this post was submitted on 05 Dec 2025

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Why won’t Steam Machine support HDMI 2.1? Digging in on the display standard drama. (arstechnica.com)

submitted 1 day ago by Fubarberry@sopuli.xyz to c/steamdeck@sopuli.xyz

103 comments fedilink hide all child comments

The TL;DR is that the organization that controls the HDMI standard won't allow any open source implementation of HDMI 2.1.

So the hardware is fully capable of it, but they'll get in trouble if them officially implement it.

Instead it's officially HDMI 2 (which maxes out at 4k @ 60Hz), but through a technique called chroma sub-sampling they've been able to raise that up to 4k @ 120Hz.

However there are some minor reductions in picture quality because of this, and the whole thing would be much easier if the HDMI forum would be more consumer friendly.

In the meantime, the Steam Machine also has display port as a completely issue free display option.

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[–] klangcola@reddthat.com 16 points 4 hours ago

AMD already spent a significant amount of effort implementing HDMI2.1 in their open driver in such a way that it would be compliment. The suits from HDMI consortium still said No.

https://www.phoronix.com/news/HDMI-2.1-OSS-Rejected

AMD Linux engineers have spent months working with their legal team and evaluating all HDMI features to determine if/how they can be exposed in their open-source driver. AMD had code working internally and then the past few months were waiting on approval from the HDMI Forum... Sadly, the HDMI Forum has turned down AMD's request for open-source driver support.

AMD Linux engineer Alex Deucher commented on the ticket:
"The HDMI Forum has rejected our proposal unfortunately. At this time an open source HDMI 2.1 implementation is not possible without running afoul of the HDMI Forum requirements."

[–] mlg@lemmy.world 26 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

I'm honestly surprised TV OEMs haven't bothered to at least try throwing in DisplayPort, especially during the period of time it far exceeded the highest possible quality on HDMI.

HDMI is just the last hardware standard created from the ashes of the format wars that has no practical place anymore. It only exists to collect hostage licensing fees.

[–] barryamelton@lemmy.world 13 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

Tv oems are the ones that set up the hdmi club. They want the content encrypted with drm, from transit, to your pc, to your cable, to your screen. Look up the analog hole. This battle has been going on for 20 years. Share this with interested people.

[–] Blackmist@feddit.uk 3 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

I don't know why they'd think I'd capture 600MB/s of uncompressed video though.

Since the torrent sites are crammed with full quality 4k Bluray remuxes and WebDLs direct from Amazon, there's clearly easier and better ways of doing this than putting encryption in a cable.

[–] barryamelton@lemmy.world 1 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

Oh, they are working on that too. Win 11 depends on TPM modules, and it's not by mistake. Once they have the full software and hardware pipeline, they can control the media we see (for profit, but also for authoritarism because the jump is so small).

[–] Alaknar@sopuli.xyz 0 points 2 hours ago

I love that you're talking about these issues, but the TPM has nothing to do with any of this. It's also not a hard requirement for Windows 11 (even though that's basically all the media was talking about).

[–] NewNewAugustEast@lemmy.zip 44 points 18 hours ago (3 children)

I hated HMDI when it came out, and I continue to hate it.

[–] roserose56@lemmy.zip 2 points 5 hours ago (2 children)

And what do you use?

[–] BanMe@lemmy.world 1 points 52 minutes ago

Component RCA like god intended

[–] Alaknar@sopuli.xyz 2 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

DisplayPort?

[–] roserose56@lemmy.zip 1 points 1 hour ago

I see.

[–] JackbyDev@programming.dev 16 points 15 hours ago

Fuck HDCP.

[–] YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today 8 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

I tried to stick with DP only, but the tvs with it are getting rarer and much more expensive.

[–] Chais@sh.itjust.works 7 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago) (1 children)

Buy monitors instead. Also saves you the headache of dealing with "smart TV" bullshit.

[–] x00z@lemmy.world 3 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

Do you know of any big dumb TVs or monitors that I could buy in Europe? I only know of Sceptre TVs which are mostly meant for businesses and storefronts but they are extremely hard to get in Europe.

