While upgrading RAM and NVMe 4.0 SSD in my many rigs this past week, one of them, which runs a Viotek GNV29CB curved screen monitor, started giving me some serious visual angst.
Up until the memory fiddles I was conducting on all my home rigs, the screen resolution on that particular rig had been pretty smooth and rapid.
I have a mini wooden crate box under my gaming desk in my office and this box is crammed full of all sorts of coiled up and neatly stacked cables required for various computer and home theater shenanigans.
HDMI cables, high quality sound cables and various microphone cables being the typical assortment lurking in said man crate.
For some reason or other I had nonchalantly flipped the Ryzen test rig to a DP cable as I had casually read somewhere on the interwebs thang that DP allegedly provided better resolution, but I was paying attention to my memory maladies at the time and not really thinking about the screen quality, other than noting that in general, the screen fonts sucked, yet again on this DP cable.
I switched to my best DP cable for reasons I have yet to fathom while the Memtest86 RAM tests were running on my one rig but suspect my sado-masochist DNA activated out of boredom from said RAM tests, which were it must be said, about as visually stimulating as watching paint dry or watching a game of English County Cricket.
Once the RAM saga was a synapse stored historical event in the rear-view mirror, the screen resolution, which was not smooth at all on the DP cable it was plugged in to now gripped center stage in my mind's eye, and I fussed over what the heck was going on with that fascinating saga.
The memory antics had been CLI based stuff, so I did not really take a Segway to screen resolution hell until the vexing RAM issue was finally solved.
I then grabbed the first HDMI cable from my man-crate to restore the font issues, but it was even worse with the randomly selected HDMI cable!
There was a time when HDMI cables were, well, HDMI cables, and I understood that they were more or less all the same in terms of capability.
On the morning of March 5th 2022 I decided to dive into this particular screen resolution angst whilst sipping a jolly fine almond milk based Cappuccino my Breville coffee machine had produced in cahoots with my early morning coffee creation antics that show off my fine barista coffee swirling skills.
One of the coffee molecules happened hit the sole surviving synapse at the right angle and fired me right up on the subject.
Why, I wondered to myself, running on the high energy of the finest Lille coffee beans, does the screen suddenly look so choppy and rough vis a vis screen resolution and keep changing on me every time I change a cable?
I started by searching for the various cables that the Viotek monitor came with which was a DP to DP variant of an allegedly DP 1.2 capable cable and a vanilla HDMI X cable, thinking of a baseline to sanity as a starting point.
X as in I had no idea what it in fact was.
The screen resolution sucked on the DP cable I had selected but this particular cable would support both 120 Hz and 60 Hz but it made no visual difference to screen font resolution at all at either refresh rate.
The HDMI cable I had selected was in the exact same boat.
I started to question my sanity as I recalled the screen resolution and smoothness once being awesome and a slick visual experience.
I switched the DP and HDMI cables a few times to discern which was better from a visual preference POV but was unable to tell them apart.
Several people have told me this is not correct, but I can tell you, per my eyeballs, DP cables do in fact suck on Windows based desktops and laptops.
I then decided to focus on just the HDMI cables first and chanced upon a cable that would not support 120 Hz via random selection from my man crate hoard and finally put two and two together on the matter....
So I immediately rotated one of the Ryzen 7 boxen so I could try ALL of my HDMI and DP cables after tipping the crate on the floor as the nVidia settings were making zilch impact to the font resolutions and I stacked every single HDMI cable in my collection for a lengthy test session.
There were over 40 of the infuriating darn things.....
One these HDMI cables was longer and thicker than the others by a significant margin and it was the third one that I tried.
Third time lucky was the theme of the day and after going blank for a second the Viotek returned to visual and crisp clear sanity at 60 Hz which I rapidly changed to 120 Hz with a swift mouse click and the visuals got even more amazing.
This confirmed my sanity from when it did once work prior to my attack of random sado-masochism.
Plugging it in and out on the GPU side also happened to bring up a box on the Viotek screen that imparted what sort of cable it was that I was plugging in and out.
HDMI 2.0 capable cable was what was advertised to my now slightly less perplexed eyeballs.
I ended up cycling through all of these cables and I now have to chuck a lot of the mostly totally useless darn things away.
Most are HDMI 1.4 capable cables and ain't worth the time suck they bring.
