HDMI 2.2 officially revealed

Higher bandwidth, resolutions and frame rates supported… but what about any useful new features?

HDMI 2.2 has been announced at long last, eight long years after HDMI 2.1 was. It’s fair to say that, features-wise, it was not exactly worth the wait… but hey. HDMI 2.3 might still take the industry by storm in 2033. (Image: Srattha Nualsate, Pexels)

Just like pretty much everyone expected it would since the end of December, the HDMI Forum has finally revealed the specifications of HDMI 2.2, the next version of the most widely-used type of wired connection for video and audio devices. The press release (PDF) shared during CES 2025 is light on technical details — so journalists interested into those will probably have to wait for the HDMI Licensing Administrator to publish a new page for that, like it did for HDMI 2.1 — but, in the meantime, here’s the gist: HDMI 2.2 looks great, it seems to be offering more of… well, everything, just not new functionality. Which is disappointing to say the least.

It’s true. HDMI 2.2 doubles the audiovisual data bandwidth of HDMI 2.1 — from 48 Gbps to 96 Gbps, which is impressive and actually more than what DisplayPort 2.1, the closest equivalent in the world of PCs, offers — but, as of right now, there’s just one new feature consumers can look forward to: LIP (Latency Indication Protocol). This will strive “to improve audio and video synchronization, especially for multiple-hop system configurations such as those with an audio video receiver or soundbar”. While it’s a welcome addition, it’s hardly exciting when compared to VRR, eARC, QMS, SBTM and ALLM, which were introduced by HDMI 2.1 and proved to be of great help to millions of consumers over the last 5–6 years.

HDMI 2.2 offers twice the audiovisual data bandwidth of HDMI 2.1, which will come in handy in the future… but not for the next 12–18 months at the earliest, as there are currently no devices or applications to take full advantage of it. (Image: HDMI Licensing Administrator)

In any case, HDMI 2.2 is more capable than HDMI 2.1 when it comes to supporting higher resolutions at higher frame rates, without relying on Digital Signal Compression (DSC) this time around. Common resolutions like 4K or 5K are offered at full chroma (no color compression) at up to 480 Hz and 240 Hz respectively, while higher resolutions like 8K, 10K or 12K can reach up to 120 Hz at full display fidelity too. There’s even support for 16K at 60 Hz although, the way things are going with 8K, by the time consumers show any interest in that we’ll all be leaving our bodies behind to be used as batteries by machines and jacking into The Matrix. Or…