DisplayPort: A Better Video Interface

Over the years we have seen a number of interfaces used for computer monitors, televisions, LCD panels and other general display applications. We lived through VGA and the wide variety of analog interfaces that preceded it, then DVI, HDMI, and at some point we started getting devices with DisplayPort support. So you might think it's more of the same. However, I'd like to tell you that you should probably pay more attention to DisplayPort - it's a powerful interface in a way we've never seen before.

By [Belkin+Abisys], CC BY-SA 3.0

The DisplayPort (abbreviated as DP) interface was explicitly designed as the successor to VGA and DVI, originating from the VESA group - an organization created by several players related to computer display in the technology space, which previously brought us a certain number of smaller scale computer display standards like EDID, DDC and the well-known VESA support. Nevertheless, despite the smaller scale of previous standards, DisplayPort has since become a hit in the computer display space for a number of reasons, and is more ubiquitous than you might think.

You could put it this way: DisplayPort has all the functionality of interfaces like HDMI, but implemented in a better way, without legacy crudeness, and with a number of features that take advantage of the more robust DisplayPort architecture. As a result, DisplayPort isn't just in external monitors, but also in internal laptop displays, USB-C port display support, docking stations, and Thunderbolt of all flavors. If you have a display-compatible docking station for your laptop, whether it's a classic-style multi-pin docking station or USB-C, DisplayPort is very likely to fail. get involved, and even your smartphone might just support DisplayPort over USB-C these days. /p> Well done video

Like most digital interfaces these days, DisplayPort sends its data in packets. That might seem like a reasonable expectation, but none of the other popular video transport interfaces use packets in the traditional sense - VGA, DVI, HDMI, and LVDS laptop panel all work with a stream of pixels at some frame rate. clock. HDMI is much more like VGA than DP. With DisplayPort, video is treated like any standard packet data stream, which makes the interface all the more flexible! Physically, desktop/laptop DisplayPort outputs come in two flavors: full-size DisplayPort, known for its latches that hold the cable in place no matter what, and miniDisplayPort, which is often found on MacBooks, ThinkPads, and GPUs with limited port space. .