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AMD slides from analysis day show DisplayPort video cards on map for 2008

DisplayPort is the new standard approved for PC displays in April of this year. Recently several manufacturers have announced that they will bring DisplayPort displays to market with Dell promising displays this year. Samsung announced today that they will have a 30 inch display using DisplayPort early next year also. The other part of the spectrum needed to enjoy DisplayPort displays are video cards with DisplayPort built-in.                                   

AMD held an analyst’s day today and the roadmaps showed that in 2008 with their Shanghai processors, they will also be rolling out R700 FireGL graphics cards that feature DisplayPort video outputs. This release of DisplayPort video cards will coincide with the announcement today from Samsung that 30 inch DisplayPort LCD panels are being readied for next year.

No firm time frame in 2008 was given during the analyst’s day, but with some PC makers like Dell saying they intend to bring DisplayPort to market at the end of 2007 we might assume that means early 2008 for the R700 parts. We can also expect to see the consumer oriented R700 parts launching with DisplayPort in 2008.

In addition to DisplayPort, the AMD roadmaps also make mention of Microsoft DirectX 11 compliance next year in their GPU line.

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Thats enough already
By mdogs444 on 7/27/2007 10:13:31 AM , Rating: 4
Does anyone else agree that this is getting a little crazy?

I mean lets just have a method of transfering video from the PC to the Monitor and stick with it. VGA was great for many many years. The emergence of DVI was great for a Digital video feed, as opposed to analog. Then theirs HDCP compliance, but not all methods of transferring video can use it. Now theirs displayport which looks like HDMI but its not the same.

I say who the hell cares, just pick something and stick with it. I dont want to have to buy a new video card, then a new monitor, then new something else....

Also, who cares about DX11....DX10 still does nothing for us besides raise the price of video cards that support it.




RE: Thats enough already
By Misty Dingos on 7/27/2007 10:22:31 AM , Rating: 4
Yes it is a little crazy. The constantly evolving standards are enough to drive one to drink. It would be nice if they came up with a hardware standard for video transmission that worked up to and including the next generation of HDTVs and computer monitors. And then left it alone for TEN years.

But trying to get engineers to agree on anything is like herding drunken cats on acid with a cat nip broom! So getting the said video standard is somewhat less likely than glaciers in Phoenix Az.


RE: Thats enough already
By gersson on 7/27/07, Rating: 0
RE: Thats enough already
By mdogs444 on 7/27/2007 10:27:30 AM , Rating: 2
Who is suggesting that we still use it? Perhaps you had best re-read the posts. It was said that it was great during its time. Then DVI came and is great now.


RE: Thats enough already
By omnicronx on 7/27/2007 10:36:07 AM , Rating: 2
I just don't get the point of this, The jump from vga to dvi was well warrented, a digital connection over analogue is always better. But why make yet another adaptor? i thought things were finally going the right way when hdmi came out, although the cables are expensive, it could work on anything, pc, tv, receiver, etc.. 1 cable for everything seems ideal doesnt it?

Are we really suppose to upgrade from hdmi just because some rich graphics designer needs the bandwidth to run at a resolution of 3000x2000?? or some crazy resolution like that. Because after looking into it, there is absolutely no advantage of displayport over hdmi, except for marginally longer cable runs. DIGITAL IS DIGITAL PEOPLE!!! the only reason i ever supported even hdmi is the compatibility between devices, and the ability to run audio and video through the same cable, i dont see how displayport is going to make things any better!


RE: Thats enough already
By EndPCNoise on 7/27/2007 3:34:18 PM , Rating: 4
There's a whole lot more savings with DisplayPort than just royaties...
quote:
In a joint undertaking with Genesis Microchip, Samsung developed its 30” panel using a new four-lane, 2.7Gbps/lane interface chip. The interface technology processes 2560x1600 pixels of graphics data at up to 10 bits of color depth or 1.07 billion colors, a feat that would normally require at least three DVI or four LVDS interface chips, which means more complex and more expensive design .

http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/video/display/2007072...


RE: Thats enough already
By omnicronx on 7/27/2007 3:51:26 PM , Rating: 2
hdmi supports 10 and 12 bits of colour depth, the article is comparing to dvi which only supports 6,8 bits depths i think. So once again very similar ;)


RE: Thats enough already
By Ajax9000 on 7/29/2007 7:58:19 PM , Rating: 2
Single link DVI is 8bpp, dual link can be deeper.

See page 13:- http://www.ddwg.org/lib/dvi_10.pdf


RE: Thats enough already
By rklaver on 7/27/2007 9:09:50 PM , Rating: 4
quote:
...some rich graphics designer needs the bandwidth to run at a resolution of 3000x2000


Hi my name is Rich, I'm a graphic designer, and I say DVI is fine. Thank you

:-D


RE: Thats enough already
By 13Gigatons on 7/27/2007 12:08:34 PM , Rating: 3
I'm still using VGA and it seems to work just fine. People see digital and automatically thinks it's better or that I need it.

I've waited until one new connection actually wins like display port.


RE: Thats enough already
By killerroach on 7/27/2007 11:13:45 AM , Rating: 3
quote:
The constantly evolving standards are enough to drive one to drink.


So we need a reason now? :)

Anyways, so long as nobody is seeing anything really shake out with the current standards, why not throw something else against the wall and see if it sticks? Dual-link DVI has some traction in PC applications, but in home theater setups, it's a bit of a jungle, especially when the future setups that would require connections like HDMI and DisplayPort are only in the hands of those with large amounts of disposable income... there's still a chance to shape those standards, and that's what the DisplayPort supporters (which include AMD, Intel, and Samsung, among other) intend to do.


