The HDMI Forum recently announced to manufacturers the specifications of the new HDMI 2.2 standard that was unveiled at the last CES 2025 in January in Las Vegas.
HDMI 2.2 or Ultra 96 cable££££
No timetable has been given for the adoption of these characteristics by device manufacturers, but the first Ultra 96 HDMI cables should arrive before the end of the year. Ultra 96 is the new term used to identify these [abc]HDMI[/abc] 2.2 cables with a bandwidth of 96 Gbps, compared to 48 Gbps on the current HDMI 2.1. In practical terms, this increased bandwidth allows for higher resolutions and refresh rates, including [abc]Ultra HD[/abc] [abc]4K[/abc] at 480 Hz, Ultra HD [abc]8K[/abc] at 240 Hz, 10K at 120 Hz, and even 16K at 60 hertz. For comparison, HDMI 2.1 offers a maximum of 10K and 120 Hz (for 4K UHD).
HDMI 2.2 with Latency Indication Protocol (LIP)££££
The new standard also includes Latency Indication Protocol (LIP), which improves on HDMI 2.1's audio-video synchronization efforts, especially for systems where signals pass through a soundbar or amplifier before reaching the TV or projector. The HDMI 2.2 standard also allows for uncompressed video formats with 10/12-bit color in 8K at 60 Hz and 4K at 240 hertz. Knowing that it is still difficult to find native 8K content, don't expect to see 16K anytime soon, but at least the cabling technology is ready to accommodate it. Remember that HDMI 2.1 arrived in 2017 and that manufacturers are still not taking full advantage of its capabilities.