Digital Video Articles, Tutorials, Guides & Q & A Since 2007

Devices, TV, Video Connectors

What is the Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable 48Gbps? Do You Need it for Your 4K TV?

Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable 48Gbps

Last updated on January 23rd, 2024 at 02:33 am

If you have a Premium Certified High-Speed HDMI or High-Speed HDMI cable, you may be wondering if a Ultra High Speed HDMI can bring improvement to picture quality on your 4K TV and enhance viewing experience.

This article will clear the air on that.

So you have a 4K TV and are wondering if you change your present HDMI cable to a Ultra High Speed HDMI cable 48Gbps it would improve picture quality.

The short answer is no and we’ll explain that later. But let’s look at what the Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable 48Gbps is.

Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable 48Gbps

The ultra high-speed HDMI cable is a HDMI 2.1 cable.

The cable supports video resolutions from 8K up to 10K. Pretty impressive, right?

Well, yes, only that we don’t have ready 8K content, much less 10K, in the form of movies or TV shows. So, even if you have an 8K TV, you’ll still be enjoying 4K content if that’s the source content you get.

And as its name suggests, it can handle video data bandwidth of up to 48 Gbps.

An HDMI 1.4 cable which supports Full HD 1080p video and 4K video at 30 fps supports a video bandwidth of up to 10,2Gbps.

On the other hand, an HDMI 2.0 cable which supports 4K resolution at 60fps supports a video bandwidth of up to 18Gbps.

Does the Ultra High-Speed HDMI Cable Improve My 4K Picture Quality?

A Ultra High-Speed HDMI cable will do nothing to improve the picture quality of your existing 4K or Full HD hardware setup.

For example, if you have a Full HD TV (1080p), you can;t improve picture quality by using an Ultra High-Speed HDMI cable. Your picture quality will be no different from if you’re using a standard HDMI cable.

If you’re playing 4K video on your HDTV, then you’ll be getting the same 4K video quality you got with an HDMI 1.4 or HDMI 2.0 cable.

So, What’s the Fuss About the Ultra High-Speed HDMI Cable 48Gbps?

It may be needed for special viewing needs, but not as far as the home consumer is concerned.

Most home consumers could make do with a HDMI 1.4 cable or HDMI 2,0 for their 4K viewing needs.

So, the Ultra High-Speed is just a future proofing measure. If you get one (if you’re the type riding on the cutting edge of technology), you may not need to replace your HDMI cable for a good number of years.

Free Video Workshop