Introduction
For decades, the evolution of video technology has followed a familiar trajectory: more pixels, richer colour, faster refresh rates. Each leap forward brought incremental improvements like clearer images, smoother motion and deeper immersion. But according to James Chen, Managing Director at Kordz and globally renowned HDMI expert, Ultra96 represents something fundamentally different.
“Up until recently, the pursuit has always been about how much more information we could push to create a better image,” Chen explains. “Higher resolution, better colour and faster refresh rates. Ultra96 is the first level where I can confidently say that we’ve arrived.”
We’ve arrived not at the end of innovation, but at a threshold. A point where image quality becomes believable enough to unlock real-world applications that go far beyond entertainment. Enabled by the HDMI 2.2 standard and its 96 Gbps of uncompressed bandwidth, Ultra96 is poised to redefine how we experience areas like healthcare, security and communication, as well as everyday life.
And while the displays and cameras are advancing rapidly, Chen is clear about one thing: None of it works without the right cable.
Where Is Ultra96? Understanding the New Bandwidth Standard
Ultra96 is the certification and performance benchmark for HDMI cables capable of supporting the full set of HDMI 2.2 features, including 96 Gbps bandwidth – double the capacity of today’s Ultra High-Speed HDMI (48 Gbps).
This leap enables:
- Uncompressed 8K@60Hz with full 4:4:4 chroma
- 4K@240Hz with high-bit-depth colour
- Support for 10K, 12K and even 16K resolutions
- Full 10-bit, 12-bit and 16-bit colour depth for accurate colour reproduction.
Crucially, Ultra96 can remove DSC compression from workflows where even the slightest latency or data loss are simply unacceptable. This capability positions Ultra96 to deliver transformative impact across demanding real-world applications. Let’s take a look at three new possibilities.
Use Case 1: The Future of Minimally Invasive Surgery
Few applications illustrate the importance of Ultra96 more powerfully than visualisation during surgery. “When performing surgery, latency can’t happen,” Chen says plainly. “Surgeons can’t pause. They can’t wait. They need the cable to move that data in real time.”
Modern surgical imaging is extraordinarily demanding. Surgeons operate in environments dominated by subtle shades of red, which is one of the most difficult colours to reproduce accurately. Today’s imaging systems already capture incredible detail but getting it from the equipment to the screen in real time, without compression, has lagged behind.
Ultra96 changes that.
With uncompressed bandwidth, higher frame rates and vastly improved colour fidelity, surgeons can see more clearly than ever before, down to tissue texture, depth, and the precise placement of sutures. This clarity doesn’t just improve patient outcomes; it also expands access to healthcare.
“We can see more clearly than ever before in real time,” Chen explains. “This can mean faster reaction times and less invasive processes, which translates to faster healing. It opens up a completely new world for healthcare and wellbeing. It will increase productivity and save lives.”
Perhaps telehealth, too, will become more viable. HDMI is not the main transmission method, but it is an important part of the chain that delivers visual accuracy. As medicine shifts toward remote consultation and monitoring, believable imaging builds trust. When doctors can truly see their patients and patients can see their doctors with lifelike clarity, the experience can dramatically improve.
Use Case 2: Tighter Security and Community Protection
Security is another domain where resolution and refresh rate are no longer about aesthetics; they’re about accountability.
“In the real world, resolution and frame rate matter because they let you see what actually happened at the scene of a crime,” says Chen. “You can read a license plate. You can tell if a driver was distracted by their phone.”
High-resolution cameras already exist; they use lossless or lossy compression to transmit this signal back to a central hub to be restored to the full image for viewing or processing. In the final processing step to a monitor, Ultra96 further improves image clarity and frame refresh rates, enabling security systems that are not only sharper, but smarter.
This capability is increasingly important as human analysis, augmented by AI-driven analytics, relies on image quality to function effectively. Whether monitoring critical infrastructure, public spaces or private property, better image data leads to better decisions, faster responses and safer outcomes.
Use Case 3: Next-level simulation, training and professional visualisation
Simulation environments, whether for defence, aviation, medical training or industrial operations, sit at the intersection of high frame rates, low latency and visual realism.
These systems often generate content locally and render it in real time, making them well-suited to uncompressed point-to-point video transport. As display resolutions push beyond 4K, frame rates increase and colour fidelity becomes more critical, the margin for error in the display link shrinks.
Ultra96 supports this shift by providing sufficient bandwidth headroom for high-resolution, high-frame-rate simulation visuals without resorting to compression in the final display path. That reduces latency, simplifies signal paths and avoids subtle artefacts that can break immersion or training accuracy.
This is not about consumer entertainment or casual viewing distance. It is about professional environments where visual cues influence reaction time, spatial awareness and learning outcomes.
Preparing for Unprecedented Realism
Ultra96 doesn’t just support the future – it fundamentally enables it. It’s the first step toward a future where image quality is no longer questioned, compressed or compromised. “This isn’t entertainment-driven anymore,” Chen says. “It’s commercial, medical, and scientific. Real-time realism will be expected. Failure will not be acceptable.”
For systems integrators, designers and system planners, the message is clear: Build your foundations today for a future of unprecedented applications. The next evolution of AV isn’t about pushing data faster. It’s about making what we see believable, and therefore more valuable. At 96Gbps, that believability leaves no room for inconsistency. Ultra96 performance is unforgiving, as poor construction, inadequate shielding, or unverified assemblies can all undermine the performance of even the most advanced displays, cameras and other technology.
That’s why professional-grade, certified HDMI cables will matter more than ever. Engineered, tested and verified for real-world reliability, they will ensure Ultra96 systems perform predictably, today and as bandwidth demands continue to grow. The shift is already underway. In long-lifecycle installations where retrofitting later may be costly, disruptive or impossible, specifying Ultra96-ready, professional-grade cabling now ensures systems are prepared for the capabilities of tomorrow.
Discover Ultra96 with Kordz
At ISE 2026, Kordz is showcasing a finished prototype of one of the world’s first Ultra96 HDMI® cables, the new Kordz PRS5 Passive Ultra96 HDMI® Cable.
To learn more about Ultra96, HDMI 2.2 and other connectivity technologies impacting systems integration, check out more insightful, thought-provoking articles from Kordz at www.kordz.com.au/articles and follow us on social media for more announcements to come.
Keep Reading
- The Future of HDMI 2.2 and Beyond: What It Means for the AV Industry
- Podcast EP 6 | HDMI 2.2 Specification Explained: Why 96Gbps is a Game Changer for Pro AV
© 2026 Kordz International. All Rights Reserved.
Please note, re-publishing of the contents of this article is prohibited; however, Kordz encourages the link to this page to be shared. If media, distributors, educators or others wish to share this information, we request you author your own post or article and link it to this page on kordz.com.au