4K TV for PS5: What Specs Do You Actually Need?

Most of the time, a 4K TV is able to display a PS5 image to the viewer. There are a few features that will affect how the image looks; specifically, the features are: a 4K screen, a screen with a refresh rate of 120 hertz, a fast enough input for carrying the signal, and a mode that keeps input lag low while playing games. All of the other things on a 4K TV’s specifications are things that a PS5 console can’t use, or that the console can use in very limited ways.

The tricky part is that these features are defined per input, rather than per television, and the PS5 console will only request its fastest mode (if one exists) for an input when a game is being played that offers it. This difference in ability is the reason a PS5 player on Push Square asked if he really needed variable refresh rate in order to play at 4K at 60 frames per second. The best way to identify which type of 4K signal the PS5 is sending out is to locate the input that will accept the signal.

What PS5 and PS5 Pro can actually output

The console is the least checked end of the console’s cable when you buy from a retail shop, and it establishes the ceiling for nearly everything else. For example, Sony’s PlayStation 5 hardware specifications include Video Out as “Support of 4K 120Hz TVs, 8K TVs, VRR (HDMI ver.2.1)”. The video output documentation for PS5s still lists this same core set of outputs (4K, 120Hz output toggle, Variable Refresh Rate, Auto Low Latency Mode) as being supported by PS5s and PS4 Pros, respectively. The supported outputs represent signals that the console can request from the TV; this is not a list of signals that the console sends on every load of a title.

The envelope worth shopping against breaks down like this:

• 4K at up to 120Hz. The console and the TV agree a video mode when you plug in, and a 120Hz mode means the console is allowed to hand over a finished frame every 8.3 milliseconds instead of every 16.7. The panel has to accept that mode, and so does the specific input you used.
• 1440p. Sony’s video output menu carries a Test 1440p Output tool that checks 60Hz, 120Hz, HDR and VRR at that resolution, so 1440p output is real and supported, which matters if the screen you’re eyeing is a monitor rather than a TV.
• HDR. Every model has the HDR controls under Screen and Video, including an “On When Supported” option that leaves non-HDR games in standard range instead of stretching them into HDR.
• 8K, on one console only. The Allow 8K Output toggle appears only on consoles in the CFI-7000 model group — the PS5 Pro — and Sony’s guide requires a screen that does 8K at 60Hz with Display Stream Compression. VRR is disabled while 8K output is active.

The promised 8K feature indicated on that original launch specification for the PS5 has never materialized within the base PS5 itself. An 8K emblem was included along with the original retail packaging, only to be removed later. The base PS5 and slim models have never been modified to allow them to output an 8K signal. The Shortcut is maintaining a list of 8K PS5 Pro games that highlight all of the very few Pro titles capable of doing so.

Like the original console, the Pro outputs 8K in terms of its signal output to your television, rather than its actual rendering of an 8K image of a particular game. In December of 2024, FlatpanelsHD published their first report on 8K PS5 Pro games, detailing how they did not render in true native 8K quality. As it turns out, based on the information provided by the development team at Hello Games (the developer of No Man’s Sky), the 8K mode they created was only “slightly above” 4K internally, using PSSR technology for upscaling to fill in the pixel gap from true 4K output.

In addition to the above, the FlatpanelsHD report mentions another important point regarding HDMI compression and compatibility. Since the Pro uses HDMI 2.1 compression when sending 8K signals to display screens, if the 8K television you buy is not designed to accept HDMI compression, it will not be capable of displaying an 8K signal. As an illustration, Sony’s own Z9J television was cited.

Which is why the useful question isn’t what the console supports. It’s which input on the TV in front of you accepts any of it.

HDMI 2.1 ports: the spec you actually have to check

As he summarized in a single post on the Google TV community, one owner of a TCL television found that he had set up his console to play games at 120 fps but had no option on the console for playing those titles at 120 Hz. He tried all of the inputs located on the back of his television set, and as he put it, “My TV is being marketed all over as having HDMI 2.1 support.”

