Katarzyna Petru
Following the announcement at CES 2025, the HDMI 2.2 specification has been officially published. This means that consumer electronics manufacturers can begin planning and implementing the new standard.
HDMI 2.2 doubles the bandwidth of HDMI 2.1—from 48 to 96 Gb/s—allowing support for higher resolutions and refresh rates in televisions, media players, gaming consoles, VR sets, and more.
Compatibility and new Ultra96 cables
HDMI 2.2 is fully backward compatible, but the increased bandwidth requires a new "Ultra96" cable, which was also announced at CES 2025. The official specification launch is scheduled as planned – in the first half of 2025. The first certified Ultra96 cables are expected to hit the market in the second half of 2025. Cables supporting HDMI 2.1 (48 Gb/s) will still be labeled as “Ultra High Speed.”
"The HDMI Forum proudly announces the release of the HDMI 2.2 specification, which enables even higher performance and exciting, immersive solutions and products," said Chandlee Harrell, president of the HDMI Forum.
When will devices with HDMI 2.2 appear?
Full implementation will take some time – HDMI 2.1 took over two years – however, this time it may be faster because HDMI 2.2 is based on the same signaling system FRL (Fixed Rate Link).
HDMI 2.2 in televisions by 2027? Likely. In 2026? Possible. PlayStation 6 and the new Xbox? Good lead.
HDMI 2.2 also introduces a new audio-video synchronization protocol – Latency Indication Protocol (LIP), which improves the synchronization of sound and image. It still supports all the features of HDMI 2.1, such as VRR, QMS, ALLM, eARC, etc.
Notice to Consumers: HDMI 2.2 is not always 96 Gb/s
HDMI 2.2 officially replaces HDMI 2.1b. However – just like with HDMI 2.1 – manufacturers can label their devices as HDMI 2.2 even if they only support one of its features. Therefore, it's worth checking carefully what HDMI 2.2 features are actually available in a given device.
The label “Ultra96” may appear both on the cable and near the HDMI port. But beware – the label on the port does not guarantee support for full 96 Gb/s.
“Ultra96 is the name of a feature that manufacturers can use to indicate that the product supports a maximum of 64, 80, or 96 Gb/s bandwidth – according to HDMI 2.2” explained the HDMI Forum.
Support for 4K, 8K, 12K – and even 16K
HDMI 2.2 continues its flexible approach to video modes. Some combinations of resolutions and refresh rates will be standard for TVs and monitors, while others will remain exclusive to PCs.
The HDMI 2.2 specification includes, among others:
4K 240Hz and 8K 60Hz uncompressed
Support for DSC 1.2a compression, enabling, among others:
4K 480Hz
8K 240Hz
16K 60Hz
To benefit from modes with compression, both the player (or PC) and the TV/monitor must support HDMI 2.2 and DSC 1.2a. Support for DSC is optional – manufacturers are not required to implement it.
Although these formats sound futuristic, monitors supporting 4K 480Hz and 8K 120Hz may appear sooner than we think. Thanks to VRR, the GPU does not need to render the game at a full 480 frames to benefit from higher refresh rates.
The HDMI Forum noted that bandwidth requirements for gaming and VR/AR double every 2-3 years.
The new HDMI standard will compete with DisplayPort 2.1, which offers up to 80 Gb/s bandwidth.
Source: flatpanelshd
