As with all active adapters, maximum resolution / refresh rate and features support are subject to each individual product's limitations, so read the product description. Not all DisplayPort to HDMI active adapters will support HDMI 2.0 speeds.<br/><br/>
The recommendations listed below all support both DP 1.2+ to HDMI 2.0 conversion and DP 1.1 to HDMI 1.4 conversion, with inline audio and full resolution/refresh rate/color support. They are not bi-directional, so they cannot be used to connect an HDMI computer/laptop/console to a DisplayPort display.<br/><br/>
The recommendations listed below all support both DP 1.2+ to HDMI 2.0 conversion, with inline audio and full resolution/refresh rate/color support. They are not bi-directional, so they cannot be used to connect an HDMI computer/laptop/console to a DisplayPort display.<br/><br/>
DisplayPort 1.2+ to HDMI 2.0 active adapter dongle (use with HDMI cable):
<atarget="_blank"href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00S0C7QO8/?tag=linus21-20">Amazon US (1)</a>
There is some controversy over whether DisplayPort to HDMI passive adapters count as "passive" or not, because they have an integrated circuit inside, so I want to comment on this point.<br/><br/>
A passive adapter can be used to connect a DisplayPort output to a DVI input. This is equivalent to a <b><spanstyle="white-space:nowrap;">Single-Link</span><spanstyle="white-space:nowrap;">DVI-D</span></b> connection. Inline audio is not supported. These adapters can still be used to connect to monitors that have <spanstyle="white-space:nowrap">Dual-Link</span> DVI ports, but the connection will be limited to the capabilities of <spanstyle="white-space:nowrap">Single-Link</span> DVI as outlined in the table above (<astyle="text-decoration:underline; cursor:pointer;"onclick="document.getElementById('DP_TO_DVI_LINK').click();">click here</a>).<br/><br/>
<b>All DisplayPort to DVI passive adapters are <u>Single-Link only</u></b>. DisplayPort to <spanstyle="white-space:nowrap">Dual-Link</span> DVI passive adapters <b>do not exist</b>. Although most DisplayPort to DVI passive adapters are advertised as "Dual-Link" and may appear to have "Dual-Link" connectors on them, please be warned that these are fake. The extra pins on these DVI connectors are dummy pins which are not connected to anything, and the adapter will still only function as a <spanstyle="white-space:nowrap">Single-Link</span> DVI adapter. It is physically impossible to create a passive DisplayPort to <spanstyle="white-space:nowrap">Dual-Link</span> DVI adapter due to an insufficient number of pins on the DisplayPort connector.<br/><br/>
The new HDMI 2.1 version has recently (at the time of writing anyway) been announced. It increases the maximum transmission bandwidth to 48.0 Gbit/s. New "48G" HDMI cables will be required to take advantage of the higher data rate, but other features of HDMI 2.1 that are unrelated to bandwidth (such as dynamic HDR metadata or Game Mode VRR) will not require new cables.<br/><br/>
The new HDMI 2.1 version has recently (at the time of writing) been announced. It increases the maximum transmission bandwidth to 48.0 Gbit/s. New "48G" HDMI cables will be required to take advantage of the higher data rate, but other features of HDMI 2.1 that are unrelated to bandwidth (such as dynamic HDR metadata or Game Mode VRR) will not require new cables.<br/><br/>
HDMI 2.1 achieves 48 Gbit/s bandwidth by doubling the signaling frequency to 12 GHz (compared to 6 GHz in HDMI 2.0), as well as adding an additional data channel (4 channels total, compared to 3 in HDMI 2.0). This will not require a change in the physical connector, so 48G HDMI cables and HDMI 2.1 devices will still be usable with previous-version HDMI devices and other HDMI cable types. The fourth data channel will use pins 10 and 12 on the HDMI connector, previously used for the TMDS clock signal (which is now embedded in the data channel signals in HDMI 2.1). In previous HDMI versions, this clock signal ran at only one-tenth the frequency that the data channels ran at (600 MHz in HDMI 2.0), but in HDMI 2.1 this channel runs at 12 GHz like the other data channels, twenty times the frequency required by HDMI 2.0. As a result, previous HDMI cables (Premium, High Speed, and Standard Speed HDMI cables) are not suitable for 12 GHz signaling on these pins and will not be capable of facilitating the full 48 Gbit/s bandwidth of HDMI 2.0. New 48G cables with a much more tightly controlled pair on pins 10 and 12 will be required for this. These cables will still be compatible with previous HDMI versions.<br/><br/>
