DECEMBER 2019 PCWorld 107each that re-tasks two wires to carry ethernet.
That’s including the new Ultra cables from the
HDMI 2.1 spec (go.pcworld.com/21sp).
Standard HDMI Cable: Provides
sufficient bandwidth for only 720p and 1080i
resolution video. The ethernet variant can
carry 100Mbps.
High Speed HDMI
Cable: These are good
for up to 2160p (4K or 4K
UHD), but only at a 24Hz
refresh rate. Again, the
ethernet variant carries
100Mbps.
Ultra High Speed
HDMI Cable: These
cables are capable of
carrying HDMI 2.1’s full
48Gbps, which is good
for 8K, 8K UHD, as well
as flavors of 10K if the video is compressed.
As three wires have been re-tasked, this might
send some lesser cables to the bench. The
ethernet cable variant remains at 100Mbps,
according to the HDMI Forum’s feature table.
We’ve used any number of HDMI cables,
from many eras, without encountering any
issues, including passive 25-footers carrying
4K UHD signals. That said, 8K might be
different; or it might not (go.pcworld.com/
lwdn). The upshot is that you should try the
cables you own with your new devices, and
only upgrade them if you run into problems.DISPLAYPORT CABLES
EXPLAINED
The story on DisplayPort cables is a bit simpler
in that there’s one basic 5-meter (16 feet)
cable design, and only two connectors: full
and mini; but as with HDMI, there are typesIf your current cables don’t pass muster, buy
replacements that meet the spec of the video
resolution you intend to watch. Given reasonably
good build quality, many cables you now own
will function fine, even as you step up from 720 to
1080 to 2160 (4K UHD) to 4320 (8K UHD).
The two types of DisplayPort connectors are Standard (left) and Mini.
These images are decidedly not to scale—the Mini (right) is half the width
of the full-sized connector.