Ultra High Speed HDMI 2.1 Enabled Cables and Products Reach the Market

As many HDMI 2.1 certified products are now on the market, HDMI Licensing Administrator announced the availability of Ultra High Speed cables, essential to creating end-to-end HDMI 2.1 systems. Now consumers can enjoy the latest high performance AV features including 4K@120Hz, 8K@60Hz, Dynamic HDR and eARC support. This development was made possible by the Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable Certification Program (UHS Program) launched by the HDMI Forum, enabling users to identify the cables that are guaranteed to deliver the full benefits of the HDMI 2.1 specification.

Cable Matters, a supplier of connectivity solutions, launched one of the first USB-C video adapters on the market to support the 8K resolution as specified in HDMI 2.1. The new Cable Matters 48Gbps USB-C Video Adapter combines the latest HDMI features with the versatility of the USB-C connector to drive the latest 8K and 4K 120Hz displays. A solution designed for to connect gaming monitors and TVs to laptops, smartphones, tablets, and more, supporting a maximum video resolution of 8K 30Hz with RGB 4:4:4.

Kensington announced the SD5700T Thunderbolt 4 laptop docking station — the first of its kind to provide dedicated power to all of your connected devices no matter how many are connected to it. This universally compatible, modern docking station unlocks the power of Thunderbolt 4 for the ultimate plug-and-play solution and is one the very first certified products to reach the market according to the brand new specification.

Post-CES 2020 Impressions. "CES is over but we’re just getting started!" That’s the optimistic vision propagated by many companies who just attended the gigantic Las Vegas event and they leave without really knowing if it was a success or not. Because this is no longer the old days when audio companies would leave CES with their order books filled. Currently, all you have are “contacts” and “great meetings” and little else to backup the promises of future business. And that’s the most important game after all at a show like CES. That and the media hallo effect that new product presentations might have caused.

Since the HDMI 2.1 Specification was released in November 2017, manufacturers of several products including semiconductors, TVs, AVRs, soundbars, and game consoles have made announcements on upcoming releases supporting the specification. During CES 2019, the HDMI Licensing Administrator (HDMI LA) organization reported an increasing number of new product announcements covering a broad range of categories, and forecasted annual shipments with HDMI interface to reach almost 1 Billion devices in 2019.

Initially unveiled at CES 2017, Version 2.1 of the HDMI Specification is now published and brings so much more than just support for resolutions up to 10K and Dynamic HDR. In fact HDMI 2.1 is a huge leap forward, introducing a new Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable, which also supports Enhanced Audio Return Channel (eARC), multichannel uncompressed 24-bit/192 kHz audio, and support to advanced audio formats - including DTS Master, DTS:X, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Atmos and more.

During NAB 2017, intoPIX, a leading provider of innovative compression technologies, announced new TICO compression IP-cores managing up to ultra-high-definition 8K video combined with low power consumption for FPGA and ASIC implementations. The cores offer unique performances at a very light implementation cost for handling HD, 4K and 8K content. The technology is particularly suitable for reducing bandwidth and preserving image quality without any delay in new 8K applications.