What is DisplayPort?

Cable and interface

The DisplayPort cable and the corresponding interface serve as a powerful & flexible DVI successor. DisplayPort is used to connect workstations (PCs) or notebooks to displays with a corresponding interface.

The DisplayPort cable is primarily used to connect PCs and notebooks to a corresponding screen. DisplayPort 2.0 and older interfaces are compatible with the common video interfaces DVI, VGA or HDMI via active or passive adapters.

The origins of DisplayPort 2.0 date back to 2006 and the specification published at that time has been optimised and expanded over the years. Since version 1.3, the DisplayPort cable has supported Multi Stream Transport (MST), stereoscopy (‘3D’), the colour spaces xvYCC, scRGB, Adobe RGB 1998 as well as HDCP 1.3 and DPCP (DisplayPort Content Protection). Version 1.4 also introduced support for Display Stream Compression 1.2 (DSC), forward error correction, HDR10 and the Rec. 2020 colour space. DisplayPort 2.0 (DP 2.0) increases the maximum data rate to 20 GByte/s per lane, which means up to 77.37 GByte/s with four available lanes. This results in a theoretical maximum resolution of 8K (7680×4320) at 120 fps and 30 bit colour depth. The 4:4:4 colour subsampling allows compression that can even support 16K displays.

The latest version DisplayPort 2.1 brings some important improvements compared to 2.0, particularly in the areas of range, efficiency and flexibility:

Improved cable compatibility:

DisplayPort 2.1 cables are designed for higher data rates over longer distances, providing more flexibility when using 8K displays or multi-display setups.

More efficient bandwidth utilisation:

DisplayPort 2.1 makes better use of the available bandwidth, especially for connections via USB4 or Thunderbolt. This means that high resolutions and refresh rates can be transmitted without any loss of quality.

More energy efficiency:

Devices with DP 2.1 can operate more efficiently at slower speeds, which means longer battery life for mobile devices.

Extended multi-display support:

The Multi-Stream Transport (MST) feature is optimised for multi-monitor setups, supporting higher resolutions and refresh rates on multiple monitors.

Backwards compatibility:

DP 2.1 remains fully backwards compatible with DP 2.0 and earlier versions, ensuring trouble-free use of older cables and devices.

Overall, DisplayPort 2.1 offers a more stable and flexible solution for demanding high-end displays and multi-monitor setups.

Advantages of the DisplayPort cable

The DisplayPort cable or interface gives you various advantages over DVI cables and HDMI cables. As it is based on a micro-packet protocol, it allows the standard to be extended easily. The design also supports internal ‘chip-to-chip’ communication, which means that the display panel can be controlled directly. This results in three advantages:

1. Skalierungs- und Kontrollschaltungen entfallen und die Verbindung mit preiswerteren, dünneren Bildschirmen ist möglich, während die Latenzen verringert werden.

2. the standardised interface provides a replacement for internal LVDS connections to notebook panels.

3. the interface is compatible with a low-voltage signalling environment used in 45-nanometer CMOS manufacturing.

In addition, both YCbCr and RGB-encoded formats are supported from DP 2.0 onwards. An additional channel is available for USB connections, camera, microphone or a touch-sensitive screen. Thanks to the neat locking mechanism on the DisplayPort cable plug, quick connection is possible without screwing.

Finally, manufacturers generally benefit from DisplayPort as small batches are licence-free, while HDMI annual fees can be up to 10,000 dollars.

InLine DisplayPort Kabel und Adapter

You can find the entire InLine DisplayPort range here

InLine® DisplayPort Cable black gold plated 5m

14 Variants available.

InLine® DisplayPort Cable black gold plated

Secure connection: Locked connectors prevent accidental disconnection and provide stable signal transmission. High-quality image quality: Supports resolutions up to 3840x2160 (4K@60Hz) for razor-sharp display. Reliable signal transmission: Triple shi...

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InLine® DisplayPort to DVI converter cable, black, 0.5m

9 Variants available.

InLine® DisplayPort to DVI converter cable, black

The DisplayPort interface is the successor to DVI interface by VESA, for connecting workstation (PC) or laptop with LCD monitors or plasma / LCD TVs that have this interface.Connects screens with DVI-D digital input with graphics cards with DisplayPo...

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InLine® DisplayPort to 2x HDMI Splitter & Video Wall Function FullHD

Control two HDMI monitors flexibly via DisplayPort Two displays simultaneously: One DisplayPort input feeds two HDMI monitors in parallel. Clone or extend: Identical image or wide desktop as a simple video wall. Fast setup: Plug and Play, no software...

Item no.: 57821A

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