HDTVTest’s Vincent Teoh has shared a video that suggests the PlayStation 5’s HDMI 2.1 chipset is limited to 32 Gbps. That could be a problem for PS5 gamers who wish to play games in 4K/120 Hz at the highest possible quality, as a greater bandwidth is required for HDR/10-bit color output and 4:4:4 (uncompressed) chroma at that resolution and refresh rate.
Teoh used an LG CX OLED, Denon HDMI 2.1 receiver, and Capcom’s Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition for the test, which includes 4K and 120 FPS support. Sadly, the PS5 was only able to output a compressed 4:2:2 image with chroma subsampling instead of 4:4:4.
It isn’t clear whether Sony will be able to address this problem through a software patch. The PS5 leverages Panasonic Semiconductor Solutions and Nuvoton Technology’s MN864739 HDMI 2.1 chipset, but Teoh can’t confirm whether it even supports 40 Gbps or 48 Gbps output.
Contrastingly, Microsoft’s Xbox Series X can deliver 40 Gbps of bandwidth through its HDMI 2.1 output. The implication is that games on PS5 could look worse than the competing console when played in 4K/120 Hz.
