Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) approved the newly-developed DisplayPort™ interface standard. The aim is to unify the desktop and notebook PC markets to a common high-bandwidth display interface.

Developed by a VESA Task Group, DisplayPort is designed for broad application in PCs, monitors, TV displays, projectors, and other sources of display content. The standard allows high-definition digital audio to be available to the display device over the same cable as the digital video signal. It delivers true plug-and-play with robust interoperability, and is cost competitive with existing digital display interconnects.

DisplayPort enables for the first time a common interface for both external and internal display connections within a PC notebook or a desktop display. This approach allows for standardized connections between source devices and display devices, such as LCD panels, without the need for signal translation. This direct drive capability simplifies display product design and reduces cost. DisplayPort may be applied within notebook PCs, and for external display connections, including interfaces between a PC and monitor or projector, between a PC and TV or between a device such as a DVD player and TV display.

The standard includes an optional digital audio capability so high-definition digital audio and video can be sent over the interface. DisplayPort also provides performance scalability so that the next generation of displays can feature higher color depths, refresh rates, and display resolutions. The external connector is small, user-friendly and optimized for use on thin profile notebooks in addition to allowing multiple connectors on a graphics card.

DisplayPort incorporates a Main Link, a high-bandwidth, low-latency, unidirectional connection supporting isochronous stream transport. One uncompressed video stream with associated audio is included in Version 1.0. DisplayPort is seamlessly extensible, enabling support of multiple video and/or audio streams. Version 1.0 also includes an Auxiliary Channel to provide consistent-bandwidth, low-latency, bi-directional connectivity with Main Link management, and device control based on VESA’s EDID and MCCS standards. The Main Link bandwidth of up to 10.8Gbit/s uses four lanes; the auxiliary channel features minimal delay, with maximum transaction periods less than 500 microseconds.