I messaged them about the firmware update. They said end of March now!
It's going to be curious to see whether they release the firmware with official certification or as public beta, like everyone else. Phil Shea explicitly said in
@gene 's online talk that they intended to certify HDMI 2.1 capabilities. So, delay may not be due to Yamaha itself, but due to HDMI Org dragging this process.
Once it's certified, there will be no excuses for faulty boards or non-working features, as we have seen in 2020 lower tier models. LG is going to release 4th generation of HDMI 2.1 TVs this spring. It goes to show how much behind are AVRs in adopting new tech.
On another note, evolution of AVR boards could see adoption of other video interfaces. It's time AVRs finally introduce DisplayPort Type-C, so that users can comfortably connect whatever display they have at home. AVR video board is supposed to be the most versatile video hub/connector in the world. Sadly, it is still not that. Home theatre idea is quickly evolving in various directions as more devices are engaged, not only those with HDMI interface.
AVR companies should also adopt audio-video-over-IP, with AV-IP encode/decode chip inside and much faster WiFi and LAN ports, at least stable 1 Gbps. This will allow users to send AV content over network into AVR for decoding audio and passing video into HDMI out. So far, external devices are needed for this. It should not be the case that I must connect NAS with Plex with HDMI cable to AVR to get movies flowing. There should be enough flexibility for media content go through home network too. HDMI-only mind-set is out of date in this day and age.
This is not going to happen until new gen of SoCs that support the feature is adopted. Yamaha says their new Qualcomm 407 SoC should last up to 7-10 years, so no AV-over-IP happening any time soon on mainstream devices.
Just a Friday eve rant...