<li>HDMI 1.3 or above (some monitors do not accept >60 Hz over HDMI, so don't count on this option)</li>
<li>HDMI 1.3 or above (some monitors do not accept >60 Hz over HDMI even if they have an HDMI 1.3+ port. Research your specific display model, most do not support 120+ Hz over HDMI.)</li>
</ul>
At 2560×1440 (2.5K):<br/>
@ -4532,11 +4549,26 @@
<spanid="120Hz_HDMI_limit"><b>Isn’t HDMI limited to 60 Hz?</b></span><br/><br/>
<divstyle="padding-left:20px;">
No, HDMI is not limited to 60 Hz. This is a common myth. Many 1080p 120+ Hz displays are capped at 60 Hz over HDMI, but this is a limitation of those particular displays, not a limitation of the HDMI standard. HDMI itself allows unlimited refresh frequencies, and this has been the case since version 1.2 in 2005. Please refer to the main article <aonclick="openSpoiler('hdmi_60hz_limit', { 'scroll': true, 'this is the': 'table id' });"style="text-decoration:underline; cursor:pointer;">here</a>.<br/><br/>
No, HDMI is not limited to 60 Hz. This is a common myth. Many 1080p 120+ Hz displays are capped at 60 Hz over HDMI, but this is a limitation of those particular displays, not a limitation of the HDMI standard. HDMI itself allows unlimited refresh frequencies, and this has been the case since 2005 with HDMI version 1.2. Please refer to the main article <aonclick="openSpoiler('hdmi_60hz_limit', { 'scroll': true, 'this is the': 'table id' });"style="text-decoration:underline; cursor:pointer;">here</a>.<br/><br/>
Conspicuous examples of such displays include the ASUS VG248QE, the BenQ XL2411Z, and the Acer GN246HL. All of these are 1080p 144 Hz monitors with HDMI 1.4a ports, but do not support more than 60 Hz over HDMI. However, other monitors like the ViewSonic XG2401, Nixeus NX-VUE24A, and Samsung C24FG70 <i>do</i> accept 1080p 120+ Hz through HDMI 1.4a.
Conspicuous examples of such displays include the ASUS VG248QE, the BenQ XL2411Z, and the Acer GN246HL. All of these are 1080p 144 Hz monitors with HDMI 1.4a ports, but do not support more than 60 Hz over HDMI. However, other monitors like the ViewSonic XG2401, Nixeus <spanstyle="white-space:nowrap">NX-VUE24A</span>, and Samsung C24FG70 <i>do</i> accept 1080p 120+ Hz through HDMI 1.4a.<br/><br/>
The refresh frequency limits of HDMI at some common resolutions are listed in the table <astyle="cursor: pointer; text-decoration: underline;"onclick="openSpoiler('maximum_limits', { 'scroll': false, 'this is the': 'table id' }); scrollToEl('LIMIT_SECTION_HDMI');">here</a>. HDMI 1.3 and above are capable of 144 Hz at 1080p, and HDMI 2.0 is capable of 144 Hz at 1440p.<br/><br/>
Determining what version of HDMI a monitor supports will not tell you anything about whether the monitor supports 120+ Hz over HDMI or not. Some displays support it, some don't, regardless of version. You will have to research the specific model to find out if it supports 120+ Hz over HDMI.<br/><br/>
</div>
<spanid="120Hz_DP_to_HDMI_adapters"><b>Can I use a DisplayPort to HDMI passive adapter / cable?</b></span><br/><br/>
<divstyle="padding-left:20px;">
Yes, up to 1080p 120 Hz. Higher modes such as 1080p 144 Hz are not possible through a DisplayPort to HDMI passive adapter.<br/><br/>
The following requirements also apply:
<ul>
<li>The source must have DisplayPort version 1.2 or higher</li>
<li>The display must have HDMI version 1.3 or higher</li>
<li>The display must support 120+ Hz over HDMI; many displays are limited to 60 Hz over HDMI even if they have an HDMI 1.3+ port, so research your specific display model carefully and make sure it supports >60 Hz over HDMI</li>
<li>A <b>Type 2</b> DisplayPort to HDMI passive adapter must be used. <b>Not just any DisplayPort to HDMI adapter will work</b>. Type 1 adapters will be limited to 60 Hz at 1080p. See <astyle="cursor:pointer; text-decoration:underline;"onclick="setIODropdowns('DP', 'HDMI', { 'scroll': true });">here</a> for more details.</li>
