32 PCWorld JUNE 2020

NEWS

IMAGE: VESA

DisplayPort Alt Mode 2.0 will let

laptops connect to 16K displays

over USB-C in 2021

While the bandwidth enabled by VESA’s DisplayPort Alt Mode 2.0 standard will power

multiple 4K displays, you’ll need to pay attention to your USB-C cables. BY MARK HACHMAN

N

ext year will see the introduction

of laptops and desktops that

should be able to connect to

massive 16K displays running

HDR across USB-C, thanks to a new

DisplayPort Alt Mode 2.0 standard released

by the Video Electronics Standards

Association (VESA) on April 29 (go.pcworld.

com/ves4).

The new standard takes the DisplayPort

2.0 standard launched last year (go.pcworld.

com/ds20) and eliminates the need for a

dedicated DisplayPort connector. Instead, it

allows the same protocols to run over USB-C,

the interface increasingly common among

laptops, giving them a massive boost in I/O

bandwidth for displays and other external

devices.