The DP cables seem to be pre 1.2 spec and this explains why my various monitors on my Apple fare are not having a great time of it with my vast monitor collection.
Here was me blaming the various monitors when in fact the damn HDMI and DP cables are what was messing me around!
So now that I sorted that mystery out I will buy me another Viotek GNV29CB monitor as they are rather superb, with the right cable pairing of course!
I am of course in need of a new monitor that ideally sports a USB-C port for Graphics and not just HDMI or DP.
The cheaper monitors from Viotek seem absent such a beast and sport one HDM1 2.0 port, One HDMI 1.4 port and a solitary DP 1.2 Port.
In the meantime, I did some Amazon searches for recommended cables and ordered a few different ones they had on offer to check them all out.
On Sunday 3/6, one of the newly ordered HDMI cables, calling itself a Highwings 8K HDMI 2.1 cable arrived claiming a long list of features such as HDMI 2.1, 48 Gbps, HDTV, PS5, HDR 10, eARC and claiming such capabilities like 8K monitor resolution at 144 Hz.
I sent 99% of the various cables I ordered straight back to Amazon because I discovered, just like with the USB cable thang I dove into last year, that they are in fact not what they claim they are.
Plugging the alleged 8K HDMI 2.1 cable in to the Viotek produced a near instant transformation to slick smooth fonts and visual wonderland Valhalla was actually once more in residence.
This cable did make a difference for me and I only kept it because I in fact have no 8K monitors for my general computing rigs and only use various ASUS 2500x1440 monitors for them things or the stated Viotek but found it made all my 2K monitors actually work properly.
I did however test said cable on my two Threadripper rigs armed with new RTX 3090 Ti cards and the fancy new Samsung Neo QLED 65" 8K monitors.
These cheap Highwings 8K cables did not deliver on either 8K or HDMI 2.1 per claims on their labels and I had to use the AudioQuest 4K/8K/10K Cinnamon cables to get these to work right.
In fact, so far, only AudioQuest, Harris and Monster make such a cable and they ain't cheap either.
You definitely get what you pay for with HDMI 2.1 cables!!
These results instantly led me to contemplate if the massive 120" Sony TV we had downstairs was suffering from similar malady as I had also been unable, on that thing, to get the full 4K resolution I desired from the Apple TV 4K device as well as my many 4K capable game controllers despite the fact that the HDMI cables they sport claim 4K HDMI capability.
So I nipped downstairs one lunch time and ripped those HDMI cables out of our home theater rig to test on the Ryzen rig and lo and behold, all of that junk was also HDMI 1.4 fare, despite the 4K claims that they make on each end of said cables Best Buy had installed with the TV.
The cables themselves made claim to being "High Speed Ultra HDMI". Supposedly good for 4K shenanigans, yet on my 2K Viotek monitor it could clearly not even deliver on that wild claim.
When I plugged those in bang went my smooth fonts and visual experience.
I had only two cables in my entire collection that could deliver true HDMI 2.0 capability, despite the claims and labels on all of them claiming 4K High Speed HDMI.
Once again, a simple device called a cable with many different HDMI or DP specs had been messing with my microscopic sanity.
On the DP cable front I was to find that ALL of my DP cables were utter junk.
I only bought these last September! I should have paid more attention....
I ordered a few of these newer allegedly 8K DP cables and will no doubt also find that I am suddenly either out of DP screen resolution cable hell or into a deeper one.
So these various 8K DP cables arrived and also did not produce smooth graphics on the Viotek shod Ryzen rig at 2K resolutions when I tested them.
The 4K HDMI 2.0 capable cables I ordered from Monster did though and they definitely made a huge visual difference so that is what I have standardized on now for all of my 2K monitors.
I also tested the new DP cables on the Apple rigs I have and that did in fact make for smooth screen fonts and pictures of icons, so I kept one of the allegedly 8K DP cables and one of the 8K HDMI 2.1 cables but they can actually not deliver the HDMI 2.1 8K goodies either.
I know this because I plugged them into an 8K monitor with this cable and tested it in the Philips tester.
Here again the only cables that can actually do this are an HDMI 2.1 8K Cable also made by Monster and the AudioQuest cinnamon 4K/8K fare. These cables also ain't cheap by the way and range between $64.95 and $139.99.
