For high-performance TVs and monitors, there are two main cable types that you need to know about: HDMI and DisplayPort. (What about USB-C and Thunderbolt cables? They both implement DisplayPort, so ultimately it all comes back to that and HDMI.)
Generally, HDMI is used with TVs and laptops while DisplayPort is used with PCs and gaming monitors. But not always. And at CES 2025, we saw major advances for both standards, with new HDMI 2.2 and DisplayPort 2.1b connectors set to show up in real products this year.
What do these new standards mean for you? Keep reading for a rundown of each one, how they compare, and which one you need to pay attention to based on what your needs are.
What is HDMI 2.2?
At CES 2025, the HDMI Forum announced HDMI 2.2 (PDF), the next-generation HDMI standard. While remaining backward-compatible, it increases bandwidth and support for higher resolutions and refresh rates, as well as latency-reduction technologies to improve audio and visual synchronization.
Like how HDMI 2.1 made big improvements over its predecessor, HDMI 2.2 brings another jump in bandwidth — from HDMI 2.1’s 48Gbps to now 96Gbps — and a new cable to handle the additional throughput.
HDMI Forum
Chandlee Harrell, president of the HDMI Forum, said during the initial announcement: “This new specification supports the fast-evolving landscape for amazing new technologies and products entering the markets, now and in the future.” That’s key to this development. For as capable as HDMI 2.1 was, it was quickly outstripped by DisplayPort 2.1 and USB4/Thunderbolt 5 with their bandwidth up to 80Gbps.
Although HDMI 2.1 is king of the living room, helping to connect modern TVs with gaming consoles, A/V systems, and 4K Blu-ray players, it’s already hitting its limits. Any further home media advances would need greater bandwidth — and that’s where HDMI 2.2 comes in.
These new HDMI 2.2 cables have been branded as Ultra96 cables. With 96Gbps of total throughput, an Ultra96 cable can theoretically support 8K video at up to 240Hz or 10K video at up to 120Hz or 4K video at up to 480Hz. Those are some blazingly fast refresh rates!
HDMI Forum
The HDMI Forum suggests that HDMI 2.2 would be a great fit for future augmented reality and virtual reality headsets, light field displays, medical imaging, and large-scale signage. In more traditional settings, the new Latency Indication Protocol should improve syncing between audio and video (e.g., lipsyncing in movies and TV shows).
The only downside to all these advances? You’ll need those new Ultra96 cables to enjoy them, which will be debuting later in 2025, with supporting devices and displays to follow. Ultra96 cables will be backward-compatible, so you can replace all your existing HDMI cables with them and still use your pre-HDMI 2.2 devices.
What is DisplayPort 2.1b?
On the very same day that HDMI 2.2 was announced, VESA announced the new DisplayPort 2.1b standard, also with new cables and capabilities. While it doesn’t increase bandwidth, it does improve cable length with a new active cable design, which should open up greater options for gamers and PC users looking for more versatility than the 1-meter DisplayPort 2.1 cables available to date.
DisplayPort 2.1b is less of a generational improvement and more of a lateral adjustment with some light benefits. It’s still capable of hitting 80Gbps with the high-end UHBR20 transmission mode, but it brings with it a new cable standard called DP80LL (low-loss). These active DisplayPort 2.1b cables only work in one direction — one end for the device, another for the display — but reach up to three times the previous length, unlocking 3-meter DisplayPort 2.1 cables for the first time.
Adam Patrick Murray / Foundry
Although DisplayPort 2.1 officially launched at the end of 2022, with AMD’s RX 7000-series graphics cards being the first supporting products, it’s been slow on the uptake. As of this writing, there still aren’t that many monitors with DisplayPort 2.1 support, but VESA claims they’re coming in 2025 along with other DisplayPort 2.1-supporting devices and hubs.
A lot of that can be attributed to the new 3-meter max length in the DisplayPort 2.1b spec, making it a much better fit for desktop PCs where displays can be further from the case, and for higher-end virtual and augmented reality headsets that are tethered, which can now have longer reach from their host systems.
So, while DisplayPort 2.1b doesn’t necessarily demand you get a new cable (like HDMI 2.2’s Ultra96 cables), if you want a longer DisplayPort 2.1 cable, you can now get one as part of the new DP80LL spec. It means you can enjoy the high-bandwidth features of DisplayPort at a greater distance. That includes support for 4K at up to 240Hz, 8K at up to 85Hz, or 1080p at up to 900Hz.
HDMI 2.2 vs. DisplayPort 2.1b, compared
Between HDMI 2.2 and DisplayPort 2.1b, which cable is the most capable of delivering high bandwidth audio and video? In terms of raw specs, the answer is HDMI 2.2. DisplayPort 2.1b is still impressive with up to 80Gbps max throughput, but HDMI 2.2 can hit a peak of 96Gbps, offering greater support for higher resolutions and refresh rates.
However, cable standards are chicken-and-egg technologies where you can only take full advantage of one if you have supporting devices. So, while HDMI 2.2 is the more capable standard, right now there aren’t any supporting HDMI 2.2 displays or devices. That might change later this year, but it’s not exactly clear where the support will come from.
LG
HDMI is primarily used in mainstream consumer technology. It’s the flagship connection standard for gaming consoles and TVs. But there are no gaming consoles or Blu-ray players or graphics cards coming soon that will have HDMI 2.2 connections.
Nvidia’s brand-new RTX 50-series GPUs, for example, only have one HDMI 2.1b connection next to three DisplayPort 2.1b connections. AMD’s RX 9000-series GPUs are set to debut in May, and though we don’t know details on their connections yet, I’d be very surprised if they didn’t prefer DisplayPort over HDMI as well.
So even on a platform that stands to gain from HDMI 2.2’s improvements over DisplayPort 2.1 — I’m talking high-end gaming PCs that can take advantage of the higher resolutions and refresh rates — it seems that the established preference for and widespread adoption of DisplayPort 2.1 might keep it in the lead for a while longer.
The bottom line and takeaway
HDMI 2.2 is an exciting evolution that pushes the boundaries further, paving the way for much higher resolutions at much higher refresh rates. But right now it’s largely a theoretical technology. Until we start seeing HDMI 2.2 devices and displays, it will remain that way. And we still don’t know how the public will take the need for newer Ultra96 cables.
DisplayPort 2.1b, on the other hand, is far more pragmatic and already coming to market in the form of Nvidia’s latest RTX 50-series graphics cards. The cables and compatible displays will take a little time to proliferate, but VESA already showed off the cables in action at CES 2025, so they’re almost ready to go.
Sure, DisplayPort 2.1b doesn’t revolutionize the standard. It’s even been leapfrogged by HDMI 2.2 as far as raw power. But new DP80LL cables with their 3-meter lengths are exciting for virtual reality headsets, high refresh rate gaming displays, and could well be the cable you eventually use to connect your gaming PC and monitors together.
Further reading: The best HDMI cables for monitors
Author: Jon Martindale, Contributor, PCWorld
Jon Martindale is a voracious writer and technology fanboy who loves nothing more than digging into the specs of the latest graphics cards, processors, and displays. He's passionate about everything PC, but also enjoys experimenting with AIs, and covering new standing desks that can help avoid his worst posture habits.