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Hardware DisplayPort 1.1 Adds HDCP Support
Marcus Yam (Blog) - November 7, 2006 7:17 AM
Print E-mail del.icio.us 10 comment(s) - last by lemonadesoda.. on Nov 7 at 9:31 PM
Plus other changes proposed to improve capability and interoperability

The DisplayPort Task Group has proposed DisplayPort version 1.1, a developing standard for digital display connectivity, for consideration by the VESA membership. Task Group member companies proposing the new version include AMD (with ATI), Dell, Genesis Microchip, HP, Intel, Lenovo, NVIDIA, and Samsung Electronics.
 
According to VESA's announcement, DisplayPort 1.1 adds capabilities to support High Bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) in addition to DisplayPort Content Protection (DPCP) and includes technical enhancements that enable PCI-Express design compatibility in DisplayPort devices.

HDCP version 1.3 for DisplayPort will be provided by the DCP LLC. This version, expected to be final in early 2007, allows products supporting DVI or HDMI and DisplayPort to share a common key set.
 
The VESA DisplayPort Task Group is also working to complete a compliance and interoperability program for DisplayPort connectors, cables and devices to ensure functional compatibility between DisplayPort products.
 
DisplayPort version 2.0, a planned upgrade to the specification that will increase capacity and add new features based on DisplayPort’s unique micro-packet architecture while maintaining full backward compatibility with DisplayPort 1.1, is on deck for definition by the DisplayPort Task Group during 2007.

DisplayPort is designed to be a long term replacement for DVI, LVDS and eventually VGA in PCs. Compatibility with HDMI and DVI is also possible with DisplayPort products. An Interoperability Guideline providing recommendations for products supporting all three specifications is currently in development.

Despite efforts put into DisplayPort, other bodies are also working new or updated standards. The HDMI 1.3 standard was finalized over summer, which will be the going standard to ship with all PlayStation 3 consoles. In another effort to standardize, the upcoming Unified Display Interface (UDI) incorporates both DVI and HDMI into a single, backwards compatible plug.

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way too many
By Lazarus Dark on 11/7/2006 10:56:26 AM , Rating: 5
I suppose as long as they can interoperate using an adapter it doesn't matter, but how many different connectors do we need? Theres too much time and money being spent on these when its unnecessary. the only reason I see to change is for smaller connectors or for more bandwidth for higher resolution and color depth. But these seem to be just for the heck of it. I anxiously await the day when a single universal wireless standard is able to move all my data where it needs to go whether that be portable hard drive, monitor, speaker, whatever. Instead of researching more cables, how about more research in less cables.

And dpcp? Great?! just what we need another incompatible drm! It would be one thing if they came up with a single unified drm standard that worked across all devices but multiple incompatible drm schemes do NOT save the consumer any money by "fighting piracy". they INCREASE costs to the average consumer do to research, development and the necessity to buy multiple devices to replace their 6 month old device that works fine but now its incompatible with current drm. Its not about protecting content: its about highway robbery to drain more money out of the consumer with no valuable services performed for the people spending theyre hard earned money. Do we let the mechanic at a dealership say we have to replace the spark plugs and tires on our car just because we did it ourself and didn't use manufacturer approved official parts?




RE: way too many
By Lazarus Dark on 11/7/2006 11:03:15 AM , Rating: 2
okay, read the wikipedia and it does increase color and resolution but my point still stands: theres too many. My main gripe is hdmi which decreased resolution compared to dvi. i never understood hdmi. We should still be focusing on wireless.


RE: way too many
By guru on 11/7/2006 2:21:39 PM , Rating: 2
What do you mean with "hdmi which decreased resolution compared to dvi"? HDMI is backwards compatible with DVI so it will run the exact same resolutions.

And wireless has drawbacks. It can't deliver the same quality and microwaves/radiowaves increases the risk of getting cancer.


