How can old Ethernet cables can handle transmitting the data needed for 4K 60hz video, but we need new HDMI 2.1 cables to do the same thing?
In: Technology
The data on the ethernet cable is compressed. The amount of data going through is typically less than 30 megabits. Wifi in 2010 was better than. The image quality is obviously reduced, but it’s been designed to try to minimize how much your eyes notice it. The average “old” network cable these days is probably cat5e which is good up to 2.5 gigabit. Your CPU or GPU must decompress the data.
HDMI data is not compressed. Each pixel’s full Red, Green and Blue colours are being sent, one by one, around 8.3 million pixels per frame, and 60 frames per second. Plus the audio data, and the option for additional information like signalling power on/off of the device. The sheer quantity of data requires the cable be designed for quality and that often limits its length as well, since electricity degrades over long distances on wires while causing the wire to warm up a bit.
That’s why. The amount of data is actually different due to compression. Otherwise even 1080p youtube would require gigabit internet connection speeds.
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