DECEMBER 2019 PCWorld 109get away with is the best. Active will be
required for very long runs, but what you’ll find
for sale at this point in development is a good
indication of what’s possible. Again, the story
with the latest standards has yet to be written,
so after trying your old cables, buy one with
the appropriate logo.
IS IT A TYPE-C FUTURE?
When USB 3.1 showed up, a corollary
standard for a new, updated connector was
also introduced: USB Type-C, or as it’s now
officially titled—USB-C. The USB
Implementers Forum (go.pcworld.com/form)
can call it what it wants, but the world at large
now refers to it simply as Type-C. That’s a
good thing as a feature called “Alternate
Mode” allows Type-C ports and
cables to be used for other
transport protocols,
including Thunderbolt,
DisplayPort, MHL (Mobile
High-definition Link, for
cell phones), VirtualLink
(for VR headsets), and
HDMI.
So far, however, alternate
mode is being used almost
exclusively for Thunderbolt (which
embeds DisplayPort), DisplayPort, and of course
USB. Alt-mode HDMI (go.pcworld.com/altm),
though available, has yet to show up en masse.
Captains of industry rarely play champion
of humanity; however, if the stars align, and
they all wake up in a particularly good mood
one day, maybe all your consumer electronics
and computer vendors will decide on a single
cable type. That would be nice for both your
pocketbook and the environment.
Note that DisplayPort 2.0 and HDMI 2.1
might be constrained, as the latest USB spec
allows for “only” 40Gbps of bandwidth.
Darn, and here we were feeling all warm and
fuzzy.WHICH DISPLAY INTERFACE
IS BEST RIGHT NOW?
Technically, DisplayPort sounds like HDMI’s
awesome big brother, but HDMI can easily
stand up for itself in average practical
applications. And, as we’ve already
pointed out, HDMI had a four-year
head start. If you’re talking TVs,
A/V receivers, and the like, as
well as budget computing,
HDMI is what you’re going to
get 99.9 percent of the time,
and it’s more than adequate.
On the other hand, if
you’re looking to create a
robust multi-monitor setup,
you’re talking DisplayPort.
That generally requires a
discrete graphics card or a higher-priced
computer; but with the growing acceptance
of USB Type-C ports as a standard, hopefully
DisplayPort will become significantly more
widespread in all sectors of the market.