The HDMI 2.0 feature set will still be available, and that won’t be called 2.0 anymore. Out of those features, they are an optional subset of HDMI 2.1. Now, the device will have to explicitly specify which of these features they support. It’s certainly a bizarre move that doesn’t seem too large, because it doesn’t mean to confuse consumers even more.
Video & TV specs got much confusing.
So first it’s time to cut down the differences between HDMI 2.0 and 2.1 so we can understand how overwhelming this decision is. HDMI 2.0 gives more bandwidth than the current 1,4 generation of HDMI cables by reaching 16Gbps from 10.2 Gbps. This is a mascot for how much data can be processed. It’s far from HDMI 2.0, which has a transmission rate of 48 Gbps. This one-size-fits-all of the two generations of HDMI ports affects tremendously the capabilities and features found in these two generations of ports. This difference alone isn’t enough to truly separate them just yet. HDMI 2.1 is very different from the 2.0 model. For starters, it supports dynamic HDR instead of static HDR found in 2.0 ports. This makes the quality of the image clearer and more consistent, and is a very nice feature for those who use HDR. There are also other advantages that the tool supports like change in color, rapid media switch, and other things. The biggest feature, however, is the ability to produce an 8K resolution at 60 feet and an 8K resolution at 120 feet. In contrast, HDMI 2.0 can get a 8K resolution at 30 and 4K resolution at 60. These features are clearly very different and signal that these two different generations are separate generations of HDMI technology. It doesn’t really make sense to combine two or three times, because the mix is very difficult. It’s asking a lot of consumers to do this much work to figure out what they are buying exactly. HDMI 2.0 is still being used on many displays which are coming to the market right now. If a manufacturer suddenly begins to say that the monitors have HDMI 2.1, then the product won’t succeed.