There is a documented explanation for the discrepancy between the way the box is marketed and the way it functions. HDMI 2.1 is a large optional feature set, meaning that a product can legitimately advertise that it is an HDMI 2.1 product without having all of the features that are available in HDMI 2.1. According to an HDMI 2.1 explainer from FlatpanelsHD, “You cannot assume that if a TV or player/console claims to be ‘HDMI 2.1 compatible’ it will have all of the HDMI 2.1 features. You must verify each one of them individually.” The manufacturers then assign the features they have implemented to specific inputs, and that assignment appears on the specifications.

Sony provides the clearest representation in the form of their HDMI function grid. In the Sony’s per-port HDMI function grid for the BRAVIA Google TV models from 2024, the 4K 100p/120p row only includes HDMI 3 and HDMI 4; HDMI 1 and HDMI 2 are both shown with a dash. The same split appears on the 2025 model.

The row in the footnotes has two conditions: (1) Use an Ultra High Speed HDMI cable; and (2) set that port’s HDMI output signal format to Enhanced. Leave the input at its factory default setting, and the console won’t be able to see the fast formats, which is what caused the issue for the TCL owner.

A model level limitation is also evident in the same table. The footnote for the 2024 model limits the row that lists 4K 120p to the BRAVIA series of 9, 8, and 7. The BRAVIA 3, which appeared in the same article about the BRAVIA series of TVs, does not have the capability. This is only one brand, only one model year, and one support page, but there are two answers that are dependent upon the numerical information following the name.

Checking it takes about five minutes, before you’re standing in a store:

1. Write down the complete model number from the listing, suffix included, since the suffix is what separates this year’s panel from last year’s.
2. Search the manufacturer’s support site for that model’s HDMI-terminal or connectivity article: the per-port grid, not the marketing page.
3. Read the 4K 120p row and the VRR row by port number. A tick on the TV is not a tick on the input you’ll actually use.
4. Check the footnotes for a required port mode (names vary: Enhanced format, Enhanced HDMI, HDMI Mode) and for any firmware update the feature depends on.

HDMI 2.1 on a retail bullet list assumes all four ports allow the full capabilities of HDMI 2.1 but that is based on what is labelled and not guaranteed for each individual port. The brand is not a shortcut, either, as the fastest modes of a flagship model may only be available on two of the four inputs, while a less expensive model may support all of its fastest modes on all four inputs. A model’s port table will tell you what you are getting with that model.

Once you find out what input carries the video signal, the next question is: What will a 120Hz panel get me?

4K at 120Hz: what a 120Hz TV really gives you

When buyers on Ars Technica’s open forum ask a question about the value of 120Hz TVs compared to 4K60 TVs they are thinking of their total costs associated with a 120Hz TV. Most buyers frame the 120Hz TV question as such: “the 120Hz TVs command a large premium over the well-specified 4K60 TVs”. However, what does buying a 120Hz TV really buy you?

You get three things, and the first one is what most buyers are purchasing.

The first item you receive is that you get to access and play 120fps games for each title. In FlatpanelsHD’s setup guide for the PS5, it clearly states how to set up your system: when you connect a PS5 to a 4K TV, the console will output at 4K60. When a specific game has a performance mode enabled for 120fps, the output will change to 4K120. Other than this game’s performance mode, the dashboard, your streaming apps and your adventure single-player titles will not be affected at all by the 120Hz features of the TV. It’s worth taking ten seconds of your time to look at The Shortcut’s PS5 120fps games maintenance list; if the titles you are interested in are not on the list, then you are going to be getting an option that will not be utilized.

It is purchasing frame rate levels which would not be 60. This 40-frame-per-second level would divide evenly into a 120-frame rate level, and not so easily into a 60 frame-rate level, therefore it can only be achieved using a panel that can display a refresh rate of 120 hertz.

