An HDMI cable looks like a commodity until a console refuses to run at 120Hz, a projector across the room shows nothing, or an old DVD player turns out to have no HDMI socket at all. The answer usually comes down to the cable's category, its length, whether a switch or a splitter suits the job, and whether a converter is needed. This guide sets out what HDMI Licensing Administrator, Sony, Xbox and the makers say about each, then lists five products worth shortlisting.
Buy by cable name, not version number. HDMI Licensing Administrator rates the Premium High Speed HDMI Cable for 4K at up to 18Gbps and the Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable for 4K at 120Hz and 8K at 60Hz, the cable Sony and Xbox ask for at 120Hz. Runs longer than a few metres call for an active or optical cable fitted the right way round, and SCART or VGA kit needs a converter.
Key Takeaways
- HDMI Licensing Administrator names cables by category, from the Standard HDMI Cable to Ultra High Speed and Ultra96, and requires the official name on the cable jacket.
- Xbox lists an Ultra High Speed HDMI cable and an HDMI 2.1 TV for 4K at 120Hz, and Sony asks for the PS5's included cable or an Ultra High-Speed cable rated for 4K 120Hz.
- HDMI Licensing Administrator says cables longer than a few metres are likely to need powered, active designs for Ultra High Speed, and a reversed active cable will not work.
- Amazon says its Amazon Basics splitter mirrors one source on two screens, while UGREEN's switch sends one of three sources to a single display.
- Vention says VGA carries no audio and that VGA to HDMI is an analogue to digital conversion, and StarTech's SCART converter turns SCART RGB video into 720p.
HDMI Cables Are Sold by Category, Not by Version Number
HDMI Licensing Administrator (HDMI LA), which licenses the HDMI standard, names cables by what they are tested to carry rather than by a specification number. Its cables page lists the Standard HDMI Cable for 720p or 1080i, the High Speed HDMI Cable for 1080p and beyond at up to 10.2Gbps, the Premium High Speed HDMI Cable for 4K at up to 18Gbps, and the Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable at up to 48Gbps for 8K at 60Hz and 4K at 120Hz. The newer Ultra96 cable reaches 96Gbps. HDMI LA requires the official name on the cable jacket.
Calling a lead an HDMI 2.1 cable is shop-window shorthand. Belkin's UK page calls its AV10175 lead HDMI 2.1 certified, while the product's own name, 8K Ultra High Speed HDMI 2.1 Cable, includes the category HDMI LA certifies.
Certification can be checked. HDMI LA's blog says every length of each model must be tested, and that the label can be scanned with the HDMI Cable Certification app, while its cables page says a standard QR code app reads Ultra High Speed labels too.
Ultra High Speed Is the Cable for 4K at 120Hz, 8K and eARC
HDMI LA's blog lists what the Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable supports: uncompressed 8K at 60Hz and 4K at 120Hz, 48Gbps of bandwidth, dynamic HDR, eARC, and the gaming features Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) and Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM). Its specification overview says VRR reduces or eliminates lag, stutter and frame tearing. One step down, HDMI LA certifies the Premium High Speed HDMI Cable for 4K at 60Hz with HDR, which is enough for a 4K screen that tops out at 60Hz.
Soundbars are the case people miss. eARC, the enhanced audio return channel, carries sound from the TV to a soundbar or AV receiver over one HDMI cable, and HDMI LA says it handles audio at up to 192kHz and 24-bit, including Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. Its guide to TV sound says a Premium High Speed HDMI Cable with Ethernet can be used, but that all of the HDMI 2.1 features need an Ultra High Speed cable, plugged into the TV's port marked eARC. The soundbar guide covers the rest of that set-up.
PS5 and Xbox Series X Spell Out the Cable They Want
Both console makers are specific. Sony's PS5 support page says the console supports the HDMI 2.1 specification and 4K at 120Hz, and asks owners to use the included cable or an Ultra High-Speed cable rated for 4K 120Hz output, plugged into an HDMI 2.1 port on a TV that claims 4K 120Hz support. The setting itself sits under Settings, Screen and Video, then Video Output, where 120 Hz Output is turned on. Sony adds that some TVs need their own HDMI 2.1 settings changed, and asks whether a receiver or other equipment sits between the console and the TV.
Xbox support lists three things for 4K at 120Hz: an Xbox Series X, an Ultra High Speed HDMI cable that supports HDMI 2.1, and a TV that supports HDMI 2.1. Its unboxing page says the Series X comes with an Ultra High Speed HDMI cable, while the Series S comes with a High Speed HDMI cable. A better cable sharpens the picture, not online play, and the gaming router guide deals with lag.
Long Runs Need Active or Optical Cables, Fitted the Right Way Round
Distance is where ordinary cables give up. HDMI LA says passive cables have been getting shorter, or thicker, as HDMI speeds have risen, and its Cable Power page says meeting Ultra High Speed requirements in cables longer than a few metres is likely to need powered, active cables. Many makers use active optical cables, which HDMI LA describes as optical fibres for the high-speed lanes and copper for the rest, giving much longer lengths in a relatively thin cable. UGREEN's own listing for its 10 metre copper HDMI 2.1 cable says that length is not certified.
