Hisense and other TV brands to offer up to four HDMI 2.1 ports this year

MW
Mike Wheatley
Hisense and other TV brands to offer up to four HDMI 2.1 ports this year

MediaTek’s newest chip, the Pentonic 800, is winging its way into TV sets from multiple brands this year, which means we should see many new brands offering up to four HDMI 2.1 ports to support advanced gaming features.

HDMI 2.1 ports are necessary to support features such as 4K 120Hz gaming with Variable Refresh Rates and Auto Low-Latency Mode, plus enhanced audio formats such as Dolby Atmos and DTS:X on televisions.

For the last couple of years, the only brands to offer four HDMI 2.1 ports were LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics, which is why TVs like the LG G4 and C4 OLED models, and Samsung’s S95D, were considered to be the best gaming TVs money could buy last year.

They’ve been able to offer four HDMI 2.1 ports because they use their own proprietary chips, whereas most other brands use processors supplied by MediaTek. But MediaTek’s best silicon last year could only support a pair of HDMI 2.1 connections at the most, which makes it difficult for users who want to connect more than just a games console to their TV. For instance, the lack of sufficient ports means it’s impossible to pair a PS5 or Xbox Series X with an AV receiver to deliver surround sound while enjoying slick, judder-free gaming.

But with the Pentonic 800 chip, MediaTek has finally caught up, providing support for up to four HDMI 2.1 slots.

HDTVTest’s Vincent Teoh broke the news on X, stating that he expects Hisense to become the first brand other than LG or Samsung to offer four HDMI 2.1 ports on some of its newest TVs this year, including the new Hisense 136MX MicroLED TV and the 116-inch Hisense TriChroma Mini-LED TV. Other models, such as the Hisense U9Q and U8Q Mini-LED TVs are also expected to get the same upgrade. Meanwhile, some of its mid-range sets are expected to have three HDMI 2.1 ports, plus an extra USB-C DisplayPort to support PC gaming.

With four HDMI 2.1 ports, Hisense’s newest models will reach parity with TVs such as the new LG G5 and M5 OLED TVs, as well as the Samsung S95F QD-OLED TV.

For gamers, this is great news because having four HDMI 2.1 ports is essential for those who want the best possible gaming experience. It means they can connect multiple devices including consoles, soundbars and AV receivers to their TV, without constantly having to swap cables around.

It means Hisense, and other brands that use MediaTek chips, such as Panasonic, Philips, TCL and Vizio no longer suffer from a disadvantage that has allowed LG and Samsung to become the most popular TVs for gamers.

Whether or not gamers will go for these alternatives remains to be seen, but we think that having additional choices can only ever be a good thing for consumers, and it may just result in some of the best gaming TVs becoming a bit more affordable in future, too.