What is HDMI 2.2? Here's everything you need to know.

      Officially introduced at CES 2025, HDMI 2.2 is the upcoming HDMI standard that aims to double the available bandwidth, enhancing support for higher resolutions and refresh rates, and will necessitate a new cable to utilize these advancements. It will also introduce advanced functionalities to improve audio and video synchronization across devices.

      However, the new cable is set to debut later this year, and currently, there are no TVs available that support the new standard. Here’s everything you need to know about HDMI 2.2.

      What capabilities does HDMI 2.2 offer?

      The most notable capability of HDMI 2.2 is that it allows for up to double the bandwidth compared to existing Ultra High Speed HDMI cables using the HDMI 2.1 protocol. HDMI 2.2 is rated for up to 96 Gbps, enabling native support for 16K resolution without compression, or 4K at 240Hz without compression. With Display Stream Compression (DSC), it should support displays up to 4K at 480Hz or over 120Hz for 8K.

      While there are no consumer TVs or displays available that can utilize such high resolutions and refresh rates at present, the protocol may find applications in future augmented and virtual reality headsets. Additionally, HDMI 2.2 will incorporate Latency Indication Protocol (LIP), which will help ensure audio remains synchronized with video, particularly in setups that include external audio/video systems.

      To accommodate the new resolutions and refresh rates, a new HDMI 2.2 certified Ultra96 cable is required. While these new cables will be backward compatible with all previous HDMI versions, they will only operate at the maximum speed supported by the weakest link in the connection. Therefore, if an HDMI 2.2 cable is connected to a port limited to HDMI 2.0 speeds, it will not utilize the cable’s full bandwidth.

      HDMI 2.2 compared to HDMI 2.1

      HDMI 2.1 marked a significant advancement for the HDMI standard when it was ratified in 2017, but it wasn't until 2020 and 2021 that we began to see real products utilizing its features. It nearly tripled the bandwidth of HDMI 2.0, finally enabling true support for 4K at 120Hz, which was crucial for the latest generation of gaming consoles.

      HDMI 2.1 also introduced a variety of new features, including:

      - Support for Dynamic HDR

      - Display Stream Compression 1.2

      - Enhanced Audio Return Channel (eARC)

      - Variable Refresh Rates

      - Quick Media Switching

      - Quick Frame Transport

      - Auto Low Latency Mode

      HDMI 2.2 is less feature-rich, merely introducing the new LIP protocol, but it still has its advantages. Like HDMI 2.1, HDMI 2.2 boasts a significant bandwidth increase, making it the largest uplift in terms of gigabits per second in the standard's history. By raising the bandwidth from 48 Gbps in HDMI 2.1 to 96 Gbps in HDMI 2.2, it becomes the most capable standard for video and audio transmission, surpassing even DisplayPort 2.1 and USB4, both of which max out at 80 Gbps.

      However, it remains less powerful than GPMI, the new standard emerging from China.

      When will HDMI 2.2 be available?

      HDMI 2.2 was officially announced in January 2025 and is expected to launch in the first half of the year. The HDMI Forum, which oversees its ongoing development, has indicated that the new Ultra96 cables will be available by year’s end, but devices supporting HDMI 2.2 may not arrive until sometime in 2026.

      This is a hopeful outlook. HDMI 2.1 was ratified and launched in 2017, but real displays utilizing its full potential didn’t appear until 2020/2021. It’s possible that HDMI 2.2 could take even longer to become widely adopted.

      Currently, there is not a high demand for advanced cable standards in home entertainment. While PC gaming might benefit from high-bandwidth cables to facilitate high-resolution and refresh rate gaming, most high-end PCs do not consistently achieve 200+ FPS at 4K resolution—especially as they support DisplayPort 2.1. In fact, many gamers still use lower resolutions, while current gaming consoles standardize on 4K at 120Hz. Without new iterations of the Xbox or PlayStation to drive demand for higher TV refresh rates, the need for greater support appears limited.

      HDMI 2.1 cables might carry labels like UHD or 8K, but they visually resemble any standard HDMI cables.

      There are 8K TVs that could theoretically support refresh rates of 120Hz or more, but as current gaming consoles and TVs cannot utilize such capabilities, the additional bandwidth is of little benefit