EDID (or Extended Display Identification Data) is a protocol that allows a display (such as a TV or monitor) to send information about its capabilities to the video source it is connected to (such as a computer’s graphics card, or a Foxtel box). This allows increased compatibility between the devices, as it helps in ensuring that the video source provides the correct resolutions and aspect ratios to the display based on its image-producing abilities.
EDID is an essential part of establishing a 4K-compatible home theatre system, as most devices will not output a high dynamic range image of 3840 x 2160 pixels at 60 frames per second unless they receive an EDID signal stating that the display is capable of receiving this picture.
This can present an issue when using some Kogan TVs, as some models can occasionally have their HDMI inputs set to a default resolution of 2K and will not correctly display a 4K image. This can easily be correct to provide the full 4K image through the TV’s system settings; whilst this does differ from model to model, the general menu path would be as follows (for each HDMI input):
'Menu' -> 'Functions' - 'HDMI EDID'.
From here, changing this setting to either “4K” or “EDID 2.0/HDMI 2.0 (or later)", depending on your model, should provide you with a full-resolution image and framerate, presuming that your video source is capable of transmitting a picture at this size and framerate. Please always refer to your product manual for instructions on how to change your EDID settings accordingly.
As digital image reproduction is a constantly-evolving medium, we are always trying to keep our products up-to-date as new advancements are made and different technologies are introduced. This may occasionally mean that there is a disparity between the HDMI transmission protocols on your TV and other devices, as our older models are sometimes equipped with HDMI ports that do not support 4K @ 60 fps.
You can sometimes confirm this from looking at the ports on the unit themselves; older units may have "1.4" listed, demonstrating the EDID protocol used by the unit. This is due to the fact that HDMI 1.4 will only allow 4K images at 24 frames per second, rather than 60 fps, as the data bandwidth of this protocol is unable to transfer enough information at the appopriate speed to facilitate this. This increased bandwidth also improves the colour depth of the image, as 2.0 will support 10- and 12-bit colour, as opposed to the possible 8-bit through 1.4.
This can present issues for customers trying to utilise a modern gaming console in 4K @ 60 fps, as this is only supported over EDID 2.0 or later. The opposite is true for external devices that do not support 4K @ 60 fps, such as the Foxtel iQ3 box - this product will only be compatible with EDID 1.4, and will show video at 24 fps accordingly.