@SubDriver @6-Colors Just a couple of points. 😃
"If 10 bit is also desired over HDMI, you are pretty much stuck with the R1811 - no one has posted anything stating 5k 10-bit has been achieved using any other card."
"However, the SA1 brings HDMI 2.1 capability with it which the FA1 does not."
Both JRY-W9RQUHD--SA1 and FA1 are specified as HDMI 2.1, so both will do HDMI 10 bit.
The question is whether this will be RGB (Full 4.4.4) 10 bit, or whether it is YCbCr 4.2.2 (also called YUV) 10 bit RBR (reduced bandwidth rate).
This matters for colour/text display, as YCbCr 4.2.2 is compressing the colour signal data. It is usually used for video monitors and TVs, where the precision of the colour display performance is less important.
The R1811 gives 10 bit YCbCr RBR by default, but with Better Display this can be set to Full RGB 10 bit.
No one has tried doing this with the FA1 and SA1 yet (AFAIK). So it may well be the same.
Note: To get this you MUST be using a certified Ultra High Speed 8K HDMI cable.
There a couple of brief reports -
here and
here about the FA1 using HDMI is from
@DisraeliGears and
@nullpointerninja:
"HDMI is atrocious compared to DP. Max resolution is 1080p and the colors are horrid. Some of this might be just in comparison to the glorious 5K, or maybe it's the cord I ran (I don't even remember what spec, it's just a random one I got from Parts Express)"
"macOS uses YCbCr by default instead of RGB when connected to the FA1 through HDMI and the colors are washed out and extremely annoying."
My own experience with running the R1811 with HDMI connected, is that HDMI is indistinguishable from DP, and even using an M1 mini, which is HDMI 2.0, and 4K.
At a glance there was no obvious difference. But I was using a proper HDMI cable.
Quote:
"Although it might not be a concern for your planned use case (no USB-C charging, no audio, etc.), the heat production of the R1811 is generally expected to be higher than the FA1 and SA1"
We don't have any data to confirm that.
And I don't expect there to be any significant difference in power consumption and heat generation between the various boards, although the T18/19 have been tested and shown to need slightly more power than the R1811.
The R1811's heatsink fan is a design choice to allow a smaller heatsink which allows a slightly smaller PCB.
The SA1 is a perfectly good choice, as the two DP ports will both give good results.
The firmware isn't as fully-featured as the R1811's, as that gives a read-out of the displayed color mode.
And the R1811 has an IR remote control, which is invaluable for a constant tester like me... 😀