The increases in available bandwidth with each new iteration of the HDMI spec cable and ports will not be necessary for those doing nothing more than using OTA, cable, streaming or discs to watch TV and movies at 24, 30 or 60Hz.
The HDMI 2.1 full 48Gbps spec is enough for next gen console users as the PS5 has a 32Gbps limit and the XBOX Series X/S has a 40Gbps limit as do all AVPs/AVRs. Some TVs support the full 48Gbps spec.
Transmitting 4K @120Hz 4:4:4/RGB 12 bit Color uncompressed hits the 48Gbps ceiling. More bandwidth or DSC is necessary if one increases that refresh rate from 120Hz to 144Hz and beyond. Currently, Display Port 2.1 and Thunderbolt 5 support 80Gbps.
I really hope manufacturers of AVPs/AVRs start labeling ports accordingly with their next gen of products. Rather than labeling them 8K and 4K, they should be labeled by the supported bandwidth. 48Gbps should be the minimum on all ports going forward on even the cheapest units.
A unit with a mix of ports should label them as Ultra(48Gbps) and Ultra96(96 Gbps). None of this will happen any time soon of course and I’d be surprised if 48Gbps was offered up the next time around at all.
