It all started with the release of Xiaomi’s 24.5 ″ 240Hz monitor, which describes the HDMI 2.1 standard, but when you read the detailed parameters you will find that they correspond to classic HDMI 2.0 (ie even a combination of 4k images at 60 Hz in full color resolution, with HDR and HDCP protection). However, the TFTCentral editorial staff, after contacting the HDMI.org / HDMI Licensing Administrator, found that it was not that Xiaomi was selling a fake HDMI 2.1 monitor, but rather that it only respected what HDMI.org had come up with:
- HDMI 2.0 no longer exists, the device should not indicate compatibility with version 2.0, which is no longer referenced
- The new HDMI 2.0 is now a sub-set of version 2.1
- All new HDMI 2.1 options and functions are optional (FRL, higher bit rates, VRR, ALLM and all others)
- If the product supports HDMI 2.1, a list of supported features must be listed to avoid confusion
These are (to avoid confusion) the translated words HDMI.org. In short, virtually any excavation today can bear the “HDMI 2.1” logo, as long as it has the parameters corresponding to HDMI 2.0 somewhere in the manual or description in small print. Recall that the original HDMI 2.0 (without additional letters such as HDMI 2.0b) may not have supported the HDR functions for video playback, so the new HDMI 2.1 display may not even display full Blu-ray 4K video.
The situation is quite similar to USB 3.0, USB 3.1 Gen 1, USB 3.1 Gen 2, USB 3.2 Gen 1, USB 3.2 Gen 2, USB 3.2 Gen 2 × 2, USB4 and the like. The only difference is that if you learn the meaning of illogical and unsystematic abbreviations of the USB standard, you can still find your way around. This is not possible in the case of HDMI 2.1, you will learn basically nothing about the marking, everything needs to be found in the description.
The user thus has no choice but to read (in addition to the basic specifications) a detailed description before buying the selected model, from which he will find out whether the monitor with HDMI 2.1 logo purchased in 2022 really handles more than just the requirements defined in 2013 by HDMI 2.0
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