HDMI cables have been around for a long time now, and if you’re an early adopter of the format, you should have quite a few extra cables lying around. I’ve been getting into more retro gaming lately, and that means these old cables from decades ago have been nice to have around. In fact, your older cables still have quite a bit of value that you might not be aware of. Yes, your HDMI 2.1 cable is still the fastest you can get your hands on, at least at the time of this writing.
HDMI 2.2 is right around the corner, and that’ll bring better performance with it, but for the time being, 2.1 is more than enough. Your cables older than 2.1 still have many uses, so you shouldn’t toss them into the garbage just yet. For the sake of this article, I’m considering anything older than 2.1 to be an old HDMI cable. I know that 2.0 doesn’t feel very old, but what if I told you that it came out back in 2013? My back hurts too. Despite its age, you’ll find that HDMI 2.0 is still very formidable, and in most cases, you won’t notice much of a difference. If you don’t have an external audio system, you could probably get away with using 2.0 cables for several more years.
Any game console before the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S
No need to overthink it
Your PS5 and Xbox Series X|S need an HDMI 2.1 cable if you want to take advantage of features such as VRR and 120 FPS. The good news is that these consoles come with the correct cables, so as long as you don’t use something else, there’s nothing to worry about.
HDMI 2.0, on the other hand, will still work perfectly with your older consoles, and there won’t be any drop in quality. HDMI 2.0 is fully capable of 4K 60 FPS gaming, and that’s what the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X went for in the previous generation, albeit with mixed results. This same HDMI 2.0 cable can be used with any of the older HDMI consoles, too. Your Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, and Wii U are all great with HDMI 2.0. You can even use some older HDMI 1.4 cables with these, so it’s tough to go wrong.
If you plan to stick with just 4K 60 FPS gaming, your 2.0 cable can even work with your PS5 and Xbox Series X. I like having VRR support, so that’s not an option for me. However, people who don’t have TVs with high refresh rates can get away with using a 2.0 cable.
Your 4K Blu-ray player doesn’t need the newest HDMI cable
No quality loss here
Your 4K Blu-ray player, despite playing the highest-quality discs you can get on the market, doesn’t need the newest HDMI cable. In this case, HDMI 2.0 is a perfectly fine choice. Your Blu-rays don’t have to push high frame rates or anything like that, so the only thing you need to make sure your player does is output in 4K. Older cables are fine for that, but if you want to use a 2.1 cable, that works too. The nice thing about HDMI is its backwards compatibility, so there’s really nothing wrong with using the newest cables with everything if that’s all you have.
What’s arguably more important about your Blu-ray player, and something you do want a 2.1 cable for, is your audio system. I have a home theater receiver that my 4K player is plugged into, but then I have an HDMI 2.1 cable running from the receiver to my TV’s eARC port. This makes sure I get the best audio that I can get from my TV. What this means is that yes, in a way, your 4K Blu-ray player does need the newest HDMI format, but it’s for your audio system and not the player itself.
Streaming sticks and boxes don’t need it
Picture quality is unharmed
Your streaming stick doesn’t need an HDMI 2.1 port at all, but there’s no harm in plugging it into your TV’s 2.1 port if that’s all you have. Much like your 4K Blu-ray player, 4K 60 FPS is more than enough to enjoy your favorite shows and movies, so 2.0 is the sweet spot here. If you don’t have a 4K streamer, like the Roku Streaming Stick, then you can get away with an even older HDMI cable.
If you don’t have an eARC, use your ARC port instead.
Using the Blu-ray player example again, you do actually need an HDMI 2.1 cable for the best quality if you have an external sound system. Your receiver or soundbar should be connected to your TV’s eARC or ARC port, which means you should use an HDMI 2.1 cable to get the highest bandwidth. Audio is just as important as picture quality, so don’t skimp on one in favor of the other.