Direction matters with active cables. HDMI LA says one end is labelled for the source, such as a console, and the other for the receiving screen, and that a cable fitted in reverse causes no damage but will not work. Amazon's listing for its 10 metre Amazon Basics fibre optic cable says to follow the input and output icons printed on it. Some active cables also take a USB Micro-B or USB-C power lead, HDMI LA adds.
A Switch Picks One Source and a Splitter Copies It to Two Screens
The two boxes look alike but work in opposite directions. A switch takes several sources into one TV input: UGREEN's 15604 switch has three inputs, one output, an IR remote and a button, lists 4K at 120Hz with VRR and ALLM, and UGREEN advises HDMI 2.1 cables for 4K at 120Hz. A splitter takes one source out to two screens. Amazon says its Amazon Basics 4K at 60Hz splitter mirrors the same output on both and cannot show two different pictures or switch between them. StarTech says its 4K splitter copies the display settings from port 1 to port 2, with a downscaler so a 1080p and a 4K screen can run together.
Content protection runs through every box. Amazon's Fire TV help says 4K needs an HDMI input supporting HDCP 2.2, a content protection standard, and that every device in the set-up, such as an AV receiver or soundbar, needs it too. UGREEN lists HDCP 2.3, 2.2 and 1.4 for its switch, and StarTech lists HDCP 2.2 and 1.4. The Fire TV Stick guide covers the sticks themselves.
SCART and VGA Kit Needs a Converter, Not a Plain Cable
Old kit needs a box that does the conversion, not a simple lead. Vention, which makes VGA to HDMI converters, says VGA to HDMI is a conversion from analogue to digital, that VGA does not carry audio, and that each direction needs its own converter because the chips differ. It also recommends a converter with its own power socket. Its own VGA to HDMI converter has a Micro USB port for power and an audio port, with 1080p output.
SCART converters do the same job for VCRs, DVD players and older consoles. StarTech's page for its SCART2HDMITV, now discontinued, says it converts SCART RGB video to 720p and delays the audio automatically to keep it in sync with the picture.
Laptops are a separate case. The USB-C to HDMI adapter guide covers which USB-C ports carry video and lists a SCART converter, and Synaptics offers drivers for the DisplayLink chips used in USB adapters and docks. The monitor for laptop guide covers screens with HDMI inputs.
The HDMI Cables, Switches and Converters Worth Shortlisting
Each pick has a limit. Belkin's 8K Ultra High Speed HDMI 2.1 Cable is the main choice for a PS5, an Xbox Series X or an eARC soundbar: Belkin's page lists 8K at 60Hz or 4K at 120Hz, eARC and Dolby Vision in a 2 metre length. For a projector or a TV across the room, Amazon's 10 metre Amazon Basics fibre optic cable reaches further, but Amazon lists it at 18Gbps and 4K at 60Hz, so it is not a 4K at 120Hz cable, and it only works one way round.
UGREEN's 3-in-1 HDMI 2.1 switch suits a TV with too few HDMI 2.1 ports, listing 4K at 120Hz, VRR and ALLM, though UGREEN says it needs a 5V 1A power source and includes no adapter. Amazon's Amazon Basics splitter copies one 4K at 60Hz source to two screens, mirror only, and Amazon says the USB power adapter is not included. Vention's VGA to HDMI converter puts an older VGA PC on an HDMI TV or monitor at 1080p, with an audio input because VGA carries no sound.
| Product | Best for | Key specs | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Belkin 8K Ultra High Speed HDMI 2.1 Cable, 2m (AV10175bt2MBKV2) Our pick | PS5, Xbox Series X and eARC soundbars | 8K at 60Hz or 4K at 120Hz, eARC, Dolby Vision, 2 m | Check price → |
 | Amazon Basics Braided High-Speed Fiber Optic HDMI Cable, 10 m (AZAOC10) Long run | A projector or TV across the room at 4K 60Hz | 18Gbps, 4K at 60Hz, ARC, one-way, 10 m | Check price → |
 | UGREEN 3-in-1 Out 4K@120Hz HDMI 2.1 Switch (15604) Switch | Three sources sharing one HDMI 2.1 TV input | 3 in, 1 out, 4K at 120Hz, VRR, ALLM, HDCP 2.3, remote | Check price → |
 | Amazon Basics HDMI Splitter 1-In, 2-Out, 4K @60 Hz (HSPUH0102-SML) Splitter | The same picture on two screens at once | 1 in, 2 out, 4K at 60Hz, mirror only, USB powered | Check price → |
 | Vention VGA to HDMI Converter with Audio, 1m (ACNBF) VGA | An older VGA PC on an HDMI TV or monitor | VGA in, HDMI out, 1080p, audio port, Micro USB power | Check price → |