In case you don’t know, Digital Foundry’s first-year review of the PS5 pro shows a more nuanced version of this 40fps mode in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. The reviewer states, “anti-lag modes run 60fps gameplay inside a 120hz VRR container. They provide the capability to take advantage of shorter frame times to give each frame milliseconds faster than base PS5 hardware”. The game still runs 60fps, but the panel presents the game as 60fps sooner.

The one thing that it doesn’t purchase for you is 4k. The expression “4k at 120hz” describes the signal being sent over the cable from the source to the display, not the image being presented by the source. From the same first-year review, Kingdom Come Deliverance II meets its 60fps requirement at a base resolution of 1296p, and upscales it mostly without issues through PSSR, while Doom: The Dark Ages improved from a base of 1440p to a new 1800p target, and thus these are classified as 60fps mode. Frame rate in this new generation will be purchased through internal resolution and returned to the end user as an upscaled 4k signal.

So the 120Hz decision splits cleanly:

• A 4K 120Hz TV earns its premium if you play competitive shooters, racing or fighting games, if your list overlaps the 120fps library, or if you want the 40fps and high-frame-rate modes that need a 120Hz container.
• A 4K 60Hz set is a legitimate PS5 TV if your evenings are single-player games in quality modes, and the money is better spent on a panel with real HDR performance, a low-lag game mode, and one input that carries what you do use.

Neither branch of the game is a compromise for which the console punishes you. The specification for how badly the game fails to meet its frame-rate target is the specification that governs what happens when a game fails on both sides of this split.

VRR: what it fixes and when it becomes required

The necessity of variable refresh rate (VRR) may not be known to many people, but the reassurance that it exists is an important aspect of the purchasing process for many buyers. In the Push Square’s help forum, A PS5 user with an LG TV was seeking assistance in determining if their TV required VRR for 4K 60fps gaming. The answer was no; while VRR, resolution, 120Hz output, and HDR are all considered “settings” on the PS5, only one (VRR) pertains to frame rate synchronization.

When a game is not hitting its desired target frame rate (i.e. not displaying a stable frame rate as it should), VRR acts as “monitoring” for that particular moment. On a 60Hz display, a frame arrives at the display in very much the same manner as ticks on a metronome — therefore, if the frame arrives late, it can be divided in two and appear to be torn horizontally or it can wait for the next refresh and appear to be stuttering.

According to HDMI’s Variable Refresh Rate page, “the variable refresh rate (VRR) allows a gaming source, such as a console or PC, to provide video frames as quickly as it is capable of providing them, even when the refresh rate of the TV is less than that provided by VRR” (HDMI.org). Thus, when gaming with a console, the TV receives information from the console regarding the frame rate, rather than displaying it independently.

In order to determine whether or not your console will be able to utilise VRR, there are two criteria that you need to consider. The first criteria is the format. According to RTINGS’ VRR test methodology, “The PlayStation 5 supports HDMI Forum VRR only”. This support was added to the PS5 as part of the April 2022 firmware update. If you are seeing a specification sheet advertising FreeSync or G-SYNC Compatible, these are formats for PC gaming that your PS5 cannot use, therefore the manufacturer is marketing PC features as sellable PS5 features.

The second criteria is the range. VRR only functions between a minimum and maximum frequency. Some models tested by RTINGS report that several models do not support VRR below 40Hz or 48Hz; others use low frame rate compensation techniques to maintain compatibility for lower frequencies. Once the frame rate goes below the minimum frequency for VRR, tearing and judder will return – which is obviously the inherent limitations of this feature. VRR compensates and smooths out frame rates; it cannot fix a game that is running low.

The same testing also indicates a hidden trade-off that is not commonly advertised: some televisions, when using VRR, cannot perform either their local dimming (e.g. Panasonic W95A; Hisense U6/U6K) while VRR is active. Therefore, these televisions have a contrast trade-off when using the VRR feature. It is helpful for consumers to be aware of this potential contrast loss before it becomes a surprise.

