Realtek has launched the RTD2173 docking solution, which supports DP1.4 and HDMI 2.1 video output for 8K resolution.

As early as the end of 2017, the HDMI 2.1 standard was released, with a significant increase in bandwidth from 18Gbps to 48Gbps, which can fully support 4K/120Hz, 8K/60Hz, and 10K ultra-high-definition video output, as well as dynamic HDR support.

However, the HDMI forum has not yet initiated the certification process for HDMI 2.1 devices, so although there are already some products that support the HDMI 2.1 specification on the market, such as 8K ultra-high-definition TVs, they cannot yet be advertised as HDMI 2.1, and there is a serious lack of data cable and control chips, especially the data cable must use the new Ultra High Speed HDMI (48G).

Recently, Realtek demonstrated a solution called “RTD2173,” which is a DisplayPort 1.4 to HDMI 2.1 converter for connecting DisplayPort 1.4 sources to HDMI 2.1 display devices. This solution supports a maximum resolution of 4K/240Hz and 8K/60Hz.

Currently, there are no GPU graphics cards that support the HDMI 2.1 standard, regardless of whether it’s NVIDIA’s RTX 20 series, AMD’s RX 5700 series, or Intel’s eleventh-generation integrated graphics. However, all of these GPUs support DisplayPort 1.4, so Realtek’s solution is useful in allowing PCs to connect to 8K TVs using this interface.

DisplayPort 1.4 uses HBR3 to achieve a maximum bandwidth of 32.4Gbps, which is not as high as HDMI 2.1’s bandwidth, but is still sufficient to handle 8K60 TVs as long as DSC 1.2 is used. HDMI 2.1 is not necessary for this purpose.

Realtek has stated that the RTD2173 solution is currently awaiting certification by the HDMI forum, and once approved, it can be used for PC motherboards, laptops, adapters, docking stations, and data cables and other related equipment.