The new DisplayPort 2.0 connectivity standard is already a reality, and in fact the first devices that incorporate it are already beginning to appear (although it was approved in June 2019). This new connector is physically the same as the previous one (DisplayPort 1.4) but incorporates numerous improvements, especially expanding compatibility with new generation displays and exorbitant resolutions.
When it comes to streaming video, the first thing that comes to mind for almost everyone is HDMI. Version 2.1 of this standard was created with a view to the future and supports 8K resolution at 60 FPS , and with DisplayPort 2.0 it has been wanted to do something similar but with an even broader future perspective. If in the past some high resolution and / or refresh rate monitors required several simultaneous cables to support the bandwidth, this standard seeks to unify everything through a single cable.
DisplayPort 2.0, what features does it have?
The main difference of this standard with respect to the previous ones and with HDMI lies basically in its wide bandwidth; higher bandwidth allows more data to pass through it at the same time, so that more information can be transmitted in the same time. The result is that this supports higher resolutions and higher refresh rates.
Thus, DisplayPort 2.0 cables support up to 77.4 Gbps of bandwidth , almost triple that of DP 1.4 and close to double that of HDMI 2.1 (48 Gbps), which allows its use in monitors with resolution up to 16K, which is sixteen times more than 4K monitors that even in the middle of 2020 are still not a standard. Of course, in addition to higher resolution, this high bandwidth allows higher refresh rates and HDR natively. As we have said before, the idea is to look to the future and not have to update the standard again for many years.
For the same reason VESA seems to want to standardize the Thunderbolt 3 connector, on which the USB 4.0 standard is also based. In the end, with all the standards unified in a single connector, it will make their manufacture much cheaper, although they can be a bit confusing for users since we will be talking about DisplayPort, Thunderbolt and USB using the same type of connector.
What resolutions can we use with DP 2.0?
To obtain this wide bandwidth, VESA has relied on the physical distribution of the Thunderbolt 3 connectors. With this they have achieved a standard capable of supporting, for example, 8K resolution at 60 Hz with 4: 4: 4 color and native HDR10 support and no chroma subsampling; thanks to this, we can use, for example, the following resolutions:
With a monitor:
- 16K resolution (15360 x 8460 pixels) with 60 Hz refresh rate, 10 bits and HDR (with DSC).
- 10K resolution (10240 x 4320 pixels) at 60 Hz with 8 bits (without DSC).
With two monitors:
- 8K resolution (7680 x 4320 pixels) at 120 Hz, 10-bit and HDR (with DSC).
- 4K resolution (3840 x 2160 pixels) at 144 Hz and 8 bits (without DSC).
Three monitors:
- 10K resolution (10240 x 4320 pixels) at 60 Hz with 10 bits and HDR.
- 4K resolution (3840 x 2160 pixels) at 90 Hz with 10 bits and HDR.