The behaviour found on the console side that surprises most consumers, and is also described by Sony in their video output settings, relates to variable refresh rate (VRR). In their settings, there is an “Apply to Unsupported Games” option that allows users to apply VRR to games that did not ask for it. Low latency mode is also associated with VRR and “Even if you set ALLM (automatic low latency mode) to Off, it will automatically switch to low latency mode while using VRR output.” The solution provided by Sony is to turn off both the ALLM and VRR outputs. If consumers want the full capabilities of their TV’s picture generation for a true cinematic experience, then consumers will not be able to use all the functions available to them through the VRR and ALLM connections, since the VRR system will take precedence over any/all other features.

This brings us to the most overlooked specification by most purchasers — the lag time between the user’s thumb and their screen.

Input lag and game mode: the numbers that matter

All “best gaming TV” lists advise looking for TVs with low input lag. The majority of them also don’t specify what is low. Therefore, people buying a TV based on these spec features overlook input lag.

The delay between your console sending a frame and the time your television starts displaying the frame is called input lag. The way RTINGS tests input lag includes separating it into three parts: how long it takes the television to acquire an image, how long it takes to process that image, and how long it takes to display the final processed image. The processing phase is the part of input lag that you can control by how you set up the television. All three types of image processing (colour adjustments, scaling, and interpolation) occur between the cable and the screen and require time; therefore, the Game Mode option in the television eliminates any extra time caused by all three processes.

RTINGS publishes the thresholds it treats as good, measured in game mode with a photodiode at the centre of the screen:

• Under 15ms at 4K 60Hz, the result it calls the most important one for console gamers, since most games still cap their best-looking modes at 4K60.
• Under 10ms at 4K 120Hz, which is the figure that matters if you’re buying for 120fps modes.
• Under 25ms at 4K 60Hz outside game mode — the number that tells you how sluggish the TV feels when its full processing is switched on.

RTINGS has found a 15ms Black Box Score to be considered a “noticeable difference” in their testing; this is the first step where humans could start noticing how something changes. A clearer way to think of this is to avoid trying to obtain a rating of 1ms and just shoot for getting the average between deltas.

One oddity with the ratings system that explains many of the oddities in the ratings section is the difference between measuring with the same TV but at 60Hz vs. 120Hz. A 120Hz display only displays each image for approximately 8.33 milliseconds, which means that if you measure at the center of the screen, it can’t register a registration of less than 4.17ms. If you measure while gaming on a 60Hz display, the 8.33ms line is the registration floor reference point. The difference between the 60Hz registration and the 120Hz registration on that same display can be approximately four milliseconds; this is contingent upon the amount of delay due to the measurement floor rather than the processing of the display.

However, the part where most users argue over is the issue where you disable processing in Game Mode. This makes the Game Mode picture seem much less appealing than the picture you might have experienced at the store. Users in AVForums Samsung QN95A threads often describe how they use Game Mode while playing games like F1 where the response time of the TV is critical, but they do not use Game Mode when playing games where they want the picture to look good since this feature disables many of the picture quality improving features like Local Dimming.

Running a TV in this way is completely valid; however, it is important to be aware that most TVs will not allow motion interpolation in game mode, Samsung is the rare exception as RTINGS notes.

The auto low latency mode was created so that you would not have to make the choice regarding this option by hand; rather, you have the ability to let your console communicate to the TV that the game is beginning so that the TV will switch into low-latency mode, and, when the game has finished, go back out of it again. It is for this reason that you want to set it on the HDMI input that the console will use, and this is also why RTINGS observes that many models require a setting to be turned on before they work. HDMI’s ALLM feature lets the console tell the TV to switch into low-latency mode when a game starts, then drop back out afterwards.

These features won’t function unless you have the correct cable. This is the least expensive item on this list and, unfortunately, it is the easiest to mess up when purchasing.

