What is DisplayPort?

Article Summary: Guide on what DisplayPort is and the features and connection options.

Table of Contents :

1. Origins of DisplayPort
2. Features and Benefits
3. DisplayPort Comparison
4. DisplayPort Dongles

1. Origins of DisplayPort

 
In late 2003, Dell brought together a group of leading PC, graphics, and semiconductor companies to plan a new digital display interface standard. The standard had to meet future demands on the interface and had to reduce display cost and complexity. The goal was to develop an open standards based, royalty-free, and extensible interface suited for both external desktop monitor and internal display interfaces. The result of the effort was the open standards based DisplayPort™ digital display interface.


This new interface is currently designed to work along side of the proprietary digital visual interface (DVI) used between the PC and an external display, as well as the legacy low-voltage differential signaling (LVDS) interface used inside notebook computers, monitors, and TVs to connect to LCD panels. As DisplayPort becomes more readily available, eventually it will replace VGA, DVI, and LVDS as the display interface standard.

See http://www.displayport.org/

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2. Features and Benefits

The DisplayPort has the capability to provide a scalable digital display interface with optional audio and high-definition content protection (HDCP) capability for broad usage within business, enterprise, and consumer applications. The interface is designed to support both internal and external digital display connections. Examples of external applications for DisplayPort include display connections between PCs, monitors, and projectors.
 

DisplayPort is also suitable for connectivity between high definition content applications such as optical disc players, mobile devices, personal video recorders, and TVs.

Advantages over DVI, VGA and FPD-Link:

• High resolution displays and multiple displays with a single cable

• Self-latching connector

• Multiple video streams over single physical connection

• Scalability, reduced wire count and embedded clocking (reduced power, reduced EMI)

DisplayPort Comparison:

The DisplayPort interface accommodates both PC and home entertainment applications and does so at a lower manufacturing cost. The table below shows a comparison of display interface connectivity.

* H.E. stands for Home Entertainment. These devices can include TV's, DVD players, set-top boxes (cable, satellite, etc) and video game consoles.
 

DisplayPort Dongles:

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