HomeHDMI 2.1 vs HDMI 2.0
HDMI 2.1 vs HDMI 2.0
HDMI 2.1 (48 Gbps FRL) carries 42.67 Gbps of video and HDMI 2.0 carries 14.40 Gbps, so HDMI 2.1 (48 Gbps FRL) has 2.96 times the room. Of the 13 modes below, HDMI 2.1 (48 Gbps FRL) carries 7 uncompressed at 10-bit and HDMI 2.0 carries 0.
Only HDMI 2.1 (48 Gbps FRL) carries DSC; the other has no fallback when a mode is over its payload.
HDMI 2.1 (48 Gbps FRL) and HDMI 2.0, mode by mode
| Mode | HDMI 2.1 (48 Gbps FRL) | HDMI 2.0 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8-bit | 10-bit | 8-bit | 10-bit | |
| 4K 60Hz | Pass, 12.54 Gbps | Pass, 15.68 Gbps | Pass, 12.54 Gbps | Fail, 15.68 Gbps |
| 4K 120Hz | Pass, 25.82 Gbps | Pass, 32.27 Gbps | Fail, 25.82 Gbps | Fail, 32.27 Gbps |
| 4K 144Hz | Pass, 31.35 Gbps | Pass, 39.19 Gbps | Fail, 31.35 Gbps | Fail, 39.19 Gbps |
| 4K 160Hz | Pass, 35.10 Gbps | Needs DSC, about 1.1:1 | Fail, 35.10 Gbps | Fail, 43.88 Gbps |
| 4K 165Hz | Pass, 36.29 Gbps | Needs DSC, about 1.1:1 | Fail, 36.29 Gbps | Fail, 45.37 Gbps |
| 4K 240Hz | Needs DSC, about 1.3:1 | Needs DSC, about 1.7:1 | Fail, 54.84 Gbps | Fail, 68.56 Gbps |
| 1440p 144Hz | Pass, 14.08 Gbps | Pass, 17.60 Gbps | Tight, 14.08 Gbps | Fail, 17.60 Gbps |
| 1440p 165Hz | Pass, 16.30 Gbps | Pass, 20.37 Gbps | Fail, 16.30 Gbps | Fail, 20.37 Gbps |
| 1440p 240Hz | Pass, 24.62 Gbps | Pass, 30.77 Gbps | Fail, 24.62 Gbps | Fail, 30.77 Gbps |
| 1440p 360Hz | Pass, 39.37 Gbps | Needs DSC, about 1.2:1 | Fail, 39.37 Gbps | Fail, 49.21 Gbps |
| 1080p 360Hz | Pass, 22.38 Gbps | Pass, 27.97 Gbps | Fail, 22.38 Gbps | Fail, 27.97 Gbps |
| 8K 60Hz | Needs DSC, about 1.2:1 | Needs DSC, about 1.5:1 | Fail, 49.65 Gbps | Fail, 62.06 Gbps |
| 8K 120Hz | Needs DSC, about 2.4:1 | Needs DSC, about 3:1 | Fail, 102.20 Gbps | Fail, 127.75 Gbps |
Results use PC monitor timings (VESA CVT reduced blanking v2 as the headline), not the TV and console timings in CTA-861, so a TV or console may need more bandwidth than shown. RGB/4:4:4 color. DSC verdicts are at maximum compression (8 bpp), the lowest rate VESA's DSC standard allows for 4:4:4, and show the compression each mode needs.
Sources
- HDMI 2.1 FRL article (Allion Labs), retrieved 27 October 2026
- New HDMI 2.1 Technology, part 1 of 2 (Black Box, 2021), retrieved 27 October 2026
- VESA publishes DisplayPort Standard Version 1.4 (1 Mar 2016), retrieved 27 October 2026
- VESA publishes DisplayPort 2.0 video standard (26 Jun 2019), retrieved 27 October 2026
- VESA readies DisplayPort UHBR device certification and begins certification of UHBR cables, retrieved 27 October 2026
- HDMI Cable and Connector introduction (Granite River Labs, 2019), retrieved 27 October 2026
- Hardent IP portfolio supports new features of HDMI 2.1 (2018 release), retrieved 27 October 2026
- HDMI Forum releases Version 2.0 of the HDMI Specification (2013), retrieved 27 October 2026
- Premium HDMI Cable Certification Program (hdmi.org), retrieved 27 October 2026
- Ultra High Speed and Ultra96 HDMI Cables (hdmi.org), retrieved 27 October 2026
- Thunderbolt 5 Technology Brief (Intel, Sept 2023), retrieved 27 October 2026
- HDMI 2.0 spec published (The Register, 4 Sep 2013), retrieved 27 October 2026
- VESA CVT Standard, Version 2.1, retrieved 27 October 2026
- VESA CVT v2.1 Generator Version 1 (spreadsheet; sheets CVTv2.1 and CVTv1.2a), retrieved 27 October 2026
- VESA Display Stream Compression (DSC) Standard, Version 1.2b (12 Aug 2021), retrieved 27 October 2026
- VESA DSC Source Device Guidelines r1.0, retrieved 27 October 2026
Data verified 27 October 2026 against these sources. See the methodology for how disagreements are resolved.