</ul>
<br/>
</div>
<spanid="120Hz_DP_adapters"><b>Can I use a DisplayPort to <spanstyle="white-space:nowrap">Dual-Link</span> DVI passive adapter / cable?</b></span><br/><br/>
@ -4555,12 +4587,20 @@
These HDMI to <spanstyle="white-space:nowrap">Single-Link</span> DVI passive adapters <b>may</b> work for 120+ Hz if used from a DVI <b>output</b> (computer/source) to an HDMI <b>input</b> (display) because it acts as an HDMI connection when used in this configuration, and HDMI 1.3+ can support 1080p 120 Hz as mentioned previously, but this does require the monitor to accept 120+ Hz over HDMI, so it will not work on monitors like the BenQ XL2411Z or ASUS VG248QE, which are limited to 60 Hz on their HDMI ports.<br/><br/>
</div>
<spanid="120Hz_no_DP_output"><b>Can I connect a DVI or HDMI computer / source to a DisplayPort display?</b></span><br/><br/>
<divstyle="padding-left:20px;">
No. Although this is not theoretically impossible, it is practically impossible at the moment, as there are no adapters (at the time of writing) from DVI or HDMI to DisplayPort that are capable of 120 Hz. DVI/HDMI to DisplayPort adapters are uncommon and unreliable even for standard 60 Hz video.<br/><br/>
Please note that the inexpensive DisplayPort to HDMI and DisplayPort to DVI adapters and cables that can be commonly found will only function from a DisplayPort source to a DVI/HDMI display. They cannot be used to connect a DVI/HDMI source to a DisplayPort display. A much more expensive converter device is required for this, and I do not know of any that support >60 Hz video.<br/><br/>
</div>
<spanid="120Hz_no_DP"><b>I have a BenQ XL2411Z / Acer GN246HL or another 120+ Hz monitor with no DisplayPort input. What should I do?</b></span><br/><br/>
<divstyle="padding-left:20px;">
Some 1080p 144 Hz displays, such as the BenQ/Zowie XL2411Z and Acer GN246HL, only have DVI and HDMI inputs, they do not have DisplayPort. Furthermore, the HDMI ports on these monitors are limited to 60 Hz, which means that <spanstyle="white-space:nowrap">Dual-Link</span> DVI <b>must</b> be used in order to reach 144 Hz on these monitors.<br/><br/>
This can be problematic for people that want to use these monitors with laptops, or with newer graphics cards that don't have native DVI ouptuts. HDMI-to-DVI and DisplayPort-to-DVI passive adapters will <b>not</b> work, because HDMI and DisplayPort only support passive adapters to <b><spanstyle="white-space:nowrap">Single-Link</span> DVI</b>, which only supports 1080p 60 Hz. A <b><spanstyle="white-space:nowrap">Dual-Link</span></b> DVI connection is required for 1080p 144 Hz.<br/><br/>
This can be problematic for people that want to use these monitors with laptops, or with newer graphics cards that don't have native DVI outputs. HDMI-to-DVI and DisplayPort-to-DVI passive adapters will <b>not</b> work, because HDMI and DisplayPort only support passive adapters to <b><spanstyle="white-space:nowrap">Single-Link</span> DVI</b>, which only supports 1080p 60 Hz. A <b><spanstyle="white-space:nowrap">Dual-Link</span></b> DVI connection is required for 1080p 144 Hz.<br/><br/>
Please also note that many HDMI-to-DVI and DisplayPort-to-DVI passive adapters will be disguised and falsely advertised as "<spanstyle="white-space:nowrap">Dual-Link</span> DVI" adapters, so if you think you've found one, you haven't. HDMI and DisplayPort <b>do not support</b> passive adapters to <spanstyle="white-space:nowrap">Dual-Link</span> DVI, they are <b>all</b><spanstyle="white-space:nowrap">Single-Link</span> DVI adapters no matter what they say or what they look like.<br/><br/>
<b>Wasn't support for 1080p 120 Hz only added in HDMI 1.4b (and therefore not supported in 1.4a and earlier)?</b><br/><br/>
<divstyle="padding-left:20px;">
No. This claim comes from people reading it on Wikipedia but not checking the citation, which was just a youtube video of some random guy saying so. Speaking as someone who has read the actual HDMI 1.4/a/b Specification documents, this claim of 1080p 120 Hz support being introduced in HDMI 1.4b is completely false. Nothing was introduced in HDMI 1.4b (see <atarget="_blank"href="https://glenwing.github.io/docs/HDMI-1.4b.pdf#page=3">here</a>), simply minor edits, which is why you don't generally see "HDMI 1.4b" devices, because technologically it is identical to HDMI 1.4a, just some changes to the wording in the HDMI Specification document.<br/><br/>
