Socionext develops first HDMI 2.1 compatible video processing chips

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Socionext has announced that it has developed its new ‘HV5 series’, a family of the world's first HDMI 2.1 compatible video processing ICs, designed for transmission and reception of 8K video.

Socionext will be providing live demonstrations of the HV5 series at the CEATEC Japan 2018, held in Makuhari, Chiba Japan this week. The company said that it will start shipping the HV5 products in March 2019.

The HDMI 2.1 specifications were defined in 2017. It has 48Gbps bandwidth, 2.7x of conventional HDMI 2.0, and enables the transmission of extremely large data sets, including 8K video, with very low latency, while maintaining high image and sound quality.

Socionext has considerable expertise in the development of data transmission technologies for consumer video equipment such as recorders and 4K TVs, as well as for high-speed, serial data transmission used in large-scale servers.

The HV5 series represents the industry’s first video processing IC with built-in HDMI 2.1 compatible Tx / Rx. According to Socionext, it plans to propose a variety of video systems built around the HV5 series, including 8K TVs in Japan where the commercial 8K broadcasting will commence. The HV5, with ultra-high definition image characteristics, is also targeted for public signage and medical applications, among other uses.

Socionext is looking to expand the lineup of HV5 Series, with various combinations of input / output formats and the image processing functionalities.