Most computer, TV, and home theater setups are going to involve HDMI somewhere along the line: The High-Definition Multimedia Interface format is now fairly ubiquitous on everything from laptops to cable boxes, and so when a new version of the standard turns up, it’s worth paying attention to.

Almost eight years after the release of HDMI 2.1, and nearly 12 years after HDMI 2.0 was pushed out into the world, HDMI 2.2 is finalized and ready to go. You’ll now start seeing mentions of it in product listings and tech guides, and we’ll explain here what’s different and what isn’t about the new standard.

2x the data

The headline upgrade here is the jump from 48 gigabits per second to 96 gigabits per second for the maximum possible transmission bit rate. In simple terms that’s the sheer volume of 1s and 0s that can travel through a cable.

These higher speeds translate into better quality pictures and sounds: Resolutions can increase for more detail, and frame rates can bump up for smoother motion. It also offers better color depth, access to more audio formats, and less overall compression. The content providers have tons of options for how they want to take advantage of all that bandwidth.

Other minor improvements are being rolled out with HDMI 2.2, including what’s called a Latency Indication Protocol or LIP. This should help improve audio and video synchronization even further, especially where multiple different devices are involved in serving up content. That means less chance of an annoying delay between your screen and your soundbar. 

HDMI 2.2 can handle 12K pictures at 120 Hz refresh rates, and 16K pictures at 60 Hz refresh rates (you’ll see there’s a trade-off—boosting one metric means less capacity for the other). Of course, TV manufacturers and content creators are only dabbling in 8K for the moment, but that leaves lots of headroom for progression down the line.

What do you need to do?

If you’ve ever paid attention to a previous HDMI standard launch, you won’t be surprised to learn that there’s no exact timetable for the HDMI 2.2 technology to actually make its way into our electronic gadgets. For manufacturers, there’s no urgent need to get the standard implemented right now.

That means it might be a while before you start seeing products with HDMI 2.2 on the box (or on the online listing). The HDMI Forum that handles the tech standard is also launching an Ultra96 cable (referencing that 96 Gbit/s figure), so you know when you’re buying something that’s going to support the extra bandwidth. Right now, it’s pure overkill.

As usual, the standard will need to be supported by whatever’s providing the content (like a games console or a streaming service), by whatever’s showing the content (so your TV, monitor, or projector), and by the connecting cable—so even for early adopters, it could be a good few years before everything is upgraded to HDMI 2.2.

There’s no harm in upgrading your setup step by step though: Any time a HDMI 2.2 device encounters a device using an older standard, it will simply dial down its settings to match. An Ultra96 cable is still going to work with your existing HDMI 2.1 and cable box, for example. You likely won’t notice any difference now, but you could down the road.

To begin with, you might find HDMI 2.2 equipment is significantly more expensive than the hardware it’s replacing, but technology prices will always come down over time. Just bear in mind the extra quality you’re getting with HDMI 2.2, as long as its supported by every link in the chain of your device setup.

 

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