Monticelllo/Getty Images

Most of us don't give a second thought to the web of cables criss-crossing our entertainment centers. As long as everything is working as intended, that whole arrangement tends to be out of sight, out of mind. But having a clear picture of what all those components do can help you to get the most out of your setup.

One of the workhorses of your living room is HDMI, which stands for high-definition multimedia interface. It's one of the most common standards for cables used to transmit both audio and video signals, giving it a high presence in most people's homes. These ports can be found on televisions, monitors, game consoles and sound systems. And as with other standards, it has seen improvements over the years in order to keep pace with the parallel developments for picture and sound quality.

With more video streaming services promoting 4K picture quality, and sometimes requiring a higher monthly subscription fee to access it, you'll want to make sure your home theater is set up to take full advantage. Fortunately, you shouldn't need to replace all of your cables to enjoy high-resolution video streams.

There are two common standards right now for these audiovisual ports. The HDMI 2.0 spec was introduced in 2013 and HDMI 2.1 was announced in 2017. Though it was finalized last June, HDMI 2.2 isn't widely available yet (more on that later). 

You may not know which one you have on your home theater setup because the cables can be used interchangeably, with a 2.1 cable plugged into a 2.0 port or vice versa.

The main difference between the two specifications is that HDMI 2.1 can use a higher maximum bandwidth and is able to transmit more pixels at any given moment. HDMI 2.0 can deliver a peak performance of 4K resolution at 60Hz refresh rate, while HDMI 2.1 is capable of displaying that same resolution at 120Hz.

That makes it sound like HDMI 2.1 would deliver better results and a smoother picture when you stream a video. But rather than your gear, the main limitation on quality is happening on the side of the streaming services. The majority of them cap picture quality at 4K/60Hz.

That means, for where the current generation of televisions and streaming picture display are, HDMI 2.0 is sufficient for almost any situation. Both HDMI 2.0 and 2.1 are capable of transmitting 4K video, so most of your movies and shows will come through looking crisp and clear with any configuration of cables and ports.

The key to picking HDMI is that a setup will only be able to hit the maximum levels of the least advanced component. So even though HDMI 2.0 and 2.1 are compatible, having one of each means you'll only be able to attain the 2.0 specs.

The most likely use case where you can see a notable performance difference from having all HDMI 2.1 components isn't in streaming video content. It's in gaming. For those of you who are playing competitive games online, you may want that extra edge from having 4K resolution at a 120Hz refresh rate. Or maybe you've invested in a high-end PC or a PlayStation 5 Pro and want the maximum immersion possible for whatever you're playing. In those cases, you'll want to have HDMI 2.1 in your connector cable and your monitor or TV to keep pace with that performance.

With HDMI 2.0, even if your game is capable of running at 4K and 120Hz on your hardware, you'll be capped at that standard's max refresh rate of 60Hz for 4K or you'll have to drop resolution to 1080p in order to hit 120Hz.

HDMI 2.2 was just announced in June 2025 as the next tier available for the standard. This option pushes the top specs much higher than either 2.0 and 2.1. It supports a top bandwidth of 96 Gbps as well as better combinations of resolutions and refresh rates, including a peak of 16K at 60Hz as well as 8K at 60Hz or 4K at 240Hz with 10-bit or 12-bit uncompressed color.

You may wonder why this latest and speediest option for data transfer hasn't been mentioned so far.

That's because although the standard now exists, there isn't a ton of hardware around to take advantage of HDMI 2.2's higher thresholds. Any time tech changes at this foundational level, it takes time for manufacturers to reach widespread adoption of the newest version. There are some 8K televisions and gaming monitors on the market, but they are not cheap. 

We're probably still a year or two out before all the different components in a home theater system will be ready to make the 2.2. leap. Since you'll be capped by the slowest junction in your system in the meantime, there's not much point in stocking up on HDMI 2.2 cables now unless you're also planning to drop thousands of dollars on gear to use them for.