Does It Matter Which Hdmi Port You Use On Your Tv? Short Answer: Yes

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

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ZDNET cardinal takeaways

• Not each HDMI ports support nan aforesaid features.
• Use HDMI 2.1 for PS5/Series X gaming and ARC/eARC for soundbars.
• Plugging into nan incorrect larboard works, but it whitethorn consequence successful reduced performance.

Most newer TVs travel pinch 3 aliases 4 HDMI ports, and connected nan surface, they each look identical. 

They each person nan aforesaid style and activity pinch nan aforesaid HDMI cable, but not each larboard supports nan aforesaid features. Choosing nan incorrect 1 tin time off your PS5 stuck astatine 60Hz, your soundbar silent, aliases your PC incapable to output astatine a precocious refresh rate. 

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The bully news is it's easy to study what each HDMI larboard does and really to lucifer your devices to nan correct one.

HDMI larboard types explained

All HDMI ports tin transportation video and audio, but they support different bandwidth levels, which find nan devices you should usage pinch them. If you hap to plug into nan incorrect HDMI port, thing will break, but you will not get afloat capacity aliases sound.

For example, an HDMI 2.0 larboard supports 4K astatine 60Hz, HDR, and ARC audio, making it bully for streaming media players and cablegram boxes. Meanwhile, an HDMI 2.1 larboard supports 4K astatine 120Hz (or 8K astatine 60Hz), VRR, ALLM, and eARC, which is awesome for next-generation consoles for illustration nan PS5. HDMI 2.1 tin sometimes scope 4K astatine 240Hz pinch Display Stream Compression (DSC).

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Then location is usually an ARC / eARC port, aliases audio return channel. It looks for illustration an HDMI port, but it tin nonstop audio backmost retired to a soundbar aliases AV receiver. ARC supports modular Dolby Digital 5.1, while eARC supports uncompressed Dolby Atmos and DTS:X.

How to show isolated your HDMI ports

Your TV apt has branded HDMI ports, truthful return a look astatine nan backmost to spot for yourself. 

Usually, they're called HDMI 1, HDMI 2, and HDMI 3, and past you'll spot ARC aliases eARC. Some manufacturers people descriptions nether nan labels. You mightiness spot an HDMI 2.1 larboard described arsenic 4K120, VRR, Game, aliases Enhanced, aliases it mightiness moreover opportunity nan nonstop solution and framework complaint it supports. If there's nary explanation for an HDMI port, presume it's modular HDMI 2.0 -- isolated from nan 1 showing ARC.

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My proposal is to spot if location are descriptions adjacent to nan ports. You tin besides mention to your TV's personification manual for much information. Almost each TVs released successful nan past 2 decades person HDMI ports and ARC support, while HDMI 2.1 and eARC person go much communal since 2017. 

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET / Hisense

Which HDMI larboard should I use?

OK, truthful let's opportunity you person a instrumentality you request to plug into your TV, whether it's a soundbar, a PC, a Blu-ray player, aliases thing else. Look astatine nan backmost of your TV to find its HDMI ports, and past find whether they're HDMI 2.0 aliases HDMI 2.1, and which 1 supports ARC aliases eARC. Again, spot if location are descriptions adjacent to nan ports aliases mention to your TV's personification manual.

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Once you cognize what your TV supports, it's clip to brace each instrumentality pinch nan correct port. Use nan guideline below.

Is location a emblematic larboard layout I tin follow?

Yes. Most TVs person 3 aliases 4 HDMI ports, pinch a emblematic layout that you tin follow, but it's still a bully thought to cheque your ports to guarantee compatibility.

For example, older Samsung models typically person only 1 HDMI 2.1 larboard (often branded arsenic HDMI 3 aliases 4), whereas newer models see more. 

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On LG TVs, particularly newer OLED models, you'll typically find aggregate HDMI 2.1 ports. Sony usually reserves HDMI 3 and 4 for HDMI 2.1. TCL limits HDMI 2.1 to mid- to high-tier models, arsenic do Panasonic and Hisense (the U7 and U8 person 2 HDMI 2.1 ports). Vizio besides limits HDMI 2.1 ports to high-end models, specified arsenic nan P-Series and OLED sets.

Philips gives its newer OLEDs 2 to 4 HDMI 2.1 ports. As for Sharp, astir of its ports are modular HDMI. 

• HDMI 1: Streaming instrumentality aliases Blu-ray
• HDMI 2 (usually HDMI 2.1): Gaming console
• HDMI 3 (usually HDMI 2.1 aliases ARC/eARC): Soundbar
• HDMI 4 (usually HDMI 2.1): Secondary instrumentality aliases PC

If your TV has only 1 HDMI 2.1 port, make that nan 1 for your superior gaming device.