Can You Use PS5 with HDMI 2.0 Port?

Things were simpler back when there used to be only a single gameplay mode with one standard form of connectivity through HDMI and no one really cared for the version.

However, with gamers demanding ever higher resolution and frame rate for gaming, the version of the HDMI interface has also evolved to cater to the higher demands.

With the PS5 featuring the latest iteration of HDMI, the 2.1 version, gamers are genuinely confused regarding its backward compatibility. One burning question they often have is “Can you use PS5 with HDMI 2.0 port?”.

The short answer to this question is yes. You CAN use PS5 with a TV or a monitor that has an HDMI 2.0 port. However, there are LIMITATIONS when using a PS5 with an inferior HDMI port. 

In order to understand these limitations, you have to have to understand the different HDMI ports and their different capabilities.

HDMI Interface and Their Versions

HDMI is perhaps the most common interface for multimedia devices including gaming consoles, TVs, and monitors.

It is also an interface that is ever-evolving. In order to cater to the higher visual requirements of current-gen gamers, the HDMI interface also evolves to allow for higher bandwidth (transfer rate).

The bandwidth required by a certain display mode depends upon two important factors:

• Resolution
• Frame rate

The higher the resolution and the higher the frame rate, the more bandwidth the interface will demand.

So for instance, the older HDMI 1.4 interface is only capable of showing up to 1080P at 120Hz refresh rate. The latest HDMI 2.1 interface, on the other hand, can show up to 8K @ 120Hz refresh rate.

HDMI 2.0 sits in the middle. HDMI 2.0 was essentially designed to enable 60Hz on 4K TVs. The previous HDMI 1.4 generation was ONLY limited to 4K to 30Hz (30 FPS maximum). The newer HDMI 2.1 takes 4K support all the way to 240Hz support (i.e. 4K @ 240 FPS).

The following table should give you a detailed look into different HDMI versions and the display modes they entail:

As you can see, HDMI 2.0 supports 4K @ 60, QHD at 144Hz max and 1080P at 240Hz max.

The Display Modes Supported by PS5

In addition to understanding the different HDMI port versions, you also have to understand the different display modes supported by PS5 in order to rationalize the answer to the question “Can You Use PS5 with HDMI 2.0 Port”

So PS5 has a list of Display Modes it supports and it is quite stringent with them. Meaning, unlike with PC where displays modes are flexible, with PS5 that is not the case.

PS5 supports:

• FHD @ 30, 60, 120Hz
• 1440P @ 30, 60 and 120Hz
• 4K @ 30, 60 and 120Hz

Of course, you should also know that the refresh rate basically entails the maximum frame rate supported.

30, 60, and 120Hz refresh rate entails support for 30, 60, and 120 FPS respectively. The exact frame rate and resolution support depend on the game and the display you have.

So if you have a monitor with 144Hz, 165Hz, or 240Hz support, then know that PS5 will NOT support these refresh rates and will instead work at 120Hz only.

Your 144, 165, or 240Hz will have to have 120Hz display mode support for 120 FPS to work.

With that introduction, you should now be able to grasp the crux of this topic:

So Can You Use PS5 with HDMI 2.0 Port?

The short answer is yes. You CAN use PS5 with a TV or a monitor with HDMI 2.0 port.

HDMI 1.4, HDMI 2.0, and HDMI 2.1 all have the same physical form factor. They use the standard Type A HDMI physical form factor.

So yes, as far as the physical connection goes, YOU CAN connect the HDMI 2.1 to an HDMI 2.0 port with ease.

As far as the performance goes, then the interface will work at the specs of the lowest performer.

In other words, if you have a monitor or a TV with an HDMI 2.0 port, then your interface will work at specs of HDMI 2.0 and not of HDMI 2.1.

Features You Will Miss Out On with HDMI 2.0

Other than the benefits of higher resolution or frame, some other features you will miss out on when using a TV or a monitor with HDMI 2.0 are as follows:

Variable Refresh Rate

Variable Refresh Rate or VRR is a feature that syncs PS5’s and the display device’s frame rate and refresh rate respectively.

This immensely helps in reducing the screen tearing and screen stuttering that can happen due to refresh rate and frame rate mismatch.

This feature, unfortunately, requires you to have an HDMI 2.1-enabled display.

Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM)

This is yet another feature catered toward gamers. Who doesn’t like to have low latency, particularly during competitive gameplay?

This mode reduces the input lag between the PS5’s GPU and the display giving you the best possible latency.

Again, this feature too requires you to have a display with an HDMI 2.1 input port.

eARC

This is a feature specifically designed for users with home theatre systems. With this feature, you can essentially use a single HDMI 2.1 cable to send uncompressed high-quality sound from the display to a soundbar or a receiver.

Final Words

So the answer to the question “can you use PS5 with HDMI 2.0 port?” is a resounding yes. However, be prepared to sacrifice some features.