The seemingly endless confusion surrounding the specifications of HDMI 2.1 connections has struck again. And this time the source of the confusion is the one brand that had previously declared itself above the whole HDMI 2.1 mess: LG Electronics.
LG has contacted me today to say that contrary to initial communications, and in a turn around from the HDMI 2.1 situation introduced with its 2019 4K TVs, none of its 2020 4K TVs, OLED or LCD, will carry ‘full bandwidth’ HDMI ports capable of handling HDMI 2.1’s maximum 48Gbps data rate.
The 48Gbps rate is required to handle uncompressed 12-bit 4K at 120Hz with RGB 4:4:4 chroma sampling. LG tells me now, though, that while the HDMIs on its premium 2019 TVs were indeed full 48Gbps examples, all four HDMIs on the WX, GX and CX OLED TVs will instead handle 10-bit (rather than 12-bit) 4K at 120Hz with RGB 4:4:4 chroma sampling. This implies a likely 40Gbps data rate.