this post was submitted on 10 Dec 2025
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The HDMI Forum, responsible for the HDMI specification, continues to stonewall open source. Valve's Steam Machine theoretically supports HDMI 2.1, but the mini-PC is software-limited to HDMI 2.0. As a result, more than 60 frames per second at 4K resolution are only possible with limitations.

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[–] turbowafflz@lemmy.world 300 points 1 day ago (24 children)

Console manufacturers all just need to switch to displayport to encourage tv manufacturers to do the same. No one's going to not buy a ps6 or steam machine because they have to use a little dp-hdmi adapter, but they might be a little more likely to choose a tv that doesn't need an adapter over one that does

[–] fluffykittycat@slrpnk.net 52 points 1 day ago (28 children)

What about shipping an adaptor? DP to HDMI for the transition?

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[–] supersquirrel@sopuli.xyz 27 points 1 day ago

Good point!

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[–] tty5@lemmy.world 231 points 1 day ago (4 children)

HDMI Forum has fewer than 80 members and membership fee is 15,000 USD/year. Valve could spin up 80 companies, have them join the forum for a low low price of 1.2M USD and outvote remaining members to open source the entire spec.

[–] BreadstickNinja@lemmy.world 156 points 1 day ago (1 children)

This is hilariously plausible. Someone SCUBA down to Gabe and give him the idea.

[–] Katana314@lemmy.world 19 points 1 day ago (1 children)

dives to 50 feet, removes tube from mouth to shout to Gabe, and fucking drowns

[–] utopiah@lemmy.world 16 points 1 day ago (6 children)

FWIW (and I know it's not the joke...) it's perfectly fine to remove the mouth piece while scuba diving. In fact it's part of basic training. You should be able to remove the mouth piece and take another one, your octopus or the one of your buddy, in case there is an incident.

No... the real question for a good diver is how the heck you're going to say HDMI 2.1 with hand signs! /s

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[–] hodgepodgin@lemmy.zip 96 points 1 day ago (8 children)

rofl, I hate billionaires but this would be peak trolling

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[–] Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world 27 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Does it have to be companies? Could individual people just have 15k, and join? We just need 81 new members.

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[–] Shoshin@aussie.zone 155 points 1 day ago (37 children)

Are people just forgetting it has a displayport also? Just ignore HDMI, they got greedy, onto the rubbish pile they go.

[–] pressanykeynow@lemmy.world 94 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The people who block HDMI for Linux are also the people who make TVs and other media stuff. So you may not be able to use displayport or hdmi just because some rich people decided so to make more profit.

[–] YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today 39 points 1 day ago (1 children)

This is what I said the other day about this issue. Good luck finding a decent tv with display port! Those fuckers are rare and expensive!

[–] Routhinator@startrek.website 22 points 1 day ago (15 children)

They are called monitors, and yeah expensive but then you don't get a "Smart TV" with tracking and bullshit.

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[–] azvasKvklenko@sh.itjust.works 27 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Basically no modern TV has displayport except for few that come with USB-C

[–] LorIps@lemmy.world 25 points 1 day ago (4 children)

DisplayPort to HDMI adapters are quite cheap and don't add latency.

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[–] Kissaki@feddit.org 88 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (6 children)

https://hdmiforum.org/members/

AMD is part of the forum but can't get them to accept their own open source driver. I guess we can't complain or shame all of them in one. I wonder who voted reject vs accept.

Sad.

[–] Bakkoda@lemmy.zip 40 points 1 day ago

Then AMD needs to apply more leverage or start an awareness campaign with as much shit PR for every business supporting them.

[–] tty5@lemmy.world 27 points 1 day ago

Fewer than 80 members. 15k/year membership fee and very lax joining requirements. $1.2M gets you majority allowing you do to whatever even with 100% of current members opposing :P

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[–] Endymion_Mallorn@kbin.melroy.org 75 points 1 day ago (1 children)

We need more DisplayPort in the world - and better support for multi-monitor setups under Linux.

[–] Kuro@feddit.org 19 points 1 day ago (15 children)

What are you missing in multi-monitor setups under Linux?

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[–] ramenshaman@lemmy.world 65 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

I recently watched a video about HDMI. I didn't hate HDMI but now I kinda do.

https://youtube.com/shorts/ga8WOONU12k

[–] wavebeam@lemmy.world 42 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Unfortunately most standards bodies are pretty much this stupid though. Blu-ray, DVD, USB, hell even codecs like H265 and MP3 have governing bodies that are mostly enterprises enforcing their collective power on standards. That’s good in ways because it means they all have to decide on a standard that’ll work wihh to pretty much anything, but bad because they can also enforce bullying like HDCP onto consumers.

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[–] count_dongulus@lemmy.world 61 points 1 day ago (7 children)

It's $1.2M to gain majority share on the HDMI board, but it sure would be nice if someone gave $1.2M to one of the engineers with access to that cryptographic DRM keys for the binary to "apparently get hacked" and have the keys magically appear online.

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[–] OR3X@lemmy.world 39 points 1 day ago (6 children)

But why does the HDMI fourm not want a open source 2.1-compliant implementation? Is it DRM related? I feel like it's DRM related.

[–] Goretantath@lemmy.world 42 points 1 day ago (1 children)
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[–] bobs_monkey@lemmy.zip 24 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Likely moreso that they're facing pressure from other competitors in the industry that see Steam and open source in general as a threat to their business model. The HDMI forum is made up of industry leaders, and naturally Microsoft and Sony are there.

https://hdmiforum.org/members/

[–] Jesus_666@lemmy.world 31 points 1 day ago (4 children)

They've been refusing open HDMI 2.1 since 2017. I don't think that being afraid of Linux becoming the dominant gaming platform plays a role here; it's more likely that they're afraid people might find new ways to get at protected content.

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[–] Hadriscus@jlai.lu 35 points 1 day ago (1 children)

HDMI, what's that ?

sent from my DisplayPort monitor

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[–] pewgar_seemsimandroid@lemmy.blahaj.zone 33 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

Displayport is better anyways.

[–] NutWrench@lemmy.world 22 points 22 hours ago (2 children)

Yup. Especially since "smart TVs" that are WiFi connected can spy on your HDMI connection. Samsung, LG and Visio were caught doing it.

https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/is-your-tv-spying-on-you-how-to-check

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[–] async_amuro@lemmy.zip 22 points 1 day ago (6 children)

Maybe a dumb question… if I used a DisplayPort to HDMI 2.1 adapter, would I get 4K at 120Hz on the Steam Machine and my LG CX tv? 

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[–] Soapbox@lemmy.zip 21 points 1 day ago (4 children)

Not all software available on Linux is open source. NVIDIA drivers for example. Hell, most of the games on Steam are closed source.

So, is it just a matter of principle on Valve and AMD's part that they only want to ship with fully open source drivers?

I'm not technically knowledgeable enough to understand why you can't just make the HDMI 2.1 part of the driver code closed source and the rest of the graphics drivers open?

[–] turmacar@lemmy.world 19 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (3 children)

Modern specs are complicated. I vaguely remember something about a cryptographic key the driver needs to be signed with to successfully complete the handshake to enable all display options between the computer and display.

Not entirely unwarranted either, an unexpected amount of voltage on an unexpected pin because the driver / hardware is misconfigured damaging your TV would suck. (Still sounds like the Forum is being a dick about it though.)

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[–] tabular@lemmy.world 20 points 18 hours ago

I wish I could buy hardware without HMDI at all so they got no money from me.

[–] nialv7@lemmy.world 19 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Evil, greedy little bastards...

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