Cables: why the certification label is the only spec that matters

Cables are often a category where a thoughtful consumer spends more than necessary, and where the problem will almost always be the same. For example, a user of the Sony PlayStation 5 console on AVForums’ PS5 hardware forum needed a three-metre long cable for an LG CX, purchased a product labelled an ‘Ultra HD Highspeed HDMI Cable’ which claimed to support 120Hz at 4K resolution, then expressed concern that it “may not work”. There was a valid reason for the concern because the label is similar to a certified designation but not one.

To understand what the console will require, follow the steps listed by Sony in their Troubleshooting 4K 120Hz section of the website; the first question to answer is whether you have the appropriate cable that is included with the console, or one labelled Ultra High Speed, 4K 120Hz capable, and that is all that is required. There is not another signal from the PS5 that requires higher than this.

The certified label is legitimate and approved. The HDMI Licensing Administrator’s Ultra cable page provides guidance on identifying the Ultra High Speed HDMI cables, which can transmit data at up to 48Gbps, and must go through a required certification programme in order to be a certified model, which consists of passing through an accredited testing facility, having a certification label included on the packaging, and the official name printed on the cable jacket itself.

The organisation is very clear with regard to its reasoning for having this program; resellers “will use many different marketing names and will not use the official HDMI cable name designations.” In addition, some of these vendors will promote the cables for the purposes of receiving compensation through an affiliate program and some of the products being sold are counterfeit.

Which makes verification a 30-second job at the shelf or in the returns window:

1. Look for the words Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable printed on the cable jacket, not just on the box.
2. Find the certification label on the packaging and scan its QR code with your phone. It returns the brand name, model number and length registered for that cable.
3. Ignore the rest of the packaging copy. “8K ready”, “Ultra HD”, “premium high speed” and “supports 120Hz” are all descriptions the seller chose.

An uncertified cable will most commonly fail in the specification of length; there really is no specification for length, per HDMI’s own FAQ. Cable length depends on many factors, including type and construction, but a 3mt to 5mt run from a source device using an uncertified cable is where the certification is more than likely not an issue. A long replacement cable will have the same signal over more copper.

HDMI 2.2 has added another method for selling you cables: Ultra96 is a second cable class with a rating of 96Gbps for use with formats like 12K up to 120Hz and uncompressed 8K 4:4:4; none of these are formats supported by a PS5. The maximum video output for a PS5 is 4K at 120Hz or on the Pro 8K at 60Hz, which fall well within the Ultra High Speed cable’s specification at 48Gbps and HDMI’s recommendation is to use the correct cable for the bandwidth specification of the product. To purchase an Ultra96 cable for a PS5 is to spend money to provide “headroom” for a device you do not currently own.

We now have both the console and connector sides taken care of; so what are the differences for a console such as a Pro?

PS5 vs PS5 Pro: how the console changes the checklist

In two different posts, a member of the Insider Gaming forums was very clear on what they wanted from the Pro model. They had already purchased a low-end 32-inch television and a higher resolution, 4K (60Hz) display but wanted to know if the benefits afforded by Pro would be noticeable on either one. The first part of their question was easy to answer; yes, the Pro model would improve the gaming experience on both displays. However, the second half of that question involved more considerations that did not always yield straightforward answers.

Sony’s PS5 Pro product page and its support documentation put the display differences in a small box:

There are three rows in which only one of the Pro-only features changes how you can use your purchased device. The 8K row represents a specialty mode with limited compatibility and library size for this exclusive 8K feature. The PS4 enhancements are still important for users who have back catalog titles from the prior generation of consoles. The PS4 enhancements require a display that outputs at either 2160p or 1440p at 60Hz, and only works with CFI-7000 models of the PlayStation 4. The last row, which will ultimately provide the most value to consumers on PS4 Pro, provides the capability of high frame rate mode, and this requires a display that can display high frame rates.