As for the huge Sony 4K TV's HDMI cable set, I had various install folks from Best Buy rule out these cables as the cause for the lack of desired smooth 4K visuals I was expecting as I bought their services all in one big package at the insistence of "she who must be obeyed" but they were never able to solve the 4K issues to my total satisfaction.
I am kinda mad at myself for just assuming that all HDMI cables would work and they kinda do, just some work better than others and the graphics quality on screen with each is vastly different based on cable capability.
I am taking receipt of some new 65" Samsung 8K monitors for my two Threadripper rigs and will no doubt find that these new cables will not support the 8K resolution they claim they can support on the RTX 3090 Ti cards they now sport.
This is sadly always the way with new cables and new screen resolution goodies.
As you read above I did in fact have that exact experience as feared!
2022 - HDMI Cable Types
In the past, there were multiple categories of HDMI cables. Category 1 cables could offer 720p or 1080i resolutions at up to 60Hz refresh rates, while Category 2 cables could handle 1080p at 60 FPS or 4K at 30 FPS.
A modern 4K TV will need 4K 60Hz minimum so your vanilla HDMI 2.0 4K Amazon bought cable will not be able to deliver the bacon for you here as they only do 4K 30Hz.
Those categories 1 and 2 cable types were later renamed to Standard HDMI and High-Speed HDMI, respectively.
There were also specific versions of those cables that supported Ethernet over HDMI too and most of my collection make that claim on the cable itself in small lettering.
However, in 2022, you can throw all of that info on HDMI cables out the window. There are now only three main types of HDMI cable that you need to consider:
HDMI 2.0: Often marketed as 4K-ready or a 4K HDMI cable. They support the full 18Gbps bandwidth of the HDMI 2.0 specification and can support 4K resolution up to 60Hz, or 1080p up to 240Hz. Its official name is Premium High-Speed HDMI cable, and it's entirely backward compatible with every generation of HDMI ports that came before. It also supports the audio return channel (ARC) technology.
HDMI 2.0 with Ethernet: identical specifications to standard HDMI 2.0 cables, except with the addition of Ethernet over HDMI support.
HDMI 2.1: Often marketed as 8K ready, or an 8K HDMI cable, that claims support for the full HDMI 2.1 bandwidth of 48Gbps, making it capable of transmitting 4K at 120Hz, as well as 5K, 8K, and 10K resolutions (some with Display Stream Compression, or DSC). These also sport built-in Ethernet functionality, and support the more capable eARC technology, and are backward compatible with every previous generation of HDMI port.
CAUTION: So far, I have found ZERO inexpensive 8K Cables on Amazon that really are 8K HDMI 2.1 capable cables!! They seem to have stuck new labels on old 4K crap claiming the newer capabilities.
I have a fancy Philips cable testing machine that identifies all sorts of cable types.
HDMI 2.1 connectors and therefore cables are seeing greater support among modern televisions, particularly the high-end 4K/8K models, which support much higher refresh rates than just 30Hz.
They're also mandatory for new-generation consoles from Microsoft and Sony to take advantage of high frame rates and resolution support and be a connector option on graphics cards from both Nvidia's RTX 3000 and AMD's RX 6000 ranges.
My RTX3090 Ti set will not even run on the Samsung monitors they are connected to without a suitably capable HDMI 2.1 8K cable for true 4K 60Hz action, never mind the 8K action.
Prices are almost identical between cheap HDMI 2.0 and HDMI 2.1 4K cables, although you can save a couple of dollars by opting for the older standard if you have no benefit from the additional bandwidth of HDMI 2.1 but as they get cheaper you will probably buy one and promptly forget that the cable cannot do the job so I advise you get the HDMI 2.1 cables regardless (if you can actually find one).
In any event, the cheapo 4K/8K HDMI 2.1 cables being hawked on Amazon cannot deliver what they claim, so be aware of the serious attempt to enhance futility that trying to use them is!
Active vs Passive Cables
If you need a particularly long HDMI cable, you will need to consider whether you should buy an active HDMI cable instead of a traditional passive one.
Most HDMI cables are passive, which means they lack active signal boosting and are reversible.
Active HDMI cables have specific source and output ends and can operate at far greater lengths without signal degradation.
Modern passive HDMI 2.1 cables can only extend to around 10ft before they run into trouble. An active 2.1 connection, however, can extend to 75ft without difficulty.
Do note, however, that active HDMI cables are horrendously expensive.
