HDMI 2.0, HDMI 2.0a, HDR, Dolby Vision, etc, etc, etc, etc.....etc.......... etc.............OK..... this is somewhat abbreviated...... but you'll get the idea.
(The
VERY short version is that,
WHATEVER you buy now, there will be something new next year, and
WHATEVER you buy next year, there will be something new the year after.)
OK..... and starting with HDMI 1.4a and HD......
In the beginning... (at least "as we fade in")... there was HDMI 1.4a.
HDMI 1.4a supports/includes HDCP copy protection and video - at least up to HD.
Support for 4k video is optional in HDMI 1.4a.
Optional means that some HDMI 1.4a devices support 4k and others do not (they are not required to in order to be "fully HDMI 1.4a compliant").
Note that the XMC-1, with its original hardware, and relatively current firmware, supports up to 4k/60 video just fine (so the XMC-1 original is "better than the minimum HDMI 1.4a requirements").
Two things have changed with HDMI 2.0.
First, support for 4k video is now required rather than optional.
And, second, support for the newest version of HDCP copy protection - HDCP 2.2 - is now also required in HDMI 2.0.
(Many early "HDMI 2.0 ready" devices didn't support HDCP 2.2.)
Note that, technically, you do not need HDCP 2.2 to play a 4k video.
(I could give you a 4k video on a USB stick, that wasn't protected by HDCP 2.2, and you
should be able to play it through your player and XMC-1 just fine.)
However, by the new standard, any content distributed on the new 4k Blu-Ray discs
MUST be protected using HDCP 2.2.
(And, for various licensing reasons, we can safely assume that all "commercial" 4k content distributed via streaming services or cable TV will also be HDCP 2.2 protected.)
(Note that, if your signal chain doesn't support HDCP 2.2, many source devices will "fall back" and deliver you a regular HD signal - but not all.)
The soon-to-be-released "One Port HDMI 2.0 upgrade card" for the XMC-1 adds HDCP 2.2 support to one input (and one output).
This is what you will need to play HDCP protected content - like commercial 4k discs, and 4k streams - through the XMC-1.
(Note that, because many pre/pros don't support HDCP 2.2, most of the new players offer the option of connecting the video directly to your TV, and the audio separately to a
NON-HDCP 2.2 audio pre/pro.
The "downside" to doing so, and how much it really matters, has been widely discussed in other posts. )
You'll notice that I haven't mentioned HDR yet.... and that's because HDR is not a requirement in HDMI 2.0 (it's - you guessed it - optional).
However, support for HDR has been added as a requirement for the newer HDMI 2.0a.
(HDR means that the signal has room to carry more information - and so you
CAN get "whiter whites, blacker blacks, and wider color gamut".
HOWEVER, you're only going to see those differences if they exist in the content to begin with. If your favorite Transformers movie from last year is "converted to HDR",
from the same master, there's no reason to expect it to look any different on an HDR TV or HDR disc unless the producers deliberately alter the adjustments to impress you. )
Just to be perfectly clear, what we're talking about is commonly referred to as "HDR10" - which is "the basic version of HDR".
In order to get "an HDR picture", your disc must be "recorded" in HDR, and your player, and your TV, must also be HDR.
(As with 4k, you can connect the player directly to the TV; if you want it to go through your pre/pro, then that also must support HDR.)
The data path required to support 4k HDR is "18 gbs".
The soon-to-be-released upgrade card for the XMC-1 is HDMI 2.0, but is not HDMI 2.0a, and so does not support HDR.
(The multi-port card we expect to release around the end of the year will support it; the switching chips simply aren't readily available to us yet.)
Errrr.... but what about Dolby Vision.
Well, to slightly oversimplify, Dolby Vision is Dolby's own
PROPRIETARY version of HDR (plus some other related stuff).
So far, indications are that a lot of HDR discs will be released in "Dolby Vision HDR" and that many players and TVs will support it.
HDMI 2.0a DOES require support for HDR10, but DOES NOT require support for Dolby Vision.
Dolby Vision is claimed to be backwards compatible (anything that supports Dolby Vision is probably "fully HDMI 2.0a" and so should also support "HDR10").
(It's pretty close to regular HDR in terms of requirements, so it can probably be added by a firmware update on some HDMI 2.0a/HDR10 devices)
It's a fair bet that the HDMI upgrade board we offer at the end of the year will support Dolby Vision (since we are a Dolby partner) - but no promises.
So, we're
FINALLY done, right.....?
Are you kidding.
"4k" was essentially done - without HDR - but then HDR suddenly arrived late to the game - and was included.
(We might be cynical and suggest that 4k wasn't a compelling enough reason for everyone to buy a new TV this year, so HDR was pushed out early to boost sales.)
And, while HDR seems to be "the buzzword of the week", it remains to be seen how widely Dolby Vision is accepted (and I didn't mention that there are
OTHER HDR options out there)
Since a significant portion of the 4k TVs sold up until now didn't support HDR, you can be certain that any discs we finally get to see will play on "both HDR and non-HDR systems".
But none of us has much idea what will show up next year - especially if sales of HDR 4k TVs and discs don't take off into the stratosphere.
Is it going to be 8k, or 8k HDR, or 4k HDR 3D, or smell-o-vision? My crystal ball is just an overheated mess so far; although, at this point, 4k 3D seems to be a dead equine.
(But it seems certain that there'll be
SOMETHING new to buy next year, right?)
And, while it may take a little while, if it makes it to market, we'll be looking at an upgrade so your XMC-1 will be able to play it.
On a serious note, Krell Foundation owners are now paying $2500 to upgrade to 4K/HDCP2.2/HDMI2.0, without immersive sound(meaning no Dolby Atmos/DTS:X) so I think this puts a slight perspective on matters. Dan & Cathy haven't gouged their customers before and I don't expect them to start now, so I wouldn't expect to pay anymore than what is Emotiva's cost plus any labor and shipping that it may cost them.
Just read a post on another forum which referred to the Krell Foundation 4K and it's HDMI 2.0/HDCP 2.2 capability. The question referred to the Foundation 4K not working with the new Samsung UBD‑K8500 UHD blu-ray player to pass HDR and that he sent Krell an e-mail asking if this would be addressed in an update. According to the post, Krell's response was this, "the 4K Foundation hardware will not support HDR and there is no upgrade path being considered at this time".
I'm not understanding what the $2500 Foundation 4K upgrade brings to the table. Isn't HDR/Dolby Vision the supposed future of video processing? If so, I'd think if I were a Foundation 4K owner that $2500 was extorted from me.
Anyhow, I think what Dan Laufman and Company will be offering in the XMC-1 future upgrades is now even more so brought into perspective price-wise, technology-wise and customer-wise. With this post I'm only offering a comparison perspective, so please keep on-topic and no brand bashing please.
which has dynamic HDR capability rather than the static HDR were grappling with at the moment 
