VESA Approves DisplayPort Version 1.1

MILPITAS, Calif. - The Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) announced on Apr. 2 that its membership had approved version 1.1 of the DisplayPort™ interface standard for use in new designs of flat-panel displays, projectors, PCs and consumer-electronics devices.

According to VESA, DisplayPort 1.1 gives manufacturers of LCD panels, monitors, graphics cards, PC chipsets, projectors, peripherals, components, and consumer electronics a next-generation digital interface that is designed to replace LVDS, DVI, and eventually VGA. DisplayPort provides the ability to connect to both internal and external displays with a common digital interface, meaning that DisplayPort can carry pixels directly from any display source to any LCD panel, simplifying the design complexity that is present today. As presented at CES 2007, a DisplayPort Interoperability Guideline that recommends best practices for providing DVI and HDMI connectivity via the DisplayPort connector and simple cable adapters is nearing completion, VESA said.

DisplayPort 1.1 adds support for High Bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) version 1.3. HDCP support enables viewing of protected content from Blu-ray and HD-DVD optical media over DisplayPort 1.1 connections. DisplayPort 1.1 provides for low voltage and low power operation, VESA said, and enables improved interoperability and reduced EMI through its unique embedded clock architecture. Significant advantages claimed over DVI and VGA include a small USB-sized connector with available latching, two-way display connectivity, optional audio support, higher performance than dual link DVI at 10.8 Gigabits per second, and a unique micro-packet architecture that enables new display features.

"The benefits of version 1.1 are significant, and will encourage adoption of DisplayPort in new generations of computers and consumer electronics equipment," said Bill Lempesis, VESA executive director, in a statement released by the organization. "Our task groups and committees within VESA worked very hard to ensure that DisplayPort 1.1 satisfies the important objectives it is designed for, and as a result, this new version has widespread support among all the leading computer and consumer electronics suppliers." Available throughout the industry as a free-to-use, open and extensible standard, DisplayPort is expected to accelerate adoption of secure digital outputs on PCs, enable higher levels of display performance, and introduce high-volume digital displays that are simpler, thinner, and easier to use than VGA.