HDMI cables may all look the same, but there are big differences between them. If you’re like me and have been onboard with the HDMI format since the Xbox 360 days, it means you have two decades of cables lying around your house. I have a difficult time getting rid of older things, so it means I just stuff them away in a box somewhere for me to forget about.
In the past year or so, I’ve been getting more into retro gaming and early HDMI TVs — I’m not entirely sure why, but I just find them fascinating. This means I’ve had to start digging out older HDMI cables, and I’m glad I had them for these cases. While an HDMI 1.4 cable isn’t particularly useful for a PS5, it’s still plenty good enough for my PS3.
What you might not realize is that HDMI has advanced quite a bit since the 1.4 days. Modern devices use HDMI 2.1 cables, and we’re right around the corner from HDMI 2.2 becoming more widespread. You might think that you need to rush out and get the latest cables, but that’s not the case. In fact, you’re probably fine using a 2.0 cable with most of your devices.
- Length(s)
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6ft/2m
- Brand
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Belkin
Faster isn’t always better
In many cases it is, though
HDMI 2.2 promises to be the fastest format, and 96 Gbps, you can’t really argue with that. For comparison, HDMI 2.1 caps out at 48 Gbps, so there’s a massive jump in speeds between cables. The only problem is that practically nothing you’ll be using needs speeds like that, at least any time soon. You can even get Dolby Atmos from a 2.0 cable, albeit in a compressed format. An HDMI 2.1 cable is only really needed for gamers who want to get variable refresh rate (VRR) or 120 FPS from their consoles. Outside of that, an HDMI 2.0 cable is more than up to the task.
From where I’m sitting, it’s difficult to imagine how HDMI 2.2 will ever catch on, because I can’t envision a world where we’ll need speeds like that any time soon. HDMI 2.1 is hardly being used at the moment, and we’re already on the cusp of something newer. 8K TVs don’t seem like they’re quite ready for the mainstream, so nobody is going to have any use for cables that are capable of these speeds.
The good thing about HDMI cables is that they’re fully backwards compatible. If you buy a bunch of HDMI 2.2 cables, you can use them with every device you own, including your PS3, so there’s no downside to that. On the other hand, there’s no upside to it either, as it won’t suddenly unlock speeds on your devices that weren’t there in the first place. If HDMI 2.2 cables were available for cheap, I wouldn’t find much of an issue picking them up, but I wouldn’t run out and replace my current cables if I don’t have to.
I’m all for having the latest and greatest technology, but in this scenario, it just doesn’t feel like it’s necessary. In fact, I don’t know when it’ll be worth it to pick up an HDMI 2.2, but that might not be a bad thing.
Sticking with my current cables for now
Everything’s just fine
I guess it’s not a bad thing to not need the newest thing. It’s certainly a great way to save some cash, but it’s not like HDMI cables cost an arm and a leg as it is — even the 2.2 ones. The issue is there’s no real reason to go out and buy those right now. When 2.2 does become the norm, I would expect to see more devices utilizing its speeds.
Strangely, it hasn’t felt like we’ve particularly maximized HDMI 2.1, and we’re already looking further to the future. I don’t expect technology to just slow down and wait for things to catch up, but the reality is that HDMI 2.0 is still a great choice for the majority of devices. If that’s the case, then what is the purpose of HDMI 2.2? For the average person, the answer is that there isn’t a purpose. It’s a cable that devices will grow into over time, but there’s absolutely no rush for people to go out there and get one. I’m not sure when the perfect time to get one is, and when it’s the default cable, you’ll probably start seeing it included with new devices.
It’s a tricky thing to predict, and it feels like HDMI 2.1 is only just now getting started, so I don’t have a good guess here. I’m just going to sit back and wait to see how this all plays out. At this specific moment, I don’t see a world where I’m going to go out and buy an HDMI 2.2, and that’s a bit of a bummer. I want to use the shiny new toys, but if there’s no reason to do so, I’m not going to.
