Theater Calculators

Signal, cables & storage

HDMI Bandwidth Calculator

Payload ≈ width × height × refresh × bits × 3 channels × chroma × (1+blanking). HDMI 2.0 TMDS usable payload is ~14.4 Gbit/s (8b/10b of 18); HDMI 2.1 FRL is 48.

Inputs

Units
px
px
Hz
bit

1 = 4:4:4, 0.67 ≈ 4:2:2, 0.5 = 4:2:0.

Results

Payload
13.14Gbit/s
Fits HDMI 2.0 TMDS (14.4)?
Yes
Fits HDMI 2.1 (48)?
Yes

Recommended gear

Calculation method

Gbit/s = N_x N_y f B 3 χ (1+b) / 10^9. HDMI 2.0 TMDS usable payload is ~14.4 Gbit/s (8b/10b of 18); HDMI 2.1 FRL is 48.

Exact formula

Gbps = W·H·f·B·3·χ·(1+b)/1e9. HDMI 2.0 OK if ≤14.4 (TMDS 8b/10b of 18), HDMI 2.1 if ≤48 (FRL link rate, overhead not subtracted). Limits: no DSC, no 4:2:2 packing quirks, no cable length.

HDMI 2.0 is 14.4 Gbps usable, not 18

Marketing 18 Gbps is the TMDS line rate. After 8b/10b the payload budget is 14.4 Gbps. 4K60 10-bit 4:4:4 with blanking does not fit HDMI 2.0 on this page even if a cable is labelled 18 Gbps.

HDMI 2.1 is compared to 48 Gbps FRL, not a free lunch

The 2.1 check uses 48 Gbps as the FRL link rate and does not subtract protocol overhead. DSC, VRR and eARC are out of scope. Blanking may be entered as 0% for a lower-bound payload; real players still add blanking.

Frequently asked questions

Is 4K/60 always 2.0?

8-bit 4:4:4 with ~10% blanking often fits 14.4 Gbit/s TMDS. 10-bit 4:4:4 or 4K/120 does not.

What is DSC?

Display Stream Compression can pack more into 2.1. This tool is uncompressed payload.

Long cable?

Active or fibre after ~5–8 m. Bandwidth math does not replace a certified cable.

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