How to Tell HDMI Gen

[Jacobplayz]

I found a bunch of Unmarked HDMI cables In my basement and I was wondering if there was an easy way to tell what generation they are?

[BobVonBob]

Nope. For cables the difference is all in signal integrity, and figuring that out is effectively impossible at home. The only option is to try the cable and if the resolution you want doesn't work, try another.

On the bright side, this means it's possible for old cables (especially short ones) to be capable of more than they were originally rated for.

[Sunoo]

I literally just gave up and bought new cables the last time I had to deal with that. It’s really stupid.

[Eigenvektor]

HDMI cables do not have a version, even if they are often marketed as such. They do have a maximum supported bandwidth. See: https://linustechtips.com/topic/729232-guide-to-display-cables-adapters-v2/?section=hdmi_cable_versions

 

The best you can do is use each cable and check if it supports the resolution + refresh rate you want.

[Sunoo]

1 hour ago, Eigenvektor said:

HDMI cables do not have a version, even if they are often marketed as such. They do have a maximum supported bandwidth.

That’s a distinction without a difference.

 

Yes, cables have a max babdwidth, but HDMI versions have bandwidth requirements, so functionally HDMI cables support certain HDMI versions.

[Eigenvektor]

55 minutes ago, Sunoo said:

Yes, cables have a max babdwidth, but HDMI versions have bandwidth requirements, so functionally HDMI cables support certain HDMI versions.

Yes and No.

 

A cable marketed as "HDMI 1.0" will work perfectly fine on an HDMi 2.1 port. It simply might not support the full range of resolutions offered by that port.

 

So a cable is not limited to any specific HDMI version. At best you might say that it supports "up to" the full bandwidth of HDMI version X.

[Glenwing]

10 hours ago, Sunoo said:

That’s a distinction without a difference.

 

Yes, cables have a max babdwidth, but HDMI versions have bandwidth requirements, so functionally HDMI cables support certain HDMI versions.

No HDMI version has a bandwidth requirement. They have bandwidth limits, which devices are not permitted to exceed. Anyway, bandwidth limits are not the only thing that changes with HDMI versions, nor do they change in every version, but they are the only thing that affect cable design, which is why cables are rated by bandwidth, not tied to specific "version numbers".

 

For example VRR and HDR were only added in later HDMI versions, but will still work with a standard High Speed HDMI cable (what you would call an "HDMI 1.4" cable). If you call them "HDMI 1.4 cables" and "HDMI 2.1 cables" you imply that the "2.1 cable" is required for VRR because VRR is an HDMI 2.1 feature, and HDMI 1.4 doesn't support it, and indeed there are many people who think "if you want HDR you need an HDMI 2.0 cable because HDMI 1.4 doesn't support HDR".

 

There are no HDMI 1.4 cables or HDMI 2.1 cables. There are High Speed HDMI cables and Ultra High Speed HDMI cables, rated for 10.2 Gbit/s and 48 Gbit/s respectively. You need a 48 Gbit/s rated cable if you need 48 Gbit/s bandwidth. If you don't, then you don't need one. Newer features that are not related to bandwidth will work on any HDMI cable, regardless of what version of the specification that feature was introduced and when the cable was made or what bandwidth it can handle. Cables only affect maximum bandwidth, which is why they are rated by bandwidth, not by "version number".

 

@Jacobplayz_YT Any certified HDMI cable should have its rating printed on the cable jacket, such as "High Speed HDMI Cable With Ethernet". This is required by the HDMI licensing agreement. If it doesn't say anything, then it's an unlicensed product, and there's no way to know what it's capable of.

[Sunoo]

Being pedantic about this really helped answer this person’s question. Good job everyone.

[Glenwing]

10 minutes ago, Sunoo said:

Being pedantic about this really helped answer this person’s question. Good job everyone.

It's not pedantry at all. As I mentioned, there are many instances of misunderstandings which are both genuine and common, and factually incorrect advice given about what cables are required, which are directly caused by this.

 

And, one of them is people not knowing how to identify cables, even if the rating is printed in plain text right on the cable, because they're looking for something that says "version 1.4 cable" instead of "High Speed HDMI cable". And as long as people keep insisting "they're HDMI 1.4 cables" this will continue.