RE: Thats enough already
By omnicronx on 7/27/2007 11:27:27 AM , Rating: 2
Go look at my other post, why not throw something else against the wall? well, DISPLAYPORT is an HDMI ripoff that it too late to the market, they do exactly the same thing with displayport having marginally more bandwidth. Just so you know i looked it up and the liscense fees for hdmi is 15-20 cents per unit. This will never benefit us, infact it probably will barely benefit the monitor makers.

This is just another stunt to get the public to buy something they already have (i.e monitor with dvi or hdmi)

Basically my view is that until something comes along that is leaps and bounds ahead of hdmi i will not buy it, and to start using a format that includes everything from the hdmi spec just adding another encryption format and .6ghz bandwidth is nothing special


RE: Thats enough already
By masher2 (blog) on 7/27/2007 11:44:40 AM , Rating: 5
> "This is just another stunt to get the public to buy something they already have (i.e monitor with dvi or hdmi)"

I hesitate to use the word "paranoid", but do you honestly believe these companies think you'll rush out and buy a new monitor, simply because your existing one lacks this port?

DisplayPort is an open standard, free of royalties, and designed from the ground up for monitor-based applications, rather than a general-purpose consumer-electronics solution. Those are undeniable pluses. Personally, I view the fact that it competes with HDMI as a positive, not a negative. It gives consumers choice. I'd rather let the market decide which is the better standard (or if in fact both standards have their own niche) than to have some corporate body (or worse, a government one) ramming their decision down my throat.

> "i looked it up and the liscense fees for hdmi is 15-20 cents per unit"

Per unit, yes. That's 3 items as a minimum includes monitor, video card, cable at a mininum. And when you consider that BOM costs are typically magnified by a factor of at least 3 at the retail level, that works out to about $1.50 in extra cost to the consumer. If you can get all that functionality in a free, open standard-- why not do it?


RE: Thats enough already
By omnicronx on 7/27/2007 11:57:57 AM , Rating: 3
Are you seriously pushing a standard for a $1.50? When push comes to shove, it is essentially hdmi without fees, you cant deny that. In your opinion why go further from compatibility when you could go closer? Choice only means something to the consumer if they get something out of it. Different cables along with new monitors that will look no better is not a reason for choice.

quote:
DisplayPort is an open standard, free of royalties, and designed from the ground up for monitor-based applications, rather than a general-purpose consumer-electronics solution.


who cares if it was designed from the ground up, do you seriously think one digital connection differs from the other enough to warrant a change of format?
There wont be higher resolutions, audio will not sound better. Just a bunch of excuses if you ask me..

but as you pointed out, I dont have to buy it... for time time being atleast...


RE: Thats enough already
By masher2 (blog) on 7/27/2007 12:10:18 PM , Rating: 3
> "Are you seriously pushing a standard for a $1.50? "

A dollar here, a dollar there...the relentless drive to reduce costs whereever possible is the reason why we're no longer paying $6,000 for PCs that run at 4.77 mhz. Furthermore, you're just considering licensing fees, whereas at least some of the companies pushing Displayport claim it will be cheaper to manufacture as well.

And I'm not pushing the standard. I'm pushing free choice. I don't know whether Displayport or HDMI will win, or whether both will eventually coexist within their own niches. But I'm confident the market will make the right choice, and that the result will be better than if our option had been HDMI right from the start.


RE: Thats enough already
By omnicronx on 7/27/2007 12:22:33 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
the relentless drive to reduce costs whereever possible is the reason why we're no longer paying $6,000 for PCs that run at 4.77 mhz


quote:
or whether both will eventually coexist within their own niches


There will be no winning or losing, they will as you predicted, coexist in their own niche, my question is WHY?
Nobody has given me a straight answer as to why we are going backwards not forwards, free market does not neccessarily mean more choice. You will still be forced to buy HDMI in the hometheatre market, and will be forced to buy displayport in the pcmarket.

What gets me the most is how this screws with the audio components. So you keep talking about price, what about the price of audio companies having to have hdmi and displayport in the same receiver. Or for LCD makers to have both on their tv's so you can output from your pc. Or even the price you are going to have to pay to get an adapter to convert from one to the other.

And as for progress, your right we need competition to progress, but in my opinion the displayport standard will have no impact on the progress of pc's, nothing that hdmi couldnt have done atleast.


RE: Thats enough already
By masher2 (blog) on 7/27/2007 12:29:50 PM , Rating: 3
> "You will still be forced to buy HDMI in the hometheatre market, and will be forced to buy displayport in the pcmarket"

This will only happen if DisplayPort does in fact offer some clear advantage-- either in price, form factor, or functionality- within its market segment. If not, then why would anyone buy DisplayPort products? Those items will languish on the shelves, and HDMI will predominate.

And who knows? Perhaps the mere threat of Displayport will force HDMI to lower licensing fees and/or open the standard. You can't ignore the effects on competition upon the competitors themselves.


RE: Thats enough already
By omnicronx on 7/27/2007 12:47:32 PM , Rating: 1
Do you really think displayport's future lies totally in the hands of if 'DisplayPort does in fact offer some clear advantage' If you really think monitor manufacturers will not phase out dvi/vga no matter what the popularity is you are just being naive.

This has nothing to do with free market, i love the free market, i think the HDDVD/BD war is great, two competing formats in the same field, will drive down prices faster, and force both companies to improve their hardware.

This is a totally different situation, they are the essentially the same product, being marketed in two different sectors. As i explained before in this situation having both could actually raise prices, as audio companies and TV makers will have to add the cost of the other format to their production cost, which would probably offset anything you would have got back from no liscense fees.

Once again, i am pro-choice, i just do not see a choice here, i see a format being forced upon us for no reason with no real benefits. I suppose i am being hypocritical, i cant really be choosing when the open market is good or bad, i guess i just want the best of both worlds ;)