[–] Chais@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago) (2 children)

Biggest I found is the Acer Nitro XV275KP3 Gaming Monitor. You kinda pay gaming hardware prices, but given the support for up to 120Hz and HDR10, I was OK with that. It's mostly used for gaming, anyway.
It used to be that beamers were a way to sidestep the "smart" bullshit, but they started adding that, too. Even the business ones.

[–] Alaknar@sopuli.xyz 1 points 2 hours ago

A 27" monitor will not be anywhere near a replacement for 60" TV, I'm afraid.

[–] x00z@lemmy.world 3 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

That one is 27". I think that's way too small for the living room. I also consider 120hz to be overkill for some couch gaming and movies.

[–] Chais@sh.itjust.works 1 points 59 minutes ago

Do let me know if you find something more suited.

[–] clot27@lemmy.zip 99 points 21 hours ago (3 children)

fuck HDMI

all my homies hate HDMI

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[–] skymtf@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 points 13 hours ago (2 children)

At this point just make an "adapter" that captures the disaply port signal and outputs it from a "supported" device

[–] spicehoarder@lemmy.zip 1 points 2 hours ago

At this point stop using HDMI

[–] elucubra@sopuli.xyz 5 points 4 hours ago

. And players that want to avoid the issue can use the Steam Machine’s DisplayPort 1.4 output, which supports even more bandwidth than HDMI 2.1 (and which can be converted to an HDMI signal with a simple dongle).

So, ship with a dongle.

[–] yeahiknow3@lemmy.dbzer0.com 57 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

HDMI needs to die.

[–] tempest@lemmy.ca 18 points 21 hours ago

I mean the many incarnations of usbc are slowly making headway. For better and worse.

[–] pyre@lemmy.world 34 points 20 hours ago (2 children)

governments should start cracking down on codecs. tf are dipshits allowed to hold standards hostage?

[–] Natanael@infosec.pub 16 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago) (1 children)

They really just need to demand that open formats are implemented in parallel with any proprietary ones, with no artificial feature/performance disparity allowed.

That kills any incentive to keep the proprietary ones locked down because eventually the open formats will be available throughout the ecosystem and users will have devices with support in the entire pipeline. Then users will simply no longer want to deal with the locked down formats for long and nobody will want to sell them.

[–] ragebutt@lemmy.dbzer0.com 15 points 14 hours ago

Proprietary formats should be illegal. Consumers are idiots, marketing will convince them to support proprietary, and regulatory capture will compromise any attempt to stop disparity

[–] JackbyDev@programming.dev 10 points 15 hours ago

It pisses me off that you gotta pay so much money to look at the official ISO 8601.

[–] asudox@lemmy.asudox.dev 158 points 1 day ago (4 children)

DisplayPort rocks

[–] sonalder@lemmy.ml 80 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Yeah fuck the video codec mafia and all these proprietary shits like HDMI

[–] mushroomman_toad@lemmy.dbzer0.com 41 points 23 hours ago* (last edited 23 hours ago)

Fun fact, all of the audio codes are proprietary too. You won't find a HDMI surround sound splitter on Aliexpress. Say no to HDMI, say no to E-ARC.

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[–] IrateAnteater@sh.itjust.works 193 points 1 day ago (13 children)

With TVs starting to get USB-C inputs, which are displayport under the hood, hopefully HDMI fucks off.

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[–] Luci@lemmy.ca 70 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Is this why DisplayPort looks better for me on Linux???

[–] cecilkorik@piefed.ca 65 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Yes. DP is the right choice for civilized people.

[–] Midnitte@beehaw.org 35 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

Yep it's pretty much better in all regards.

The only downside is no ARC support, but I suppose support for that is pretty hit or miss anyway.

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[–] Templa@beehaw.org 29 points 22 hours ago (7 children)

I really wish I could find a TV within my desired specs that had DisplayPort. We will buy a Steam Machine to use it in place of our docked Steam Deck in the living room, so being able to use DP would be amazing.

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