Chances of new macs having hdmi 2.1?

[abbihaus]

Hi All,

I have the LG 48 C1 OLED that I'd like to use at the native res (4k @ 120hz)

My work laptop is an m1 pro and i hate that I have to move to 60hz or 1440p @ 120hz.

I am now about to become a full time student again and need to get a new personal device. Are Apple just going to refuse to support hdmi 2.1? Unfortunately we cant use an adapater to achieve 4k @ 120hz (at least last time I checked several months ago?)

What's the consensus?

 

[EugW]

HDMI 2.1 is a meaningless label. What you're really asking is if it will support 4K at 120 Hz over HDMI. I suspect the answer will be no, but we may be able to find out in a few weeks. Rumour has it new Macs (running Ventura) are coming out in November.

 

[estabya]

HDMI 2.1 is a meaningless label. What you're really asking is if it will support 4K at 120 Hz over HDMI. I suspect the answer will be no, but we may be able to find out in a few weeks. Rumour has it new Macs (running Ventura) are coming out in November.

Not really. HDMI 2.1 refers to the HDMI revision that supports the bandwidth required for 4k 120hz, and unless the chip supports it you won’t get that output natively or with an adapter.

It’s been pretty standard since 2019. I would be VERY surprised if the new MBPs don’t have 2.1, but Apple has surprised us all before so….

 

[EugW]

Not really. HDMI 2.1 refers to the HDMI revision that supports the bandwidth required for 4k 120hz, and unless the chip supports it you won’t get that output natively or with an adapter.

It’s been pretty standard since 2019. I would be VERY surprised if the new MBPs don’t have 2.1, but Apple has surprised us all before so….

The reason the HDMI 2.1 label is meaningless is because you can call your device HDMI 2.1 and NOT support 4K 120 Hz.

For example, Apple TV 4K is labelled as HDMI 2.1, but it does not support 4K 120 Hz.

When HDMI 2.1 Isn't HDMI 2.1 - The Confusing World of the Standard, "Fake HDMI 2.1" and Likely Future Abuse - TFTCentral

When HDMI 2.1 Isn't HDMI 2.1 - The Confusing World of the Standard, "Fake HDMI 2.1" and Likely Future Abuse

tftcentral.co.uk

We contacted HDMI.org who are the “HDMI Licensing Administrator” to ask some questions about this new standard, seek clarification on several questions we had and discuss the Xiaomi display we mentioned above. Here is what we were told:

1. HDMI 2.0 no longer exists, and devices should not claim compliance to v2.0 as it is not referenced any more
2. The features of HDMI 2.0 are now a sub-set of 2.1
3. All the new capabilities and features associated with HDMI 2.1 are optional (this includes FRL, the higher bandwidths, VRR, ALLM and everything else)
4. If a device claims compliance to 2.1 then they need to also state which features the device supports so there is “no confusion” (hmmmm)

EDIT:

This is from Apple's own Apple TV 4K spec page:

 

[abbihaus]

whatever the label for hdmi 2.1, i just want a 2022 device to support 4k 120hz on my OLED. That is all lol.

 

[satcomer]

whatever the label for hdmi 2.1, i just want a 2022 device to support 4k 120hz on my OLED. That is all lol.

Start saving up your money to buy one, easy if you budget!

 

[estabya]

The reason the HDMI 2.1 label is meaningless is because you can call your device HDMI 2.1 and NOT support 4K 120 Hz.

For example, Apple TV 4K is labelled as HDMI 2.1, but it does not support 4K 120 Hz.

When HDMI 2.1 Isn't HDMI 2.1 - The Confusing World of the Standard, "Fake HDMI 2.1" and Likely Future Abuse - TFTCentral

When HDMI 2.1 Isn't HDMI 2.1 - The Confusing World of the Standard, "Fake HDMI 2.1" and Likely Future Abuse

tftcentral.co.uk

We contacted HDMI.org who are the “HDMI Licensing Administrator” to ask some questions about this new standard, seek clarification on several questions we had and discuss the Xiaomi display we mentioned above. Here is what we were told:

1. HDMI 2.0 no longer exists, and devices should not claim compliance to v2.0 as it is not referenced any more
2. The features of HDMI 2.0 are now a sub-set of 2.1
3. All the new capabilities and features associated with HDMI 2.1 are optional (this includes FRL, the higher bandwidths, VRR, ALLM and everything else)
4. If a device claims compliance to 2.1 then they need to also state which features the device supports so there is “no confusion” (hmmmm)

EDIT:

This is from Apple's own Apple TV 4K spec page:

View attachment 2099444
View attachment 2099443

I had not seen this. That makes no sense whatsoever and definitely has not always been the case. HDMI ports and devices used to be (I assume until circa Dec 2021 when this came out) labeled with the revision that matched its feature set.

So you’re right, I guess the question would be whether it will support 48gbps bandwidth/4k at 120hz.

 

[tdar]

I think that Apple doesn’t care. They won’t be interested in 120hz until one of THEIR monitors supports it.

 

[wilberforce]

Seeing the Studio does not support it, it isn’t looking too promising for new MPBs