I never use HDMI cables longer than 6.6 ft and find that 4ft is ideal for my various rigs.
For those with a need there is sadly only a few viable options and these are Harris and Audio Quest HDMI 2.1 active cables.
Starting prices will be $425 and can go past $1399!!
I noted with some severe shock that there are AQ HDMI 2.1 cables of 10ft that cost a whopping $4,495.00 per HDMI cable.
It's like the bottle of Louis XIII brandy I go and gawk at over at the BevMo store they want $4200 for.......
Nutz!
How can I tell the difference in HDMI cables?
If you have access to the cable packaging (which I have found lies about what it can do), look for labels that tell you which HDMI versions they work best with, such as Premium High-Speed (for HDMI 2.0).
Most HDMI cables have two Type-A connectors that fit into HDMI ports in TVs, monitors, set-top boxes, and more.
If you see smaller connectors on one end, the cable could be specific to devices such as digital cameras or projectors.
If you have a monitor that will come up with a box that tells you the cable type you just plugged in that would also be a way to ID the barstewards.
What is the difference between HDMI 1.4 and HDMI 2.0 cables?
HDMI 1.4 cables are called High-Speed HDMI cables and work with the older HDMI 1.4 standard, which first came out in 2009.
HDMI 1.4 cables only support 4K video at 30Hz frame rates.
HDMI 2.0 versions (including HDMI 2.0, HDMI 2.0, and HDMI 2.0b) came out after HDMI 1.4 and use Premium High-Speed cables for much wider 4K resolution and HDR support.
These will not work properly on large modern 4K or 8K capable TV screens because they are running much more than 30Hz.
They will chunk down to the best signal resolution they can deliver on the cable that you plug in though.
Do not assume that just because you got a picture that it is running at the correct settings or resolution.
What the heck is DisplayPort?
DisplayPort (DP) was introduced in 2006 by VESA (Video Electronics Standards Association) as a replacement for VGA and DVI connections which was used primarily to connect PCs to monitors back in them dayz.
In addition to video, DisplayPort can carry audio signals if the signals are provided by the source device. However, if the display device does not provide a speaker system or an output to an external audio system, the audio signal is not accessible.
Devices that may have DisplayPort connections include:
PCs
Macs
Select mobile devices
PC monitors
TVs and projectors (actually pretty rare)
DisplayPort can be used with select devices that have other types of connections, such as VGA, DVI, and HDMI, using an adapter or adapter cable per any additional requirements.
DisplayPort Versions and Cables
The DisplayPort standard has five versions. More recent versions are backward compatible with previous versions.
For connecting a device to a monitor or TV, here is how each version breaks down:
DisplayPort 1.0 (2006): Video resolution up to 4K/30Hz. Transfer speed up to 8.64 Gbps along with other video resolution and transfer speed features of HBR1 (High Bitrate Level 1).
DisplayPort 1.1 (2007): Video resolution up to 4K/30 Hz, HDCP (High-Definition Copy Protection), video data transfer speed of 8.64 Gbps, along with other features of HBR1.
DisplayPort 1.2 (2009): Video resolution up to 4K/60Hz, 3D, multiple independent video streams (daisy-chain connection with multiple monitors) called Multi-Stream Transport (MST), video data transfer speed up to 17.28 Gbps, along with other features of HBR2 (High Bitrate Level 2).
DisplayPort 1.3 (2014): Video resolution up to 8K/30Hz, compatibility with HDMI ver. 2.0, HDCP 2.2, and 25.92 Gbps transfer speed along with other features of HBR3 (High Bitrate Level 3).
DisplayPort 1.4 (2016): Video resolution up to 8K/60Hz, HDR, 25.92 Gbps transfer speed along with other features of HBR3.
DisplayPort Connectors
In addition to DisplayPort versions, there are two types of DisplayPort connectors: standard size and mini.
Most DisplayPort-enabled devices have standard size connections that allow the use of cables with standard size DisplayPort inputs and outputs.
In 2008, a mini DisplayPort (MiniDP or mDP) connector and cables were introduced by Apple and was added to the DisplayPort 1.2 spec in 2009.
Since Apple developed the mini DisplayPort, it is found mostly on Apple Macs and associated products. Mini display port connectors can be mixed with standard connectors using adapters or adapter cables.
