AMD Adds HDMI 2.1 to Linux, a Win for Steam Machines
▼ Summary
– AMD is adding HDMI FRL support to its Linux amdgpu driver, enabling higher bandwidth for features like higher resolutions, dynamic HDR, and Variable Refresh Rate.
– The update is currently a partial HDMI 2.1 implementation, missing Display Stream Compression (DSC) code needed for resolutions up to 10K at 100 Hz.
– AMD developer Harry Wentland stated that DSC support is still being tested and will be sent out later.
– A full HDMI 2.1 compliance run is “in the works,” according to Wentland.
– An AMD driver developer confirmed that a full HDMI 2.1 implementation will be available once patches are ready and compliance testing is complete.
For years, the combination of HDMI licensing complexities and open source AMD driver development created a frustrating roadblock for Steam Machines, leaving them without official support for the HDMI 2.1 standard. That obstacle now appears to be crumbling. According to patch series notes for an amdgpu driver update posted on Friday and spotted by Phoronix, AMD is making significant headway toward delivering full HDMI 2.1 compliance to its Linux driver in the near future.
AMD’s Harry Wentland confirmed in the notes that the company is finally introducing HDMI FRL (Fixed Rate Link) support to the widely used Linux display driver. FRL is the breakthrough feature that unlocks higher bandwidth over compatible HDMI cables, replacing the older TMDS standard found in HDMI 2.0 and earlier. This upgrade directly enables support for higher resolutions, dynamic HDR, and features like Variable Refresh Rate , capabilities that HDMI 2.0 simply cannot deliver.
Wentland cautioned that this update is still only “a representative subset of HDMI compliance,” as it currently lacks the code for Display Stream Compression (DSC). DSC is essential for pushing resolutions and frame rates even higher, supporting up to 10K at 100 Hz. However, he added that DSC support “is still being tested and will be sent out later,” and that “a full compliance run” for HDMI 2.1 is “in the works.” Another AMD driver developer, using the handle agd5f, commented on Phoronix, stating that “a full implementation [of HDMI 2.1] will ultimately be available once the patches are ready and have completed compliance testing.”
(Source: Ars Technica)
