A lot of TVs, even today, don’t have enough HDMI ports to plug everything in. When they do have enough ports, you’ll find that not all of them are created equal, and that you are limited by the number of 2.1 ports you have. HDMI 2.1 has been around for a while, and it’s a big deal for gamers. HDMI 2.1 is the only way to get 120 FPS and VRR on your PS5 and Xbox Series X, so if you have either of those game consoles, you’re holding them back by not using your TV’s HDMI 2.1 port.
I picked up an Amazon Fire TV Mini-LED, and I noticed that it has a glaring HDMI problem. I thought that as you move up the totem pole and get more into the mid-range to high-end options, these problems go away, but that’s not the case. This Fire TV has four HDMI ports, but only two of them are 2.1. On top of that, one of those 2.1 ports is the eARC, so that’s where your receiver or soundbar has to go. This effectively leaves you with a single HDMI 2.1 port, and that just doesn’t cut it today. I have an Xbox, PS5, and Nintendo Switch 2, three devices that would all love to have a 2.1 port, but I can’t plug them all in at once.
My answer to this was to get an AV receiver, but I did that for Dolby Atmos, and the added HDMI ports were just a bonus. I’m glad I have it, though, because it means I can have all my devices plugged in at once, but this is a problem that could be so easily avoided if manufacturers just stepped it up a bit. We’re on the cusp of HDMI 2.2 hitting the mainstream, and it feels like TVs still haven’t fully caught up to 2.1.
Quiz
HDMI 2.0 and its history
Trivia challenge
Think you know everything about the standard that supercharged your home cinema? Put your knowledge to the test.
HistoryStandardsVideoHardwareBandwidth
In what year was HDMI 2.0 officially released?
Correct! HDMI 2.0 was released in September 2013 by the HDMI Forum. It arrived just in time to support the growing demand for 4K content and displays entering the consumer market.
Not quite. HDMI 2.0 launched in September 2013. This timing was deliberate, as manufacturers needed a standard capable of handling 4K resolution at smoother frame rates than its predecessor could manage.
What is the maximum bandwidth offered by HDMI 2.0?
That’s right! HDMI 2.0 delivers a maximum bandwidth of 18 Gbps, a significant jump from HDMI 1.4’s 10.2 Gbps. This extra headroom was essential for supporting 4K at 60 frames per second.
Not quite. HDMI 2.0 supports up to 18 Gbps of bandwidth. For comparison, its predecessor HDMI 1.4 was capped at 10.2 Gbps, which wasn’t enough for smooth 4K playback at 60fps.
What is the maximum frame rate HDMI 2.0 supports at 4K resolution?
Correct! HDMI 2.0 can handle 4K resolution at up to 60fps. This was a major improvement over HDMI 1.4, which could only push 4K at 30fps — a limitation that made motion look choppy on large screens.
Not quite. The answer is 60fps. HDMI 1.4 had already introduced 4K support but was limited to 30fps, and HDMI 2.0 doubled that frame rate, making a huge difference for sports and gaming content.
Which organisation took over governance of the HDMI specification from HDMI Licensing LLC, leading up to the release of HDMI 2.0?
Spot on! The HDMI Forum was established in 2011 and took over development of the HDMI specification, releasing HDMI 2.0 as its first major standard in 2013. It brought a broader group of industry members into the process.
Not quite. The HDMI Forum was the body responsible. Founded in 2011, it replaced the original HDMI Licensing LLC structure for specification development, opening membership to a wider range of consumer electronics companies.
How many simultaneous audio streams does HDMI 2.0 support?
Correct! HDMI 2.0 supports up to 4 simultaneous audio streams, an upgrade over earlier versions. This made it better suited to multi-room audio setups and more complex home theatre configurations.
Not quite. HDMI 2.0 can carry up to 4 simultaneous audio streams. This was one of several audio improvements in the specification, alongside support for up to 32 audio channels in total across those streams.
What sub-revision of HDMI 2.0 introduced support for HDR (High Dynamic Range) video?
Well done! HDMI 2.0a, released in April 2015, was the revision that added static HDR metadata support. This allowed TVs and displays to receive HDR content from sources like Ultra HD Blu-ray players and streaming devices.
The correct answer is HDMI 2.0a. Released in 2015, this update added static HDR support to the standard. A later revision, HDMI 2.0b from 2016, then extended that with support for the HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma) HDR format.
HDMI 2.0 uses the same physical connector type as which earlier version of HDMI?
Correct! One of the great conveniences of HDMI 2.0 is that it uses the same physical connectors introduced with the original HDMI 1.0 specification. That means existing cables and ports are physically compatible, though older cables may not support the full bandwidth.
Not quite — the answer is all previous HDMI versions. HDMI has always maintained physical connector compatibility going back to version 1.0. The key caveat is that older cables may not have the bandwidth capacity to carry HDMI 2.0 signals reliably.
Which colour space format did HDMI 2.0 add support for, enabling more vivid colours on compatible displays?
Excellent! HDMI 2.0 introduced support for the Rec. 2020 colour space, which covers a far wider gamut than the Rec. 709 standard used for HD content. This laid the groundwork for truly vibrant, lifelike images on 4K HDR televisions.
Not quite. The answer is Rec. 2020, also known as BT.2020. This wide colour gamut standard was a key feature of HDMI 2.0, enabling displays to reproduce colours much closer to what the human eye can perceive compared to older HD standards.
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Additional devices shouldn’t be necessary
A problem across many devices
It feels like there’s a trend in technology to offer as few ports as possible. TVs don’t have enough useful HDMI ports, and laptops don’t have enough ports in general. You can fix these problems by picking up an AV receiver for a TV or a USB-C hub for your laptop, but you shouldn’t have to spend extra money on something to get the same value that used to be baked into the purchase. The silver lining is that if you’re not a gamer at all, then this isn’t a problem for you. HDMI 2.0 ports are good enough for 4K Blu-ray players, streaming boxes, and even pretty much anything you can think of plugging into your TV other than a modern game console. Sadly, that doesn’t apply to me, and that’s why not having a plethora of 2.1 ports is so frustrating.
Fire TVs aren’t considered to be the highest-end TVs, but I’m talking about a Mini-LED display that has an MSRP of $1,500 for the 75-inch model, and it has just two 2.1 ports. Yes, it’s often on sale, but even at $1,000, I’d expect to have more versatility than this. This is just a common trend among TVs, and it’s not until you get into even more expensive displays, like the LG C5 OLED, that you start to see four HDMI 2.1 ports as the standard. I don’t see why that’s the case, but I guess you get what you pay for.
At the end of the day, it’s more of an annoyance than anything else. In the past, I had to swap an HDMI cable between my devices just to reap the benefits of a 2.1 port, so it’s nice to see that at least two of them are included now, even if one’s the eARC port.
It must not be a big enough deal
Just because it keeps happening
You’d feel that with enough of a community uproar, things would change, but that’s not the case here. The reality is that a lot of people must not have this problem because it’s something that’s so common with TVs. Maybe it’s because there are so many workarounds, or maybe it’s because people don’t tend to have three game consoles plugged into their TV at any given time. I don’t know what the case is, but I know it’s still something that plagues new TVs to this day.
I’m glad there are still ways to get those HDMI ports if you need them, and they don’t have to be expensive if you don’t want them to be. Used receivers have quite a bit of value, and while getting one that has a bunch of 4K ports is going to cost more, there are still plenty of options out there. After learning how versatile a receiver can be, I’ve since picked up three of them. Only one of them is suitable for an actual home theater in 2026, but that doesn’t mean a 2011 receiver doesn’t have its fair share of uses.