After much testing I think I may have achieved some sort of HDMI and DP cable Ascension!!
FYI, IMHO, DP cables all suck vs newer HDMI 2.1 8K cables and there is a vast difference in resolution and how the fonts look to the eye, contrary to popular belief on the matter!!
Unless I have special powers of visual acuity, I can see a big difference between the cables on the screen and it is a massive difference!
As far as HDMI vs DP cables go, my latest monitors from Lenovo and Samsung use newer USB-C Cables and connectors and these USB-C things are vastly superior to both DP and HDMI versions.
Just be aware that not all USB-C Cables are capable for 4K/8K video, and I have an earlier blog about that from a 5A Power POV. The USB-C 10K capable cables are stiff and expensive and you can feel the difference between these and normal USB-C cables.
Make sure your USB-C cables are rated for 5A power and 10K graphics use or you will run into Cable hell and perplex yourself trying to find out why your monitor will not work at the desired resolutions you seek.
Do not buy a new monitor that does not sport a USB-C Port for 8K graphics unless you are targeting something like the 2K Viotek GNV29CB I mentioned that I use as it just has a single HDMI 2.0 Port!!
Note that I once ran dual 4K monitors on a few rigs and found the resolution too high for lower end GPU like GTX 970 & GTX 1070Ti's so switched back to 2K 1080P monitor fare as it is cheaper and does the job (and somebody bought these rigs with their 4K monitors and cable sets from me for running P-CAD).
On the subject of HDMI, DP and USB-C Cable quality and claimed capability of these cables, I have to report that NONE of the cable sets that I received from Amazon supported either HDMI 2.1 or 8K resolution and are in fact all still older 4K HDMI 2.0 cables.
These are also Chinese cable companies that have all just jumped on the HDMI 2.1 band wagon of claiming that they support this and support that as a marketing gimmick but trust me, this is a huge waste of everybody's time.
I just had a major sense of humor failure on this issue and sent them all back and ordered the monster cable Rose edition stuff as I know for a fact that those Monster cables just work.
More expensive but no problems with a Monster or AudioQuest cable made in the USA!
Do not try save money with these Cheap Chinese junk class cables ....unless you are an accomplished sado-masochist and no longer play golf, in which case, be my guest!
These Monster HDMI 4K/8K cables also offer 4 foot lengths as well as 6ft by the way - for both 4K and 8K cables.
On 3/9/2022 I got me an education from some High definition 8K TV gurus and gave them one with respect to computing platforms.
I was gifted a whole pile of cables by said gurus from a company called AudioQuest who happen to make some pretty kick ass HDMI cables with brand names with fancy names such as BlueBerry, Pearl, Forest, Cinnamon, Carbon, Vodka, Thunderbird, FireBird and Dragon.
AudioQuest’s 48G entry models, Pearl 48 and Forest 48, were the first HDMI-2.1 cables to receive HDMI LLC’s Ultra High Speed certification; now all AudioQuest 48Gbps models are certified.
HDMI only certifies a bare minimum, though of course no AudioQuest cable is just a “bare minimum.”
Traditional “100% shielding” is not enough against today’s increasingly prevalent Wi-Fi, Cellular, and Satellite radiation, especially because all metal conductors act as antennae, picking up Radio-Frequency Noise.
In AudioQuest HDMI cables, all 19 conductors, including the critically important eARC and power pairs, are Direction-Controlled, dissipating noise and draining it away from the most sensitive electronics to where it will cause the least harm.
Direction-Control is their foundational, Level 1, Noise Dissipation so pay atention to the arrows on each cable end as they are not Bi-Directional cables.
AudioQuest HDMI cables employ multiple levels of Noise-Dissipation technologies, each adding layers of superior high-loss materials to combat RF Noise.
Their most advanced and comprehensive defense against noise, Level 6 Noise Dissipation, employs AQ’s patented Dielectric-Bias System (DBS) with a Level-X RF Noise Trap that effectively “pulls” RF noise out of the HDMI cable.
Because sound matters, eARC gets equal love and affection with the same superior metals, Direction-Controlled Conductors, and Noise-Dissipation technologies as the main AV data pairs.
HDMI’s Audio Return Channel (ARC) sends audio from a TV to a soundbar or AV receiver for greater simplicity and flexibility in system setup.
Hardware’s previous ARC capabilities max out at lossy (compressed) 5.1-channel surround sound.
