Kernel: Realtek Rant and DRM via HDMI 2.1

posted by Roy Schestowitz on May 03, 2026,
updated May 07, 2026

• Andrew Rowson ☛ Screw you Realtek

  So I’ve got three nodes in my homelab k8s cluster (celebrated its 7’th birthday the other day 🎈 ) that are lovely little lenovo M75 boxes. They’re cheap, reasonably powerful, not too old, and make great k8s nodes for light workloads. The big problem, however, is that they have Realtek RTL8111/8168/8211/8411 NICs in them, which are not good.

• AMD Readies Full Open-Source HDMI 2.1 Support for Linux | TechPowerUp

  If readers recall, AMD has been trying to get the HDMI Forum, the governing body behind the development of the HDMI standard, to approve open-source HDMI 2.1 support on Linux but faced strong rejection. However, today the situation appears to be different. An AMD Linux developer hinted that the company is preparing full HDMI 2.1 support for the AMDGPU driver, bringing a complete open-source implementation after years of work. Helping this effort is Valve, whose Steam Machine runs on the SteamOS Linux operating system and uses AMD graphics. Late last year, we reported that Valve was reportedly attempting to persuade the HDMI Forum to approve AMD's efforts to bring this implementation to the open-source Linux stack, but we haven't received an update since.

• AMD preps “full” HDMI 2.1 implementation for Linux

  In 2024, the HDMI Forum rejected AMD’s HDMI 2.1 driver support plans for Linux. Basically, the HDMI Forus doesn’t want open-source drivers revealing details about its HDMI IP that it doesn’t want to be public. This has prevented AMD from delivering HDMI 2.1 support on its GPUs, which is a massive annoyance for Linux gamers.

• WCCF Tech ☛ AMD Finally Cracks HDMI 2.1 On Linux After Years Of Forum Lockout, Thanks To Valve’s Quiet Push

  It appears that the HDMI 2.1 support is finally arriving to Linux as AMD has submitted the new Fixed Rate Link (FRL) patches for its AMDGPU driver. This has been one of the longest-standing limitations that affected Radeon GPUs on the platform. There have been years of restrictions tied to the HDMI Forum (Org behind the HDMI standard) policies that prevented upstream implementation of HDMI 2.1.

Update

More here:

• Linux Gets Closer to Full HDMI 2.1 Support with AMD Update

  AMD has taken an important step to fix one of the long-time problems for Linux users: the lack of full HDMI 2.1 support in open-source drivers.

  For years, users with Radeon graphics cards were limited because the HDMI Forum did not allow sharing key technical details needed for open drivers. This made it hard to fully support HDMI 2.1, even on devices like Valve’s systems.

GoL:

• Expanded AMD HDMI 2.1 support is coming to Linux | GamingOnLinux

  One area that's lacking on Linux right now is support for later versions of HDMI with AMD GPUs, but it seems expanded features are coming.

Conde Nast:

• AMD is adding HDMI 2.1 support for Linux. That’s good news for the Steam Machine.

  Last year, we noted how the long-standing vagaries of HDMI licensing and open source AMD driver development combined to prevent the upcoming Steam Machine from receiving official support for the HDMI 2.1 display standard. Now, though, it seems that AMD is making real progress on adding full HDMI 2.1 compliance to its Linux amdgpu driver in the near future.

  In patch series notes for an amdgpu driver update posted on Friday (and noticed by Phoronix), AMD’s Harry Wentland says that the company is finally adding HDMI FRL (Fixed Rate Link) support to the popular Linux display driver. That’s the feature that allows for higher bandwidth on compatible HDMI cables compared to the TMDS standard found on HDMI 2.0 and earlier. That in turn enables direct support for higher resolutions, dynamic HDR, and features like Variable Refresh Rate that aren’t supported in HDMI 2.0.

Kosta Andreadis:

• HDMI 2.1 support coming to Linux and Valve's Steam Machine courtesy of AMD

  Valve and AMD are adding HDMI 2.1 support to Linux and SteamOS, enabling higher bandwidth for 4K 120Hz gaming and variable refresh rate (VRR). The update includes HDMI Fixed Rate Link but excludes DSC, with full HDMI 2.1 implementation delayed by compliance and licensing issues.

KitGuru:

• AMD submits HDMI 2.1 FRL patches for open-source Linux driver

  AMD has submitted a series of Linux kernel patches to the AMDGPU driver that introduce support for the HDMI 2.1 Fixed Rate Link (FRL) feature. The move follows years of rejection from the HDMI Forum regarding open-source implementations of the standard. This initial support enables higher bandwidth for Radeon GPUs on Linux, supporting resolutions such as 4K at 120Hz and 5K at 240Hz.

  As noted by AMD Linux engineer Harry Wentland (via Phoronix), AMD had developed the code in 2024. Still, the HDMI Forum previously blocked its release, citing concerns about exposing proprietary intellectual property in open-source stacks.

Some late coverage:

• PC Perspective ☛ Expanded HDMI 2.1, Coming Soon To An AMD Powered Linux Box Near You

  Nvidia has historically been better at maintaining their open source driver, a perfect example being that it properly supports HDMI 2.1 on Linux with no extra fuss. Unfortunately that is not true of AMD’s open source driver, but that may well change soon. The HDMI Forum previously rejected a Linux driver for AMD + Mesa that added HDMI 2.1 support as it needed to be added to the driver as opposed to NVIDIA who have the logic inside their firmware. This led to most Linux users preferring DisplayPort, but there are times when HDMI is the best answer.

• Radeon GPU drivers for Linux will finally get HDMI 2.1 support

  Valve’s incoming Steam Machine gaming PC/console drew new attention to one long‑standing weakness of the Linux ecosystem: HDMI 2.1 support. It works with Nvidia hardware (thanks to closed‑source drivers and firmware), but the open‑source drivers used for Radeon GPUs could not support it because the HDMI Forum did not allow HDMI 2.1 support in open‑source code. However, it looks like this problem may finally be coming to an end.