HDMI 2.1 Variable refresh rate

With the announcement of the new specification this month and with products to be released this year, i wanted to ask whether the days of proprietary gsync and free sync monitors were numbered, given the massive price difference they place over the non variable refresh rate monitors.

The new hdmi spec has this built in as standard. So even consoles can benefit from lag free, smooth and fluid experience without any screen tearing where developers can unlock their frame rate rather than aiming for 30hz or 60hz, which is also the parameters where a varied refresh rate is most beneficial, anything over and there isn't much point.

The bandwidth it provides an astonishing 48gbps is also a loth higher high than displayport 1.4 and even video alt mode of thunderbolt 3. So i'm assuming when adopted by monitor and tv manufacturers, will allow console a gsync like experience without the tax on both consoles and pcs, with even massive televisions being a viable source of gaming given the support for 4k at 120hz and 8k 60hz with hdr. Display port 1.4 can do the same but without the hdr support at 8k, i think

hopefully the variable refresh works good yeh
dont know until we get the screens
kinda wish they called it hdmi 3 instead of 2.1, would give them more marketing reason to put it on everything fast

it had to happen eventually, tv's too stubborn to put display ports

I wonder how long until we actually see this on TV's though? What's definitely intriguing is the options this may present for TV's as PC monitors... it would break that 4K @ 60Hz limitation of HDMI 2.0 for a start.

RareEntitee said:

With the announcement of the new specification this month and with products to be released this year, i wanted to ask whether the days of proprietary gsync and free sync monitors were numbered, given the massive price difference they place over the non variable refresh rate monitors.

Click to expand...

Ehm.
Nvidia Gsync is proprietary, requiring special module inside the monitor to operate. And only works via Display Port.

AMD Freesync is using the open VESA adaptive Sync Standard, it operates with DP 1.2a/1.3/1.4 or HDMI 2.0. It doesn't require special module.
And it's in it's Freesync 2 form (via drivers and firmware updates) support HDR variable refresh rate among other things, as announced few weeks ago with the HDMI 2.1

So actually ONLY Nvidia has to open up and use the Standards, making current Freesync monitors also compatible with their cards.

However can you imagine the backclash of those making Gsync monitors?

Panos said:

Ehm.
Nvidia Gsync is proprietary, requiring special module inside the monitor to operate. And only works via Display Port.

AMD Freesync is using the open VESA adaptive Sync Standard, it operates with DP 1.2a/1.3/1.4 or HDMI 2.0. It doesn't require special module.
And it's in it's Freesync 2 form (via drivers and firmware updates) support HDR variable refresh rate among other things, as announced few weeks ago with the HDMI 2.1

So actually ONLY Nvidia has to open up and use the Standards, making current Freesync monitors also compatible with their cards.

However can you imagine the backclash of those making Gsync monitors?

Click to expand...

i should think nvidia could write a little code that makes them open to 2.1 on tv's but not freesync monitors
some gsync monitors have slightly higher refresh so i guess they still have that as a selling point, but maybe it will make them be creative and improve them more

Mei said:

i should think nvidia could write a little code that makes them open to 2.1 on tv's but not freesync monitors
some gsync monitors have slightly higher refresh so i guess they still have that as a selling point, but maybe it will make them be creative and improve them more

Click to expand...

There is no such thing as "freesync" monitor, is advertisement for compatibility. They are VESA Adaptive sync compatible monitors. Is just a monitor that is using the full spec of HDMI 2.0 and DP 1.2a.

If NV makes VRR work for HDMI 2.1 it will work for ALL products using HDMI 2.1 and given how the compatibility works on HDMI 2.0, it will work on HDMI 2.0 also. So all "freesync" monitor will work.

Same applies to DP 1.3/1.4. The hardware for VESA Adaptive sync is there on the NV graphic cards like the GTX1080!!!!!

NV doesn't create the driver to use the VESA adaptive sync making the Freesync monitors compatible though