- A new HDMI standard is coming to CES 2025
- More bandwidth and faster refresh rates are promised
- Backwards compatible with your existing hardware
With just a few weeks to go until CES 2025, the rumors are coming fast. And the biggest and fastest rumor this week is that we are being treated to brand new TV technology in the form of HDMI 2.2, the latest version of the trusted AV standard.
HDMI – High Definition Multimedia Interface – is one of the most important connectivity standards for audiovisual devices. Chances are you use this to connect your soundbar or AV receiver to your TV, and it’s also in your games consoles and other AV kits.
As always, new versions promise improved features. So what can we expect this time?
What HDMI 2.2 means for you
The current version of HDMI, HDMI 2.1b, was released in 2023. It was a major upgrade, with support for higher video resolutions up to 10K, faster 120Hz refresh rates, dynamic HDR, and up to 48 Gbps of data transfer bandwidth over suitable cabling.
HDMI 2.2 is expected to improve this in several key areas. According to an email from the HDMI Licensing Administrator as reported by the German publication ComputerBase“The new specification, with next-generation HDMI technology and higher bandwidth, will enable a variety of higher resolutions and refresh rates and will be supported with a new HDMI cable.”
There are no details yet on what that higher bandwidth will be, or what the increased resolutions and refresh rates will be. And it’s worth noting that the statement doesn’t specifically say HDMI 2.2, so name-wise this could turn out to be HDMI 2.1c. But HDMI 2.2 sounds more exciting and will sell more stuff, including a brand new kind of expensive cable, so the smart money is on that.
What does it mean to you? In the short term, nothing: HDMI 2.1 was launched in 2017, but it took several years before it became commonplace; the same is probably with HDMI 2.2. And the arrival of a newer version won’t change or make your existing home entertainment kit obsolete, as the standard is backwards compatible. But over time, we’ll see the newer standard make its way to graphics cards and high-end TVs, before trickling down to more affordable devices.