One of the most confusing, and sometimes even deceiving components of purchasing a new HDMI cable for your setup is trying to figure out if it will support your 4k television. This can be quite frustrating, especially when you have to go through the return process and order or purchase another one in-store.
There are a couple of ways to distinguish if your HDMI cable supports 4k:
If your HDMI cable supports 4k the package the cable came in should have the 4k or UHD label and/or the HDMI High-Speed logo. Sometimes, each side of the cable will have the High Speed with Ethernet label which indicates that the cable can support 4k. The last way to tell is to connect the cable to a 4k device to see if it displays an image. Buying a Premium HDMI or HDMI 2.0 cable will guarantee the best viewer experience.
If you haven’t already purchased a cable, I would go with this 4K HDMI 2.0 cable from Amazon.
There are a number of other things about HDMI cables that you’ll want to be aware of in order to ensure you don’t run into any hiccups while using your HDMI cable. Keep reading to learn more!
Are All HDMI Cables The Same?
HDMI cables are not all the same. Some people like to compare HDMI cables to water. You can get water from the tap, bottled water from your local retail store, and distilled water.
Every form of water says H20 on it, but that doesn’t mean they are all the same. This goes the same for HDMI cables. They aren’t all created equally, and there are some HDMI cables that perform very poorly, while others are much higher in quality.
A cheap, extremely long cable won’t perform as well as an expensive, sturdy-looking cable with shielding and proper 4k support.
Standard Speed
A standard speed HDMI cable supports 1080p resolution that will run at around 24 fps (frames per second). It will also support 4k resolution at 30 fps. The downside with standard speed cables is they won’t support 4k at 60 frames per second.
High Speed
With high-speed cables, you’ll have 4k resolution that will run at 60 frames per second. If watching 4k resolution is what you usually do and don’t want to stray for any less quality than that, it’s advised to get a high-speed HDMI cable.
Premium Speed
Premium speed HDMI cables can transmit data at up to 18Gbps with increased color spaces.
Ultra-High-Speed HDMI Cable
For most users, the ultra-high-speed HDMI cable might be a little overkill. This HDMI cable can transmit data at speeds of 48Gbps (very fast).
HDMI cables might all appear the same to those that haven’t had the chance to compare different cables, but they are quite different from each other.
Does 4k Require An HDMI Cable?
You don’t exactly need a specific 4k HDMI cable in order for you to transmit 4k resolution to your TV. But you should keep in mind that this would be like using a shovel in order to rake the leaves off of your lawn. It’s always best to use the right tool for the right job.
With a 4k HDMI cable, data will transfer at much quicker speeds in comparison to a standard HDMI cable. That means images will look clearer and have higher detail on the screen.
If you’re just using a standard HDMI cable to transmit a 4k movie to your TV, you won’t reap the benefits of the full 60 frames per second that you’ll get with a specifically designed 4k HDMI cable.
It also helps to go into the background of the different resolutions that TVs can support.
High Definition resolutions have a width of 1,920 pixels and a height of 1,080 pixels. This gives a total of 2.07 million pixels.
4k resolutions have a resolution of 3,840 by 2,160 pixels – much larger than high definition’s 2.07 million. This gives 4k a total of 8.29 million pixels.
How Can I Tell What Version My HDMI Cable Is?
There are many different types of HDMI cables, and figuring out what version you have isn’t too difficult.
To tell what version you have, you’ll want to take a look at the packaging of your HDMI cable and see if it says ‘high speed’ on it. If it doesn’t then that’s a sign that you might have a standard HDMI cable. To confirm this, it always helps to take a visit to the website or ad where you purchased your HDMI cable from.
There are three different types of HDMI cables:
- 1.4
- 2.0
- 2.1
When you purchase an HDMI cable, take a look at the packaging and see if it lists one of the numbers listed above.
Current HDMI standards don’t require manufacturers to clearly list specific versions of HDMI cables, and that can add to the confusion. You also can’t tell what type of HDMI cable you have by simply looking at it, because most of them appear to be the same.
Can A Standard HDMI Cable Handle 4K?
HDMI cables are designed to support 4K resolution and refresh rates up to 60Hz. However, not all HDMI cables are created equal, so it’s important to make sure that your 4K TV supports the HDCP 2.2 copy protection required for 4K streaming services like Netflix.
HDMI Licensing has a list of cables that have been tested and certified by them as “High Speed” (Category 2) capable of supporting 4K resolutions and frame rates up to 60 frames per second. If your device uses an HDMI cable that isn’t on this list, you may have problems getting a picture or sound from it.
Some devices have provisions built-in to work around this issue if your HDMI cable isn’t on the list but others don’t work at all if you try to use an unsupported cable.
Do You Need HDMI 2.1 For 4K?
If you’re going to be using your TV at 4k resolution with a larger refresh rate than 60Hz, you’ll need HDMI 2.1 If you’re not going to be requiring that performance, you don’t need to concern yourself with HDMI 2.1.
ff you’ve purchased a 4k TV after 2019 or are upgrading from a previous model, you’ll likely see HDMI 2.1 on the box. The new standard is designed to support 8K resolutions and frame rates of up to 120fps — but does it matter?
HDMI 2.1 is faster than its predecessors, supporting up to 48Gbps of bandwidth compared to 18Gbps for HDMI 2.0b and just 10.2Gbps for HDMI 1.4a. This means that you can use an HDMI 2.1 cable with an 8K TV and still get 4K/60Hz at 60 frames per second (fps).
If your current cable doesn’t support that much bandwidth, it will be limited to 4K/30Hz at 30 fps — which might not sound like much of a difference, but it’s actually significant, especially if you plan on using your TV as a PC monitor or gaming device.
Is HDMI The Best Video Connection?
HDMI is the most common way to connect your TV to a video source. It’s also the best and most convenient option to do exactly that.
HDMI cables are designed to carry high-resolution video and audio signals from one device to another. They’re used in all sorts of devices, from Blu-ray players and game consoles to computers and tablets.
What HDMI Cable Lengths Are Available?
- 1ft – 3ft: These are typically used for portable devices like laptops or smartphones. They’re also useful when installing a new TV or projector at home because they allow you to place these devices where they’ll be easiest to access without running cords across your floor.
- 3ft – 6ft: These are often used with smaller televisions in kitchens or bedrooms since they don’t reach very far across the room. They’re also good options if you want to hide some wires behind furniture or picture frames; however, they limit placement options somewhat compared with longer cables because it’s more difficult to get them around corners and behind walls (especially if you don’t have much slack).
- 6ft – 10ft: These are good for larger TVs that need more distance between them and other equipment such as consoles or cable boxes.
What Should I Look For When Purchasing An HDMI Cable?
There are a couple of important things to look out for when you’re in the market for a new HDMI cable.
Length
If the room your TV is in stretches quite far from your devices, you’ll want to consider getting an HDMI cable with a longer length to it. You’ll also want to keep in mind that longer cables tend to have a higher chance of data transmission loss than shorter cables.
Quality
HDMI cables aren’t all cut from the same cloth. Some manufacturers cheap out with the materials they use, and this can end up causing glitches and other performance issues.
Budget
Not everyone needs an ultra-high-speed HDMI cable for their purposes, so figuring out what your wants and needs are will need to be taken into consideration when purchasing a new HDMI cable.