Video Cable Bandwidth Calculator

Features

• Covers HDMI 2.0 / 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4 / 2.0 / 2.1, USB-C (DP Alt), Thunderbolt 3/4, DVI Dual Link and VGA
• Resolutions from 1080p through 1440p, 4K and 5K to 8K
• Inputs for refresh rate, colour depth (8/10/12 bit) and chroma (4:4:4 / 4:2:2 / 4:2:0)
• Raw bandwidth from pixels × refresh × bits per pixel
• Coding overhead (8b/10b, 16b/18b or 128b/132b) plus blanking overhead
• Interface bandwidth, headroom, and a fits / needs-DSC / not-enough verdict
• The bandwidth needed with DSC, so you can see whether compression saves it
• Computed locally, nothing leaves the browser

How to use

1. Pick an interface and a resolution
2. Set the refresh rate, colour depth and chroma subsampling
3. Read the verdict: fits, needs DSC, or not enough even with DSC
4. Tick DSC to double-check the compressed requirement

FAQ

Can HDMI 2.0 carry 4K at 60 Hz?

8 bit 4:4:4 fits (about 15.2 Gbit/s, under 18 Gbit/s); 10 bit 4:4:4 does not (about 19 Gbit/s) and needs DSC or DP 1.4. 8 bit 4:2:0 also fits, with more headroom.

How much do 4:2:0 and 4:2:2 differ?

4:2:2 sends two chroma samples per pixel and 4:2:0 only 1.5, so 4:2:0 needs 75% of the bandwidth of 4:2:2 and 50% of 4:4:4. Text looks noticeably softer; film usually does not.

Where does the 1.02 blanking factor come from?

Each frame carries horizontal and vertical blanking intervals as well as the visible pixels. With CVT-RB (reduced blanking) that is about 2% more, hence ×1.02. It is an approximation — the exact figure depends on the timing table, which is why it is listed separately and can be checked.

Does DSC hurt image quality?

DSC is visually lossless, typically about 3:1, and is hard to spot at normal viewing distance. It does need support at both ends — the display and the GPU. The tool only says whether the bandwidth works out, not whether your hardware can actually enable it.