DisplayPort Information
DisplayPort is a digital display interface developed by the
Video
Electronics Standards Association (VESA), first standardized in May 2006.
Designed primarily for the PC market, DisplayPort offers many of the same capabilities as
HDMI while adding features
specifically aimed at computer displays, such as daisy-chaining multiple monitors from a single output.
Unlike DVI and HDMI, which use TMDS signaling, DisplayPort uses a packet-based protocol. It supports both video and multi-channel audio, can carry USB data, and was designed to eventually replace both DVI and VGA in the PC space.
Connector Types
- Standard DisplayPort — Full-size 20-pin connector used on desktop graphics cards, monitors, and docking stations.
- Mini DisplayPort — Compact version developed by Apple in 2008, widely adopted on laptops and graphics cards.
- USB-C with DisplayPort Alt Mode — Modern laptops and tablets deliver the DisplayPort signal over a USB-C connection.
Version History
DisplayPort 1.0 – 1.1a (2006–2008)
Maximum bandwidth of 10.8 Gbit/s (8.64 Gbit/s data rate). Supported resolutions up to 2560×1600 at 60 Hz.
DisplayPort 1.2 (January 2010)
Doubled the data rate to 17.28 Gbit/s (HBR2 mode). Added Multi-Stream Transport (MST) for daisy-chaining multiple monitors, stereoscopic 3D support, and increased AUX channel bandwidth.
DisplayPort 1.3 (September 2014)
Increased bandwidth to 32.4 Gbit/s with HBR3 mode (8.1 Gbit/s per lane). Enabled support for 4K at 120 Hz and 8K at 30 Hz.
DisplayPort 1.4 / 1.4a (2016–2018)
Added Display Stream Compression (DSC 1.2), Forward Error Correction, HDR10 metadata support, and extended inline audio to 32 channels.
DisplayPort 2.0 (June 2019)
Approximately 3× bandwidth improvement to 77.37 Gbit/s. Supports 8K at 60 Hz with HDR, dual 4K at 144 Hz, and single 16K at 60 Hz with DSC.
DisplayPort 2.1 (October 2022)
Introduced DP40 and DP80 cable certifications for UHBR10 (40 Gbit/s) and UHBR20 (80 Gbit/s) speeds. Aligned cable requirements with USB-C specifications.
