16 PCWorld AUGUST 2019NEWS DISPLAYPORT 2.0 LAUNCHES
DP 2.0 offers three times as much
bandwidth as DP 1.4a, the current standard.
While DP 2.0 keeps the four available data
lanes as its predecessor, the available link rate
has been increased up to 20Gbps per lane
with 128-bit/132-bit channel coding. That
translates into a maximum of 77Gbps, with
support for 8K video: 7680 x 4320 at 60Hz,
with full color 4:4:4 resolution at 30 bits per
pixel for HDR.DP? HDMI? WHAT’S THE
DIFFERENCE?
As TechHive’s Michael Brown has noted (go.
pcworld.com/mbrn), the differences
between HDMI and DisplayPort boil down
to this: HDMI was designed primarily for
consumer electronics applications: Blu-ray
players, TVs, and video projectors.
Meanwhile, VESA designed DisplayPort
to be the ultimate display interface for
computers, so it complements rather than
replaces HDMI. But the two standards still
compete in the PC space.
More USB-C implementations now
include support for DisplayPort, but the
legacy HDMI connectors are still a staple of
laptops and desktops. Here are the
differences between the two video standards
(go.pcworld.com/2vid).
HDMI has also moved to a next-gen
interface. In 2017, HDMI 2.1 was released (go.
pcworld.com/hd21), with support for up to
10K resolutions and dynamic HDR. But HDMI2.1 also supports just 48Gbps, versus the
77Gbps DP 2.0 allows.PAVING THE WAY FOR 8K
VESA noted that Japanese broadcaster NHK
has already begun broadcasting in 8K,
including plans to broadcast the 2020 Tokyo
Olympics in that resolution. Not a single U.S.
broadcaster offers a 4K package, though
some Netflix content can be delivered in 4K
with the appropriate subscription. VESA said
it hopes the new standard will help move
things forward.
“Like the previous versions of DisplayPort
that helped pave the way for major inflection
points in video technology such as UHD, 4K,
5K, video over USB-C and HDR, DP 2.0 will
help take the industry to the next level—
enabling even higher frame rates and
resolutions up to and beyond 8K, greater
flexibility in display configurations including
multiple monitor setups, as well as improved
power efficiency,” said Alan Kobayashi, the
VESA board chair and VESA DisplayPort Task
Group chair, in a statement.WHAT VIDEO RESOLUTIONS
WILL DP 2.0 ENABLE?
VESA provided a list of supported video
configurations that DP 2.0 will enable, so you
can begin thinking of what your PC of
tomorrow might look like.
Single-display resolutions:- One 16K (15,360 x 8,460) display