The Pro does not provide true native 4K graphics, meaning that even in the case of high-end marquee titles, the benefits of native 4K can only be achieved through advanced PSSR upscaling of lower resolution assets. Digital Foundry’s year-long analysis of titles released during the first 12 months of the playstation 4 pro indicates that PSSR technology has not provided an anticipated level of consistent performance, stating: “there is no reassurance that every new title you purchase will deliver a totally unprecedented experience.” In some instances of upscaling technology, PSSR has led to degrading quality and performance, for example, Dragon’s Dogma 2 appears to generate significant PSSR flickering and Silent Hill 2 shipped with a high quality mode, however, this high-quality mode doesn’t allow for the same pass to be disabled during normal gameplay.

Thus the recommendation for which system to buy will depend to a large extent on which console you are purchasing first.

• Buying a Pro and keeping a 60Hz set: you still get the thing the Pro is actually good at — in that same year-one testing, Assassin’s Creed Shadows only reaches ray-traced global illumination at 60fps on the Pro, against 30fps or 40fps modes on the base console. You give up the over-60fps modes entirely.
• Buying a TV and keeping a base PS5: nothing on the 8K or PS4-enhancement rows applies to you, which removes two of the three reasons anyone gives for spending more.
• Buying both at once on a fixed budget: the 120Hz panel is what turns the Pro’s high-frame-rate modes on, so a cheaper 120Hz TV plus a Pro beats a more expensive 60Hz TV plus a Pro for that specific feature.

Which leads to the harder conversation: the specs on the shelf that take your money and give the console nothing back.

What not to pay extra for at $600–$1,200

Every additional badge indicates a price point for different components of the television. In most cases, this means a price increase for either the display panel, the processing unit, or the size that you opted not to purchase. A triple-badge rating takes up all of the console funds without providing any additional benefit to the actual console.

• 8K. Only the Pro outputs it, only at 60Hz, only to a screen that handles compressed 8K over HDMI, and VRR switches off while it runs. A GameFAQs PlayStation 5 board thread weighing a half-price 8K set reached the plain version years ago: “No 8K isn’t worth it now. There is nothing using 8K games or movies.” The library has grown since then, and it’s still a handful of titles.
• Refresh rates above 120Hz. The console’s published video-out line stops at 4K 120Hz, and nothing in its video settings asks for more. A 144Hz or 165Hz panel is a PC feature bought with console money; the PS5 will simply run it at 120Hz and leave the rest unused.
• Dolby Vision, if the console is the reason. Sony’s video output settings expose HDR controls and no Dolby Vision option, so the console isn’t sending it. Meanwhile TV spec sheets list Dolby Vision as a display capability — Sony’s own per-port article even names an “Enhanced format (Dolby Vision)” HDMI mode on older BRAVIA models. The badge describes what the TV’s apps and disc playback can do.

The label on the box says “TV for Gaming” and has the words “Ready for PS5” and “Ready for Xbox”, and these are not technical specifications, but retail marketing terms with no clearly defined specifications behind them to support the claim. In fact, there are no terms in these phrases regarding what type of port is available, so the same set up could be sold as having all of these labels while providing 4K 120Hz over two of four ports.

Another factor to consider with this labeling is that it can also decrease the value of the label for certain people. If you are using half your viewing time to stream video content using Dolby Vision, then that label can have monetary value; but again, it does not translate to any value in terms of using these systems with a gaming console. If you are specifically looking for an 8K television to upconvert your movies to 8K, then that is the reason to purchase one. But this section addresses specifically what the PS5 will do with an 8K panel; the answer for all three of those systems is that there is nothing you will see or be able to tell if you are using it with a PS5.

Instead of spending the additional money on the 8K panel for the PS5, you would be far better spending that amount of money on those features that all of the PS5 titles will use: brightness, local dimming, a dedicated game mode (with low lag) and at least one properly qualified input. These features provide significantly better picture quality than any of the labels mentioned above in terms of console performance, and they work on every one of the games you own, not just the few titles that will actually use the label.

