What Can HDMI 1.4 Do?

Fine for HD and 4K at 30 Hz, short of 4K at 60

Maybe you've got an older TV, receiver or laptop with a 1.4 port and a newer player or console you'd like to plug into it. We'd look up the specs on both devices before spending anything on a cable, because a link only performs as well as the oldest generation between the source and the display.

If the mode you want is on the 1.4 list and both ends support it, a High Speed HDMI Cable covers it.

The picture modes on the 1.4 list

HDMI 1.4 brought 4K support, meaning resolutions beyond 1080p. Every mode below works with a High Speed HDMI Cable, and the full HDMI 1.4b feature list (opens in a new tab) sets them out alongside the other additions.

Read the table by refresh rate as well as resolution. The 4K modes stop at 30 Hz, so a source that wants 4K at a higher frame rate is asking for more than this generation lists.

The 24 Hz and 30 Hz 4K modes suit films and a lot of TV, while the 1080p mode at 120 Hz is the one to look at if you want a faster refresh from a full HD source.

HDMI 1.4 also defines how several major 3D video formats travel between source and display, which is what made 3D gaming and 3D home theater possible over the connection.

Why the older device sets the limit

A link performs only as well as the oldest generation between the source and the display, and sometimes the cable plays a part too. A screen built for the 2.1 generation can't use its added features if the player feeding it is on 1.4.

It works the other way around as well. A current console such as an Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5 can't transmit its 2.1-generation data rates to a display that only supports 1.4.

For peak performance, the source and the display both need to support the same generation. Some devices also need a particular generation of cable to give their best, so the cable belongs in the check, just after the two devices.

Content type and extra color spaces

Two quieter additions help the picture rather than the resolution. Content Type lets the source and display signal, in real time, what kind of material is playing, so the TV can adjust its picture settings to suit.

HDMI 1.4 also widened its color options for digital photos and computer graphics. Alongside RGB and x.v.Color, it supports sYCC601, Adobe RGB and YCC601.

Those color gamuts come into play when you put photos or a computer desktop on the TV, and our guide to connecting a computer to a TV covers the input, display mode and sound settings.

Sound goes forward, and with ARC it comes back

A player wired to your TV or receiver sends uncompressed digital sound down the same cable as the picture, so one connection does both jobs.

ARC, part of the HDMI 1.4 feature list, runs the other direction. It lets an HDMI-connected TV send audio upstream to an AVR or soundbar over an HDMI cable, so TV sound doesn't need a separate audio cable.

Keep the two directions apart when you plan a setup. A player plugged into a receiver sends its sound forward with the picture, while sound leaving the TV for a soundbar is the return trip that ARC handles.

If you're weighing that return link against a separate audio cable, our look at HDMI vs optical for TV audio compares the two.

HDMI Ethernet Channel needs both ends on board

HDMI 1.4 can also carry networking over the HDMI link, so internet-connected devices can share the connection without a separate Ethernet cable.

Using it takes a High Speed HDMI Cable with Ethernet. That cable gives the same baseline performance as a regular High Speed HDMI Cable, with an extra dedicated data channel for device networking.

Which cable to buy for an HDMI 1.4 setup

For any of the listed video modes, get a High Speed HDMI Cable, since all of those resolutions and refresh rates work with it. You can compare the official HDMI cable types (opens in a new tab) by name when you shop.

Pick the High Speed HDMI Cable with Ethernet when both devices support the Ethernet Channel and you want to use it. Otherwise it gives you the same baseline performance as the plain version.

A newer cable can't lift a 1.4 device past its own limits, because the oldest generation between the two devices still sets the ceiling.

Once you know the category, check how far an HDMI cable can go at the length your room needs.

Questions people ask about 1.4 ports

Checking your own gear against the list

Have the specs for each device handy and work along the link from source to display.

1. Confirm both devices you want to join have matching jacks, one at each end of the connection.
2. Look up which generation the source and the display each support, and note the older one as the ceiling for the link.
3. Compare the mode you want with the HDMI 1.4 list. 4K at up to 30 Hz, or 1080p at 120 Hz, sits within it.
4. If you want TV sound to reach an AVR or soundbar over HDMI, plan on the ARC return path from the TV.
5. If you want networking over HDMI, confirm both devices are HDMI Ethernet Channel-enabled and pick a High Speed HDMI Cable with Ethernet.
6. Connect with a High Speed HDMI Cable, and the listed video modes are all within its reach.

If the picture tops out lower than you planned, go back to step two. A single older device between the source and the display holds the whole link to its generation.