and video syncing, especially when using an audio receiver or soundbar. So if you're still having sync issues despite eArc launching with HDMI 2.1, hopefully the next version will fix it.

One downside to HDMI 2.2, however, is that it requires new cables. HDMI 2.2 will use the same connector, but will require new Ultra96 HDMI cables to support the higher 96Gbps bandwidth. That means when you upgrade, it's not just the equipment; the cable will need to change, too.

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HDMI 2.2 is officially here, but like its predecessor, it will take some time before it becomes widely available across devices. All the different players will need to catch up for this to happen. It's worth the wait though, and many people are eager to upgrade as manufacturers start adding HDMI 2.2 support to their various hardware.

Isabella Humphrey

Update 13 January 2025