HDMI 2.0 is dead: The standard party responds to the "virtual standard" controversy of the Xiaomi display

The organization responsible for HDMI licensing confirmed to TFT Central that there is no problem with the display manufacturer marking its HDMI 2.0 display as HDMI 2.1, but it needs to write clearly the specifications that have been enabled .

In TFT Central's investigation, the target was the 24.5-inch 240Hz display that Xiaomi released last month, which claims to have dual HDMI 2.1 interfaces. 

However, Xiaomi is marked with * on HDMI 2.1, and the following line of small characters is annotated:

Due to the breakdown of HDMI certification standards, HDMI 2.1 is divided into two protocols, TMDS (bandwidth equivalent to the original HDMI 2.0) and FRL. The HDMI 2.1 interface of this product supports the TMDS protocol, the maximum supported resolution is 1920×1080, and the maximum refresh rate is 240Hz.

In other words, Xiaomi’s 24.5-inch 240Hz display does not support FRL, and the FRL (Fixed Rate Link) transmission mode is exactly what the game needs to achieve a high resolution + high frame rate display. Therefore, TFT Central questioned whether Xiaomi’s wording is appropriate.

Function comparison of HDMI versions

Afterward, TFT Central contacted the HDMI license administrator and asked what exactly is the specification for using HDMI 2.1. The other party's reply was that the HDMI 2.0 standard no longer exists, and the manufacturer should change it to HDMI 2.1 and list which functions are supported at the same time.

• HDMI 2.0 no longer exists, and the device should not claim to conform to v2.0 because it is no longer referenced
• The features of HDMI 2.0 are now a subset of HDMI 2.1
• All new functions and features related to HDMI 2.1 are optional (including FRL, higher bandwidth, VRR, ALLM, and everything else)
• If the device claims to comply with HDMI 2.1, then they also need to explain which features the device supports to avoid "confusion"

In other words, consumers can't just look at whether the product has the HDMI 2.1 label, because it is likely to be lacking in-game support.