HDMI 2.0 is dead and is now also called HDMI 2.1

The HDMI licensor plans to stop using the HDMI 2.0 designation. Older monitors, TVs and display devices with FullHD resolution without new functions are also to be advertised with HDMI 2.1. The confusion among end customers is likely to be huge.

The end of HDMI 2.0?

Various specifications are grouped together under the name HDMI 2.1. HDMI 2.1 in one device can mean something completely different than in another. For example, it is important to consider the transfer rate (18 to 48 Gbit/s) for 4K UHD content at 144 Hz, for example, or optional features such as Variable Refresh Rates (HDMI VRR) and Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM).

Previously, displays were labeled with the HDMI 2.1 standard as soon as at least one of these features was offered. HDMI 2.1 is necessary, for example, to achieve 4K resolution at 120 Hz on current consoles like PS5 and Xbox Series X.

In China, however, a gaming monitor from Xiaomi is now being advertised as having HDMI 2.1, even though it actually only handles HDMI 2.0 and offers none of the new features. A hint that it is actually only the old standard is only found in the footnotes.

HDMI 2.0 to be wiped out

The TFTCentral website then followed up with the licensor, HDMI Licensing Administrator, Inc, asking for more details. The response was unequivocal:

• HDMI 2.0 would no longer exist. Devices should no longer reference the old standard, as it is no longer a reference.
• The features of HDMI 2.0 are now part of theb features of HDMI 2.1.
• All new features of the 2.1 specification, such as FRL, VRR and ALLM, are purely optional for labeling.
• When specifying the support of a device, it should be indicated which HDMI 2.1 features are actually offered. To prevent confusion.

It’s not as if simply sticking to HDMI 2.0 and 2.1 side by side is far less confusing. So the sole statement that a device can handle HDMI 2.1 no longer has any meaning.

Possibly, this is to avoid the chaos that currently prevails with the USB designations. USB 3.0 with a transfer rate of 5 Gbit/s was first renamed to USB 3.1 Gen 1 and later to USB 3.2 Gen 1. At the same time, however, the new name can also mean transfer rates of 5, 10, or 20 Gbit/s. In the future, it will therefore be necessary to study the specifications of a device even more closely.