HDMI Forum, Inc. today announced the upcoming release of Version 2.1 of the HDMI Specification. This latest HDMI Specification supports a range of Higher Video Resolutions and refresh rates including 8K60 and 4K120, Dynamic HDR, and increased bandwidth with a new 48G cable.

• Higher Video Resolutions support a range of higher resolutions and faster refresh rates including 8K60Hz and 4K120Hz for immersive viewing and smooth fast-action detail.
• Dynamic HDR ensures every moment of a video is displayed at its ideal values for depth, detail, brightness, contrast, and wider color gamuts—on a scene-by-scene or even a frame-by-frame basis.
• 48G cables enable up to 48Gbps bandwidth for uncompressed HDMI 2.1 feature support including 8K video with HDR. The cable is backwards compatible with earlier versions of the HDMI Specification and can be used with existing HDMI devices.
• eARC supports the most advanced audio formats such as object-based audio, and enables advanced audio signal control capabilities including device auto-detect.
• Game Mode VRR features variable refresh rate, which enables a 3D graphics processor to display the image at the moment it is rendered for more fluid and better detailed gameplay, and for reducing or eliminating lag, stutter, and frame tearing.

The new specification will be available to all HDMI 2.0 Adopters and they will be notified when it is released early in Q2 2017.

Full specs http://www.hdmi.org/manufacturer/hdmi_2_1/index.aspx
http://www.hdmi.org/press/press_release.aspx?prid=145


Game Mode VRR will be a very interesting feature for the next generation of consoles. No more screen tearing, judder or harsh 60 to 30, 30 to 20 drops. Ofcourse it might also invite developers to worry less about consistent frame rates... But on the otherhand, it also makes it possible to do some very interesting things with slow motion or speeding up the action by deliberately manipulating the frame rate.

eARC (audio return channel) will make it possible to get Dolby Atmos from the tv to the amplifier while streaming movies or tv shows. Or simply to not have to worry about lag added by an amplifier by connecting the console to the tv first and getting the audio from the tv to the amp. (It's possible now, yet limited to compressed audio and most tvs just support stereo through ARC, which could ofcourse stay that way)

Current HDMI 2.0a cables are rated upto 18 Gbps, 48 Gbps will only be needed for greater than 4k60 video. (which is 11 Gbps)


However all this will most likely not appear in TVs this year. Plus I doubt Game mode VRR can be patched in through a firmware update. This confirms my suspicions HDR wasn't ready yet. Stuck in 2.0a update for now, full HDR or now dynamic HDR (dynamic high dynamic range ugh) is coming with hdmi 2.1. Will that need new amplifiers again, new tvs. Is this the reason Sony didn't bother with 2.0a support for the PSVR unit...

I wanted to jump into 4K with the Scorpio. Now I'm not sure again bah. Should I keep waiting until hdmi 2.1 tvs show up, or just forget about getting a tv to last 10 years and get a decent HDR set in the fall, upgrade again next gen if VRR gets supported.

Game Mode VRR = Thank god finally!

Took long enough but glad its finally here

Game Mode VRR is essentially G-Sync right?

awesome, if VRR support is a requirement for HDMI 2.1 then consoles games finally won't be bound to 30 or 60 fps anymore and devs can experiment with other baselines

hopefully that means most games next gen will target 40+fps

you're going to get 4k and 30 fps with dips and you are going to love it.

Thats why I just picked up a new (and way bigger than my old) 1080p TV at a fire sale price. I'm not going to upgrade to PS4 Pro and I am fine with 1080p for now. Early adopters always get burned. I am going to wait for HDMI 2.1 full dynamic HDR/VRR capable TV's to hit stores before jumping in.

Sounds like a freesync/g-sync alternative.

They had the option to go for 24 fps mode for a decade already :p
It will help with judder, but sure dips will still happen.

But, no more need for double and tripple buffering, means more responsive gameplay.
No more ugly screen tearing.
More room to play with dynamic resolution vs dynamic frame rate.

The question is, are devs going to take advantage of this. They will still need to support every tv before hdmi 2.1 but it does seem like it could be easily implemented. There's no extra work, actually less. There could be side effects though. Consoles don't sit still while waiting for the next v-sync. Rendering at full tilt could leave less cpu time for streaming objects from the hdd.

So still no 4k144. They better scrap it then and try again.