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CVT reduced blanking: RB v1 vs RB v2
Short answer: reduced blanking shrinks the gaps around the picture, so the same resolution needs a lower pixel clock. At 4K60, standard CVT needs 712.75 MHz, RB v1 533.25 MHz and RB v2 522.614 MHz. Use RB v1 for the widest compatibility and RB v2 when you need the lowest bandwidth.
Compare them in the calculator →
Standard CVT vs RB v1 vs RB v2
VESA CVT 1.2 timings with the standard's own clock step. PixelTach's default "Exact refresh" keeps these porches and fine-tunes the clock so the refresh lands closer to the rate you asked for.
1920 × 1080 at 60 Hz
3840 × 2160 at 60 Hz
What each one changes
- CVT (standard CRT-based timing): wide blanking sized for CRT monitors to retrace the beam. Highest pixel clock. Sync polarity −H +V.
- RB v1 (Reduced Blanking Timing Version 1): a fixed 160-pixel horizontal blank (48 front porch, 32 sync, 80 back porch) and at least 460 µs of vertical blank. Width is rounded down to a multiple of 8 pixels. Clock in 0.25 MHz steps. Sync polarity +H −V.
- RB v2 (Reduced Blanking Timing Version 2): a fixed 80-pixel horizontal blank (8 / 32 / 40), an 8-line vertical sync and a 6-line back porch. Any width. Clock in 0.001 MHz steps, so the refresh lands almost exactly on target. Sync polarity +H −V.
- RB v2 video-optimized: the 60 Hz RB v2 timing with the clock × 1000/1001, for ≈59.94 Hz video-locked systems: 133.186 MHz, 59.940 Hz at 1080p.
Which one to use
- RB v1 is the safe default for LED processors, media server outputs and graphics cards. Almost everything accepts it.
- RB v2 when the link is tight, for example 4K60 10-bit on DisplayPort 1.2, and the receiver supports it. Some older gear rejects RB v2. On HDMI its 80-pixel gap may not leave room for embedded audio on some sources.
- Standard CVT only for older or analog-era equipment, or when a device asks for it.
- CTA-861 standard formats (1080p, 4K) for TVs, projectors and broadcast converters, which often accept nothing else over HDMI.
4K60 timing details
RB v1
RB v2
Tip: sync polarity tells you which family a timing came from. Standard CVT is −H +V; both reduced-blanking versions are +H −V.
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