VESA launched the DisplayPort 2.1 specification as we speak. Sometimes when an trade group declares a brand new customary, it takes months and even years for merchandise supporting the spec to be obtainable to shoppers. However DisplayPort 2.1 merchandise are already obtainable; in reality, it’s possible you’ll already personal some. VESA additionally declared as we speak that any product that was already DisplayPort 2.0-certified earlier than as we speak’s announcement is now DisplayPort 2.1-certified, too.
“VESA has been working carefully with member corporations to make sure that merchandise supporting DisplayPort 2.0 would really meet the newer, extra demanding DisplayPort 2.1 spec,” the announcement from VESA, which additionally makes DisplayHDR, AdaptiveSync/MediaSync, Clear MR, and monitor-mounting specs, mentioned.
“Resulting from this effort, all beforehand licensed DisplayPort 2.0 merchandise together with UHBR (Extremely-high Bit Fee) succesful merchandise—whether or not GPUs, docking station chips, monitor scalar chips, PHY repeater chips, reminiscent of re-timers, or DP40 / DP80 cables. (together with each passive and energetic and utilizing full-size DisplayPort, Mini DisplayPort, or USB Kind-C connectors)—have already been licensed to the stricter DisplayPort 2.1 spec,” VESA additionally mentioned.
Identical to that, DisplayPort 2.0 merchandise have been bumped up a tick. Nonetheless, there aren’t many DisplayPort 2.0 merchandise to talk of proper now. DisplayPort 2.0 merchandise have been initially anticipated in 2019 however, as a result of COVID-19 pandemic hurting testing capabilities, did not begin changing into obtainable till this yr.
AMD Ryzen 6000 is DisplayPort 2.0-certified, as are some MediaTek and RealTek chipsets, DisplayPort cables, and docks, however that is about it. We do not know of any DisplayPort 2.0 screens available for buy within the US. Intel’s Arc graphics playing cards, together with the Intel Arc A770 and A750, assist DisplayPort 2.0, however Nvidia’s newest GPUs, the RTX 4090 and 4080, and AMD’s newest playing cards, the Radeon RX 6000-series, don’t.
DisplayPort 2.1 versus DisplayPort 2.0
That leads us to the apparent query: What is the distinction between DisplayPort 2.0 and DisplayPort 2.1?
The brand new DisplayPort 2.1 confirms the usage of the identical bodily layer (PHY) specification as USB4. In response to VESA, that change will yield extra environment friendly DisplayPort tunneling over the most recent era of USB-C. As USB-C turns into ever extra ubiquitous, it is smart for DisplayPort to play properly with the connector.
“Reaching better alignment between DisplayPort and USB on a typical PHY has been a very vital effort inside VESA given the numerous overlap in use case fashions between the DisplayPort and USB4 ecosystems,” Alan Kobayashi, VESA board chair and DisplayPort Process Group chair, mentioned in an announcement.
Additional, DisplayPort 2.1 brings an up to date bandwidth administration function that VESA claims will permit for DisplayPort tunneling over USB4 to coexist with different I/O visitors “extra effectively” than earlier than.
The following model of DisplayPort additionally requires assist for VESA’s Show Stream Compression (DSC) codec and Panel Replay to scale back the quantity of bandwidth required for transporting DisplayPort tunneling packets.
VESA
Lastly, the DisplayPort 2.1 specification brings extra stringent necessities to DisplayPort cables, together with Mini ones. DisplayPort 2.1 cables working at as much as 40Gbps, which VESA dubs DP40 cables, are specified to assist lengths of “past” 6.6 ft (2 m) whereas sustaining efficiency.
DisplayPort 2.1 cables working on the spec’s max functionality of 80Gbps, in the meantime, are specified to function at full efficiency at distances “past” 3.3 ft (1 m), VESA introduced as we speak.
As many have most likely observed, DisplayPort 2.1 would not improve max throughput over DisplayPort 2.0 and will not deliver extra superior capabilities round issues like max decision and refresh price. VESA mentioned DisplayPort 2.0 getting used with screens with decision as excessive as 16K (15,360×8,640 pixels), together with at 60 Hz with HDR and DSC. DisplayPort 2.0 has additionally been related to speedy, high-resolution shows, reminiscent of 4 Ok, 240 Hz screens that do not depend on compression.