After first announcing it at CES 2025, the HDMI Forum is finally releasing the new HDMI 2.2 specification to manufacturers today. Although there is no definitive timeline for how long it will take hardware makers to adopt the new specification, the first Ultra96 HDMI Cables, with bandwidth capabilities boosted to up to 96Gbps, could be available later this year.

HDMI 2.1 and the current Ultra High Speed HDMI cables have a maximum bandwidth of 48Gbps which supports resolutions up to 10K and refresh rates up to 120Hz with 4K content. HDMI 2.2 and the new Ultra96 cables will enable even higher resolutions and refresh rates including 4K at 480Hz, 8K at 240Hz, 10K at 120Hz, and even 16K at 60Hz. It will also handle uncompressed video formats with 10-bit and 12-bit color at 8K at 60Hz and 4K at 240Hz.

Given how difficult it still is to find native 8K content, don’t expect cable providers or console makers to offer 16K anytime soon. HDMI 2.1 has been around since 2017 and hardware makers still don’t take full advantage of the spec, so the increased bandwidth and resolutions of 2.2 should help future-proof the HDMI specification for years to come.

The HDMI Forum is also hoping that the new specification will make it easier for consumers to know what cable they need to be using. HDMI cables are currently differentiated with names including Standard, High Speed, Premium High Speed, and Ultra High Speed, which doesn’t provide any specifics on their capabilities. With HDMI 2.2, the Ultra96 name will make it clear that a cable supports the new specification and bandwidths up to 96Gbps.

HDMI 2.2 will also include the new Latency Indication Protocol (LIP), which was also announced last January. The feature is designed to build on audio and video synchronization improvements introduced with HDMI 2.1, particularly for setups where signals are bouncing through a soundbar or an AV receiver before reaching a TV or projector.

All cables supporting the HDMI 2.2 specification and featuring the Ultra96 label will be certified by the HDMI Forum’s authorized test centers to ensure they can handle the increased bandwidth. However, a device that’s Ultra96 certified won’t necessarily require a new HDMI cable if you don’t need the latest features. You can continue to use your existing older HDMI cables and even still take advantage of some HDMI 2.2 features that don’t require higher bandwidths. But if you want to upgrade your home theater to 16K, you will need to upgrade to Ultra96 cables.