DisplayPort is the VESA standard that defines the specifications for ports of the same name on both graphics cards and monitors. Covering different needs and being a different consortium, its roadmap does not coincide with that of HDMI.org. The latest standard they have presented? The so-called DisplayPort UHBR, Ultra High Bit Rate, a variant of DisplayPort 2.0 with high speed rates.
Any data interface has the same common nature, a series of pins that communicate data from end to end and a receiver or transmitter to each of them. However, signal communication times are important for communication between components and peripherals. This includes monitors where it is essential that they receive the correct information from our computer’s graphics card at the right time.
So it is crucial that both graphics processor and monitor manufacturers follow the guidelines of the standard. Hence, there are certification programs such as those carried out by VESA at the DisplayPort level. His latest standard? The DisplayPort UHBR , which is designed for high bandwidth . Supporting with it much higher resolutions and refresh rates. Let’s see, therefore, what this variation of DisplayPort 2.0 gives us for high-spec panels.
What does DisplayPort UHBR certification bring us new?
Under the surname UHBR we find ourselves before an improved version of DisplayPort 2.0 , but with a bandwidth of up to 80 Gbps . The increased data transfer should make things like:
- 8K content at 60 Hz refresh rate and full HDR support without any compression mechanism.
- 4K 240 Hz with full HDR, as in the previous case, also without compression.
- Two 4K displays at 120HZ each and full HDR support
- Four 4K displays at 60HZ , also with uncompressed HDR support.
So, as you may have deduced, the DisplayPort UHBR will only be used in high-end panels. At the moment, three different manufacturers have announced support: Realtek, Mediatek and AMD . In the case of the latter, they have already announced that the display controller for their Ryzen 6000 processors for laptops supports the new specification . So we should see it integrated into future Radeon RX 7000 graphics cards. As for Intel and NVIDIA, it is not known at this time what the level of support for the new standard will be.
We cannot forget that not all panels require such high bandwidths and it must be taken into account that the standard DisplayPort 2.0 is sufficient for many of them. On the other hand, we must bear in mind that the certification has just been presented by VESA and, therefore, there are no monitors with these characteristics on the market yet. Thus, the new certification indicates the type of high-end panels that we will see appear in the coming months. In particular, everything points to 4K models with 240 HZ and full HDR support without compressions.
