HDMI 2.1 arrives on Sony X900H and Z8H TVs
Makes them ready for PS5
If it were any other company, it would be a foregone conclusion that their 2020 TVs would be fully compatible with PS5, and yet with Sony, that’s far from the case. At CES 2020, like any other year, Sony unveiled their lineup of TVs, and despite PS5 on the horizon, many were incompatible with touted, albeit niche features such as 120fps gaming, which requires HDMI 2.1.
To make matters worse, while lower-end models like X900H were set to gain HDMI 2.1 via a firmware update eventually, more high-end models like X950H will be left behind due to their hardware despite both TVs being 2020 models.
Earlier in the summer, Sony smartly kicked off a new marketing campaign called ‘Ready for PlayStation 5,’ which highlights TVs that will be able to take full advantage of PS5.
With a new firmware update rolling out for the X900H (XH90) and Z8H (ZH8), Sony is now making good on that marketing promise. From Rasmus Larsen over at FlatPanelsHD:
In Europe, the firmware update is labeled v6.4775 (ZH8). We are still not sure what version number the firmware will carry in the US.
The update higher bandwidth on the compatible HDMI 2.1 ports in the TVs. This allows game consoles and media players to feed the TVs with signals in up to 4K120 (4K at 120 frames per second) and 8K60 (Z8H/ZH8 only).
Sony said that VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) and ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), which are two optional HDMI 2.1 features, will be enabled on X900H (XH90) with a later update as soon as VRR and ALLM have been formally certified by an HDMI test center.
If you’re looking for a new Sony TV and have PS5 on your mind, the X900H is the only TV you should be looking at as it’s the only TV the company offers that supports 4K 120p, VRR, ALLM, and eARC. Only in Sony world can you pay 2–3x more for a more premium 2020 TV that can’t match the same feature set.
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