The PS5 TV compatibility checklist before you buy

When looking for a 4K television that pairs well with your PS5, you will want to consider eight criteria. The four specifications listed first will be expanded upon by six items you should verify prior to purchasing, as well as two additional items that need to be checked once your console is connected.

Run through the checklist when you get your TV set up. The checklist takes around one minute to go through. Start by going through Settings > Screen and Video > Video Output; look at the line labelled Current Video Output Signal. This tells you what video signal is currently being outputted to the TV. The line for Information For Connected HDMI Device will show you what the console ‘sees’ about the resolution capability of the TV (and any VRR or HDR it supports). If you do not see 120Hz output in this data, it can’t be fixed by changing the game settings. The problem is the “handshake” between the console and TV, which often comes down to either where the HDMI cable is plugged into the TV, what version of HDMI the port is (e.g., 2.0, 2.1, etc.), or potentially a bad HDMI cable.

Two key settings to be aware of before you need them are 120Hz Output (this setting can be toggled on/off in the video output menu) – this setting should be set to Automatic – and there is also a 120fps mode for some games (to enable a 120fps mode in a game you have to enable the option in the game’s settings). Thus, if you are testing the dashboard, the 60Hz displayed speed means little, as you cannot verify at 120Hz until you test a game that the console is capable of outputting a true 120Hz signal. If you connect a 4K 120Hz source (e.g., a PlayStation 5 console) and the picture flickers, use Sony’s recommended solution for Video Transfer Rate – this setting limits the output so it can safely handle connections to 4K 120Hz signals and not leave the HDMI connection at maximum limits.

This checklist is an evaluation tool created for this guide based on information included here from four different sources: specifications published by game consoles regarding supported output modes; manufacturers’ cable feature charts; HDMI’s certification programme; and manufacturers’ published input lag and other specs on TV gadgets. It does not represent a lab test, cannot provide a scoring/rating or any indication of how a given television’s appearance will vary beyond your living room setup.

What Specs Matter Most for PS5 Gaming?

There are not many specifications that dictate a PlayStation 5’s overall appearance and user experience: The TV must have 4K capabilities, support up to 120 Hz (if the games support it), contain only one HDMI input that transfers signals, come with a certified HDMI cable and have a game mode option that does not obstruct the user while playing. All of these requirements are verified per input on the TV, as opposed to being verified per television’s model. Therefore, prior to making a purchase, it is important to look up the specific television model’s per-port HDMI table using the model year based on Sony’s per-port HDMI support documentation and, with that information, view the 4K 120 Hz and VRR rows by port number rather than brand.

After you have received your television, you should confirm the specifications through the PlayStation 5’s: Settings > Screen and Video > Video Output; this will show what the PlayStation 5 Console has negotiated with the television, or you risk failing both checks and returning the television after the return window has closed; results will show as: “HDMI 2.1 Support” when a TV that has only one input that can carry HDMI 2.1 is connected to the PS5.

Frequently Asked Questions

My TV only does 120Hz at 1080p, not 4K. Will the PS5 use it?

Yes, when operating at that resolution, sets with reduced bandwidth will limit the 4K output to 60Hz and still be able to output up to 120Hz when operating at 1080p; therefore, a higher frame rate will be achieved, but there will be fewer pixels available. RTINGS’ VRR testing notes that this is the case.

Can a TV gain 4K 120Hz or VRR in a firmware update?

If your device is compatible, it may have already enabled HDR support. For example, the 2020 Sony X900H features “4K 60p/120p” compatibility, and “a software update” will enable this functionality on this device. Sony’s per-port HDMI article documents this case. Be sure to check your device’s own support documentation prior to making any assumptions.

Should I connect the PS5 to the TV or through my soundbar or receiver?

If your TV does not list 4K 120Hz passthrough for the audio device from their specifications, connect your TV directly to the audio device. The 4K 120Hz troubleshooting list from Sony specifically states that the intermediate equipment could be causing issues for the 4K 120Hz playback. Rather than connecting directly to the audio device via HDMI, connect to the soundbar over eARC instead.