Last year, the first receivers were introduced with HDMI 2.1 connections that support refresh rates of 120 Hz and a resolution of up to 8K. However, the early devices had compatibility issues with other hardware – namely the Xbox Series X – and it looks like fixing it will be pretty complicated.
As Forbes and HD Guru point out, Yamaha, Denon and Marantz all sell receivers with these compatibility issues that gamers noticed when the new consoles hit the market last fall. Denon and Marantz are both trademarks of Sound United and will fix the problem by providing an additional hardware adapter that sits between the Xbox and its receivers. The SPK618 “corrects” the HDMI data from the Xbox so that it is passed on to your 4K / 120Hz-enabled TV while playing audio at the same time. Owners of affected recipients can order the box from Denon or Marantz from May 15th.
As for Yamaha, so far it has been recommended that gamers plug their consoles directly into the TV – which we learned can have its own problems – and use the HDMI-eARC functionality to send audio back to the receiver. It also states, “We will fix the reported HDMI 2.1 issue through these planned future updates to provide the best solution available to customers.”
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