No. This claim comes from people reading it on Wikipedia but not checking the citation, which was just a youtube video of some random guy saying so. Speaking as someone who has the actual HDMI 1.4/a/b Specification documents on hand, this claim of 1080p 120 Hz support being introduced in HDMI 1.4b is completely false. Nothing was introduced in HDMI 1.4b (see <atarget="_blank"href="https://glenwing.github.io/docs/HDMI-1.4b.pdf#page=3">here</a>), simply minor edits and clarifications to the document itself, which is why you don't generally see "HDMI 1.4b" devices, because technologically it is identical to HDMI 1.4a, just some changes to the wording in the HDMI Specification document.<br/><br/>
1080p 120 Hz has been explicitly listed in the HDMI Specification as a supported format since HDMI 1.4 (<atarget="_blank"href="https://glenwing.github.io/docs/HDMI-1.4.pdf#page=123">§6.3.2</a>), not 1.4b, but even prior to that in HDMI 1.3 or 1.3a it can be implemented as a vendor-specific format which is a perfectly valid approach. Video formats do not require "support" from the HDMI Specification to work, because the word "support" does not mean what most people think it means in this case.<br/><br/>
When the HDMI Specification "adds support" for a certain format, it doesn't mean it in the conventional sense of "adding the capability" as if it wasn't previously possible. They mean it in a more literal sense of adding supporting material to help strengthen it, by defining standardized timings for the format to help with compatibility and ease of implementation instead of leaving it purely to the vendor's discretion.<br/><br/>
This "support" isn't actually necessary to display a format though. Even if a format isn't supported by the HDMI Specification, it can still be displayed through HDMI. 2560×1440 for example is not listed in the HDMI Specification either, so it is just as "unsupported" by HDMI as 1080p 144 Hz is, and yet it's implemented over HDMI on hundreds of different monitors. The same can be done with 1080p 144 Hz if manufacturers choose to do so.<br/><br/>
This "support" isn't actually necessary to display a format though. Even if a format isn't supported by the HDMI Specification, it can still be displayed through HDMI. 2560×1440 for example is not listed in the HDMI Specification either, so it is just as "unsupported" by HDMI as 1080p 144 Hz is, and yet it's implemented over HDMI on hundreds of different monitors. The same can be done with 1080p 144 Hz if manufacturers choose to do so, and they have done so on several monitors as mentioned above.<br/><br/>
Another example of this usage of the term "support" is ultrawide formats; HDMI 2.0 "added support" for the 21:9 ratio, even though ultrawide resolutions were available before HDMI 2.0 even existed and were working just fine over HDMI 1.4a. "Adding support" for 21:9 just meant the HDMI 2.0 spec added material to help establish standardized formats and timings, not that 21:9 formats weren't possible in previous versions, and indeed the majority of ultrawide monitors use HDMI 1.4a even though it "doesn't support" 21:9 ratio formats.<br/><br/>
Another example of this usage of the term "support" is ultrawide formats; HDMI 2.0 "added support" for the 21:9 ratio, even though ultrawide resolutions were available before HDMI 2.0 even existed and were working just fine over HDMI 1.4a. "Adding support" for 21:9 just meant the HDMI 2.0 spec added material to help establish standardized formats and timings, not that 21:9 formats weren't possible in previous versions, and indeed the majority of ultrawide monitors still use HDMI 1.4a even though it "doesn't support" 21:9 ratio formats, because it doesn't need to.<br/><br/>
Just because "HDMI doesn't support X", this does <i>not</i> mean "HDMI doesn't allow X" or "X won't work over HDMI".<br/><br/>
</div>
@ -5362,7 +5402,7 @@
<!-- Bandwidth / Maximum Refresh Frequency Calculator -->
Glenwing
7 years ago