The TechLogix team been fielding a lot of questions about HDMI 2.1 and our plans to integrate the technology now that the specification has been released. To help, we assembled a simple whitepaper and elaborate in the below Q&A. 

What is HDMI 2.1?

HDMI 2.1 is the latest revision released by HDMI.org in January.

Should I care?

Yes, HDMI 2.1 is a major update to the current HDMI 2.0 spec. It will allow for many new features and a much higher performance threshold, including 8K video and 48G bandwidth.

Is 8K really relevant? Will my customers care?

Yes, unlike many previous resolutions and formats, 8K content actually already exists. Sports are currently filmed natively in 8K, as are movies and television. Plus, 8K peripherals are already in production.

Then why haven’t I seen 8K devices yet?

The major limiting factors have been 1) the consumer spec, and 2) the transport mediums. Now that the spec has been released, manufacturers and engineering firms are setting their sights on signal distribution. Most companies have major investments in copper-based infrastructures (which max out natively at 10G) and need to transition out of legacy equipment, therefore expect their adoption to be delayed.    

Does this affect TechLogix?

While we do have investment in copper-based technology, we are primarily focused on Media over Fiber Optics™. TechLogix has already invested in fiber infrastructure technology (which supports HDMI 2.1 today), and has also developed fully uncompressed signal distribution technology which is prepared for 8K.

So can I leverage 8K today?

The off-the-shelf fiber optic cabling supports it today, but we’re still waiting on chips for the extension technology. Expect our release timing to match the introduction of consumer 8K displays.

So what should I do?

Pull fiber. Specifically, pull at least one duplex multimode OM3 cable on each run that you want to “future-proof”. Leave it dark, or use it for 4K 60 4:4:4 HDMI today.

What if I’m not comfortable with fiber-based technology?

Contact TechLogix. We can help. We’ve literally trained hundreds of AV professionals on fiber-based infrastructures and technology, including how to specify, install and certify deployments.