VESA launched the DisplayPort 2.1 specification in the present day. Sometimes when an trade group broadcasts a brand new commonplace, it takes months and even years for products supporting the spec to be out there to customers. However DisplayPort 2.1 products are already out there; actually, you could already personal some. VESA additionally declared in the present day that any product that was already DisplayPort 2.0-certified earlier than in the present day’s announcement is now DisplayPort 2.1-certified, too.

“VESA has been working intently with member firms to make sure that products supporting DisplayPort 2.0 would truly 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, stated.

“As a result of this effort, all beforehand licensed DisplayPort 2.0 products together with UHBR (Extremely-high Bit Charge) succesful products—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 Sort-C connectors)—have already been licensed to the stricter DisplayPort 2.1 spec,” VESA additionally stated.

Similar to that, DisplayPort 2.0 products have been bumped up a tick. Nevertheless, there aren’t many DisplayPort 2.0 products to talk of proper now. DisplayPort 2.0 products had been initially anticipated in 2019 however, because of the COVID-19 pandemic hurting testing capabilities, did not begin turning into out there till this 12 months.

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, help 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 accordance with VESA, that change will yield extra environment friendly DisplayPort tunneling over the newest era of USB-C. As USB-C turns into ever extra ubiquitous, it is sensible for DisplayPort to play properly with the connector.

“Attaining better alignment between DisplayPort and USB on a typical PHY has been a very necessary 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, stated in an announcement.

Additional, DisplayPort 2.1 brings an up to date bandwidth administration characteristic that VESA claims will permit for DisplayPort tunneling over USB4 to coexist with different I/O visitors “extra effectively” than earlier than.

The subsequent model of DisplayPort additionally requires help for VESA’s Show Stream Compression (DSC) codec and Panel Replay to cut back the quantity of bandwidth required for transporting DisplayPort tunneling packets.

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 help 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 in the present day.

As many have in all probability seen, DisplayPort 2.1 does not improve max throughput over DisplayPort 2.0 and will not deliver extra superior capabilities round issues like max decision and refresh fee. 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 Okay, 240 Hz screens that do not depend on compression.