RE: way too many
By Lazarus Dark on 11/7/2006 5:00:27 PM , Rating: 2
okay, just checked wikipedia as I had understood that hdmi originally couldn't handle 1080p until version1.2, only 1080i. Thats still true as far as I can tell for type A hdmi. The new hdmi1.3 adds support for a type B connector (yea another new standard!) which is like dual link dvi and can handle higher res, but pre 1.3 connectors are stuck at 1080p. I was saying that hdmi1.2 was not capable of resolutions as high as dual link dvi and so seemed a step backward in resolution to me. But i didn't know about 1.3 's increase in res; but as far as I know no product has 1.3 until ps3 next week so in reality, dvi is still higher res until a hdmi1.3 equipped monitor is released


RE: way too many
By Ringold on 11/7/2006 4:16:16 PM , Rating: 2
I have to agree..

I got my first computer not long after Win95 hit, and until 2000, VGA was the standard. I could take any monitor around basically and hook it up to any computer and generally no worries. Then I started getting LCDs, and DVI is king, but VGA is still here, still fully compatible and still in use. Just about any computer-monitor match-up will be compatible.

All these different versions of connectors.. It's possibly the most retarded attempt to squeeze companies and consumers out of extra bucks I think I've seen on such a scale. And thats absolutely all it is. A scheme to squeeze a bit more blood out of a turnip. I'd much rather get squeezed for money and actually get something more tangible than a brand-spanking new plug in return.

What's next? Chrome-plated HDMI v2.1337 Gamer Edition?


so....
By Spivonious on 11/7/2006 9:33:07 AM , Rating: 3
What does it do? Is it an adapter? Is it a new connector? Does it convert DVI/HDMI to DisplayPort?




RE: so....
By dijuremo on 11/7/2006 10:55:24 AM , Rating: 2
RE: so....
By Spivonious on 11/7/2006 2:15:29 PM , Rating: 2
My point was that the "article" didn't say anything about the product!


RE: so....
By lemonadesoda on 11/7/2006 9:31:00 PM , Rating: 2
It's not a product! It's a "standard".


By Ajax9000 on 11/7/2006 9:22:18 PM , Rating: 2
At first glance DisplayPort looks quite good, but dig a bit deeper and you find some (IMHO) serious limitations.

In particular, if you look at V1 of the spec (VESA hasn't uploaded V1.1 to their website yet) under section 1.2.2 DisplayPort Technical Objectives it says:
quote:
9) Supports full bandwidth transmission via direct drive over a 3 meter cable.
10) Supports reduced bandwidth transmission via direct drive over a 15 meter cable. DisplayPort supports a minimum of 1080p resolution at 24bpp, 50/60 Hz over 4 lanes at 15 meters.


With a decent cable single link DVI can do 1080p50-75 over 15m runs, and dual-link DVI can do deeper colour and/or higher resolutions over such run lengths. I.e. in some ways DP is not all that much better than DVI.

The low minimum refresh rate over long runs is also disappointing given the way people are increasingly wanting 72/75/100/120Hz operation to reduce flicker, eye-strain, etc.

It seems that VESA is assuming that most very high resolution usage will be done in a "work" environment where the source and display are in close proximity. Given the recent development (e.g. by AU Optronics) of 50"+ QuadHDTV resolution displays, I think such an assumption is fundamentally flawed.

These limitations owe a lot to the use of an electrical interface. With DVI, the DDWG opted NOT to standardise the use of alternative media such as optical/Cat5/Cat6 (DVI section 2.3.2). This has resulted in incompatible (and often very expensive) proprietary extenders. HDMI did nothing to improve the situation.

Given that optical audio connections, optical networking, etc. is becoming quite common, I think VESA should seize the opportunity to bring standardisation to the use of fibre optic transmission with DisplayPort (still have a standardised copper interface too, of course).

When DisplayPort V1 was released I contacted them on these matters, but they didn't bother to respond. :-) :-)




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