Today’s HDMI 2.1 hardware supports enhanced Audio Return Channel (eARC), which increases the digital bandwidth dramatically to support uncompressed and lossless high-resolution multichannel audio, including Dolby TrueHD and Atmos, and DTS-HD Master Audio and DTS: X.
AudioQuest’s eARC-Priority models include 4 Silver-Plated Forest 48-level audio/video data pairs—but with a far superior single data pair for the TV’s audio output.
By upgrading the eARC data path only, audiophile quality is made possible at a fraction of the cost of upgrading all 5 data pairs.
These things are even better than the Rose Monster cables but they are not cheap, but definitely worth it!
If you are looking for genuine HDMI 2.1 10K cables sporting all the bells and whistles, look no further, these AQ cables are indeed the real McCoy.
My Philips cable tester glowed green for the first time when running the 8K HDMI 2.1 testing regimen on all of the AudioQuest HDMI 2.1 cables.
For those of you who want a solid HDMI 2.1 cable that just works this is the one you will want if the Monster Blue 8K cable is not good enough for your purposes.
It will run you $139.95 plus taxes and shipping but is a real good investment no matter what resolution your current monitors happen to be.
This cable is a very short 2.5 feet though.....
Their cable lengths are due to science and electrical impedance which is a huge factor actually.
If this is a bit too rich for you they have a cable that is 7.8 feet long for $64.95 that is in the same class as the Monster Rose fare. Note you can select the 4.9 Ft impedance matched cable for $49.95 and this is probably the sweet spot cable for most computing folks needs.
I also ran some tests on the 4K HDMI 2.0 cables from both Monster and AudioQuest and they both serve the computing purpose, though I noted that AudioQuest stopped making the 4K HDMI 2.0 cables in the Cinnamon range and have moved on to the full 48G eARC HDMI 2.1 spec cables these dayz on their current cable ranges.
My testing of these older 4K cables on the tester and my monitors gave it a thumbs up from me for 2K screen action, so if you can find old AudioQuest 4K HDMI 2.0 cables grab them, they are like gold.
If you do not want to mess around, just go for the Rose Gold Monster Cables, but be aware that if you are paying less than $23 you need to check into it seriously and forget the horde of Chinese Cables that claim they can deliver anything on their packaging labels.
The AudioQuest Active HDMI 2.1 cables by the way are just superb but they cost a lot of Benji's. As in between $400 and $500 per cable. Just so you know what to expect here.
I also tested about 100 Active cables with my AudioQuest fundi folk and I will have to pen another blog and invent some more cuss words to articulate that sad state of affairs succinctly.
As far as TVs and Apple TV 4K boxes go, I was also completely blown away with what my high end Sony TV delivered with the right HDMI 2.1 Cable running between the Apple TV and the Brevia.
Apple also has an HDMI cable discovery and auto settings tool on the 4K Apple TV that takes about 23 minutes to calibrate the HDMI signal and now I am finally experiencing the full joy of proper 4K quality visual nirvana on my Brevia.
It only took 3 years to get there.........
For those of you with the Fancy new Sony PS and Microsoft X Boxen that make HDMI 2.1 HDR Cables mandatory for satisfactory experiences of the visual kind, waste no time obtaining an AudioQuest Cinnamon 8K HDMI 2.1 cable!
You will not be sorry!
48G Cables from AudioQuest offer better Audio from 2K - and 4K - based Systems, plus 100% capable of optimizing most 8K Systems.
8K - TV Ready
The best audio experience for sound bar gear - by far
Sound first. While 8K and other compelling video/gaming features make the HDMI headlines, AudioQuest’s 48 and eARC-Priority Series HDMI cables are the best HDMI cables you can get for audiophiles.
The precision and tighter manufacturing tolerances required to deliver HDMI cables that transfer up to 48Gbps bandwidth allow all of AudioQuest’s tried-and-true ingredients and techniques to matter every bit as much as before, and of course, are judiciously applied with newly learned techniques and goodies introduced to the user.
I seriously advise against buying cheap nasty Chinese made HDMI or DP cables for any use case, especially if you have a GPU like a Nvidia 3000 series.....why spoil it with a crappy and sucky cable?
Turns out this HDMI 2.1 4K/8K cable thing is worse than the USB-C hubs thang was......Grrrrrrrrrrr......
