VESA Announces DisplayPort Labeling Changes

[ThePointblank]

VESA has announced changes to the DisplayPort certification program that they hope will introduce clarity on how a certain DisplayPort cable will perform:

 

From Ars Technica:
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/02/displayport-2-0-labels-specify-bandwidth-to-avoid-hdmi-2-1-like-confusion/

 

Quotes

Quote

VESA, which makes the DisplayPort spec, today announced a certification program aimed at helping consumers understand if a DisplayPort 2.0 cable, monitor, or video source can support the max refresh rates and resolutions the spec claims.
 

Technology certifications, like DisplayPort and HDMI, generally provide an overview of associated products' capabilities to give shoppers an idea of expected performance, like a monitor's max speed or cable's max bandwidth, before even using them.

VESA is introducing the new Ultra-high Bit Rate (UHBR) Certification, which is aimed at removing any uncertainty about the performance of DisplayPort cables that meet the specifications.

This certification has two levels to it:

DP80 UHBR, which supports a 20Gbps link rate (what VESA calls UHBR20) and a throughput of up to 80Gbps via four lanes, and a 20Gbps link rate (what VESA calls UHBR20) and a throughput of up to 80Gbps via four lanes, and;

DP40 UHBR, which supports a 10Gbps link rate (UHBR10) and a maximum throughput of 40Gbps via four-lane operation

 

As always, the new UHBR certified cables are backwards compatible with other DisplayPort link rates.

 

Right now, the only items that have the certification are cables, but monitors, TV's, and display outputs that have gone through the certification process will come out shortly.

 

 

My view? This almost seems... logical. Labeling and certifying cables by their bandwidth? What utter madness is this? You must label a standard with some unintelligible gibberish that confuses everyone, much like with USB 3!

[Quackers101]

changes?

at least number/speed is nice.

[TrigrH]

Quote

DisplayPort 2.0 labels specify bandwidth to avoid HDMI 2.1-like confusion

I was expecting the exact opposite of this.

VESA HDR certification is a joke.

At least displayport is okay.

[GhostRoadieBL]

I was expecting

"DP2.0 gen1.Ax4" and "DP2.1 gen2 20x2x2"

This is much better, companies still need to start listing the spec but for now standards are a good start

[LAwLz]

Threadly reminder that both the USB as well as the HDMI versioning number is completely logical and makes perfect sense if you understand the process behind them.

 

This solution for Displayport (certify based on transfer speed) makes sense today with the standards that exist today, but my guess is that it will get really messy in the future, for example if they start pushing more bandwidth through the same lanes, or if they change the number of lanes or how they are used.

That was an issue USB ran into now that they have two different modes that both provide 10Gbps of bandwidth. USB 3.2 gen 1x2 and USB 3.2 gen 2 both provide 10Gbps of throughput, but achieve it in two different ways (two 5Gbps lanes or one 10Gbps lane respectively).

[AnonymousGuy]

Christ I miss when cables just worked with the fucking spec and didn't need to be "certified" for newer versions.  

 

 

And their naming convention is retarded.  It's either "every cable that exists today" or "DP 2.0 certified".  They're trying to make it sound all technical about how "oh you may not need a DP 2.0 cable if you use DP 1.4 with DSC" but who fucking cares. It's all made in china fugazi shit anyways so just buy whatever and see if it works with whatever res / refresh you working with.

[darknessblade]

Why do i have the idea that this is related to Linus buying that Cable tester?

 

are they afraid of him bashing all "NEW" cable?

[Rex Hite]

Certification creates marketing opportunities. More letters and numbers on the package means more better. Techbros live for this and influencers get more stuff to present. It's endless and ultimately pointless but at least it's something to occupy time and space...

[LAwLz]

3 hours ago, darknessblade said:

Why do i have the idea that this is related to Linus buying that Cable tester?

 

are they afraid of him bashing all "NEW" cable?

I am willing to bet 10 Internet points that this has absolutely nothing to do with Linus and his cable tester.

 

VESA aren't  the ones making the cables, so they have no reason to be afraid of Linus.

 

As the article says, VESA probably saw the (in my opinion unjustified) backlash the HDMI consortium got over HDMI 2.1 and just wants to make sure consumers aren't confused.

[Doobeedoo]

Neat. Interesting it will be 40 Gbps and 80 Gbps with same connector. I would've expected that 40 would be for USB4 alt mode. Though 80 is where it's at for new monitors.

Can't wait to see them. Come on Samsung give us 4K 240Hz QD-OLED with DP 2.0 that would amazing.

[porina]

As standards go forwards, so do the requirements on the hardware. Look at networking cables for the best example. As speeds go up, so do cable requirements. No different on displays. With HDMI essentially there's 3 cable ages I've gone through, 1080p60 pretty much any cable works. 4k60, you need a better cable. 4k120, time to upgrade cable again. In that situation, I just want a cable that works, not take a gamble on an uncertified cable even if it ends up slightly cheaper. Same will apply to DP.

[ThreePinkApples]

4 hours ago, LAwLz said:

As the article says, VESA probably saw the (in my opinion unjustified) backlash the HDMI consortium got over HDMI 2.1 and just wants to make sure consumers aren't confused.

This is (for now) just about the cables though, and HDMI 2.1 cables (or their correct name, Ultra High Speed HDMI cables) are properly certified for their full speed. It's the ports that are allowed to be labelled as HDMI 2.1 without supporting any 2.1 features.

[GhostRoadieBL]

12 hours ago, LAwLz said:

if you understand the process behind them.

this is the anti-consumer situation USB standards created. There were much simpler terms to use instead of muddying the field for the non-enthusiast (which are the exact people standards are used to help)

 

when you need this chart to define what anyone is even talking about when buying a usb cable.... that's a failure of clarity.

there was nothing stopping a USB 3.2 20Gb, USB 3.2 10Gb, and USB 3.2 5Gb from existing (3.2 gen1x2 is pointless) or easier USB3.0, 3.1, 3.2 with 5,10,20 Gbps respectively.

[Kisai]

16 hours ago, AnonymousGuy said:

Christ I miss when cables just worked with the fucking spec and didn't need to be "certified" for newer versions.  

 

That's because specifications change, and "certifications" are to ensure that a specific cable meets the spec, not that it "can't meet the spec". If you can get that certification, you can also ask more for it and market it as a premium cable.

 

Nearly ALL display port cables passed when tried. Of the ones that didn't was a cable that came with a (samsung) monitor.

 

And even more interesting is that even many of those 1.2 and 1.4 cables work at 2.0 rates.

 

Which is significantly different from HDMI which was a total crapshoot.