RCA connectors were typically the interface of choice on televisions for the longest time before HDMI came along. Thanks to its simplicity and versatility, HDMI quickly became ubiquitous, and it's now relatively rare to find RCA or any other connectors on modern TVs. HDMI is used to connect all kinds of audio-visual devices to TVs, including AV receivers, game consoles, soundbars, DVD players, and streaming boxes. Folks also use it to connect their PCs to a TV.
Most modern TVs have two or more HDMI ports to keep multiple devices connected at all times, and you can simply change the source when you need to access a particular device. However, not all HDMI ports are created equal, and your TV can have HDMI ports supporting different generations, bandwidths, and even features. So, it's not always as simple as plugging in a device to any of your TV's HDMI ports and hoping that it'll work seamlessly or deliver its best performance. Here are the types of HDMI ports you'll typically encounter on a modern TV, and which are the right devices to connect to them.
Identifying the HDMI ports on your TV
There is, unfortunately, no standardization for HDMI ports on a TV. Different TV models from even the same manufacturer can have different ports with different features at random spots. So, you can't take for granted that HDMI 1 will support this or HDMI 4 will support that. That said, TV manufacturers tend to label all HDMI ports, or at least the ones that are different from the other HDMI ports, giving you a basic idea of what to expect from them. Moreover, an ARC or eARC port on a smart TV is almost always labeled. As a part of the labeling, manufacturers will sometimes mention the resolution and frame rate supported by an HDMI port.
This information can help you differentiate between the HDMI 2.0 and HDMI 2.1 ports, two of the most common HDMI generations used in modern TVs. HDMI 2.0 ports only support up to a 4K 60 Hz signal, while HDMI 2.1 ports can accept up to 4K 120 Hz or 8K 60 Hz signals. Notably, HDMI 2.1 can go all the way up to 4K 240 Hz with Display Stream Compression (DSC). So, if your TV has a port labelled with a higher resolution or frame rate than 4K 60 Hz, such as 4K 120 Hz or 4K 144 Hz, it's a sign that it's an HDMI 2.1 port. In the case of unlabeled ports, all the HDMI ports on the TV likely have the same specifications, and you can refer to the TV's user manual for more info.
Which HDMI ports to use for which devices?
Depending on the type of device you're planning to connect to your TV, you have to choose a specific port. In the case of an audio device like a soundbar or subwoofer, an eARC or ARC port is recommended. This specific port has the optional audio return channel, which will take the audio signal from your TV and transmit it to the connected device. Some devices, like the Apple TV 4K, may also ask you to connect them to an eARC port despite not being a primary sound output device. The reason for this is that Apple TV 4K supports audio playback via HomePod speakers (if you have them). So, it needs to be able to get audio signals from your TV that are not being generated on the streaming box itself..
For gaming consoles or PCs, you want the HDMI port that's labeled with a higher resolution and frame rate combination, such as 4K 120 Hz. This would allow you to enjoy high-refresh-rate gaming if provided by your gaming device. Advanced gaming features, such as variable refresh rate, are also limited to these high-bandwidth ports. Finally, primary output devices like a media streamer or a Blu-ray player can be connected to practically any port on your TV, unless a specific port has been requested by the product, as these devices don't send a high-bandwidth signal.
