DisplayPort vs. HDMI: Similarities and Differences

Audio wasn’t even addressed. Does DP carry audio as well?

Displayport can support 8 channels of uncompressed audio.  It can also drive multiple displays from one output port on the source.

This article was way too short

I agree the article is too short, what is the real advantage of DP over HDMI? Someone mentioned multiple displays from one output port…how is that physically possible? Don’t you need one cable to input in each display? How can you have two TVs running simultanously and independently on one cable? Is there a Y-adapter for DP cables to allow such a thing? Even then…I don’t know how many joe-six-packs are going to benefit from this option, sounds more like a commercial application in my opinion.

Inthe end, it still sounds like HDMI does everything DP is offering. HDMI will support high bandwidth video (up to 40 or more Mbps) PLUS up to 8 channels of uncompresssed HD audio (e.g. 7.1 DTS-MA).  So again, what does DP do that HDMI doesnt do..?

Yes, DP has “Support up to 8 channels of LPCM coded audio at 192 kHz with a 24 bit sample size.”

It is a packet network type architecture, so you have a “router” box that can send the signal to multiple devices.  Of course it’s still possible to use multiple DP outputs on a graphics card (I have seen the ATI cards like this).

HDMI is a point to point data connection, so it will go from A to B only.  Also HDMI cost $10k royalty per year plus per unit cost.  Which is high for small volume companies.

DP is the replacement for DVI, as it is the VESA industry standard, and it has a locking connector as standard, which HDMI doesn’t.

The small connector size is useful because portable devices don’t have room for multiple connectors.  So in the future an “iPhone” product could connect to many displays with one small port.  Notice the newer Mac Mini has a mini Displayport jack.  I suspect this is part of Apple’s concept too, tiny netbooks and phones, etc… that can connect to full size and very large displays.

HDMI supports CEC and DP does not.  DP was driven by the PC industry not the CE industry.  HDMI is the most universal because it can accept video from DVI, HDMI and DP devices.

I’m glad i read 1/4 this article on the avsforum main page, then 1/2 the article after you click it, and then the whole article via yet another link, when its only like half a page long to begin with.

I’m starting to think that avsforum, combined with cepro and electronic house, are some of the most hacked up low quality sites on the internet when it comes to reporting electronics news. I realize they’re supposed to be separate entitites, but avsforum links to both cepro and electronic house for most of the articles.

I hate the fact that instead of summarizing the article, they post half of what was a short article to begin with on the page you have to go to to get yet another link to finally see the whole article. There HAS to be a better way to do this. Slashdot posts a SUMMARY of the article on the main page, with the link included right there. There is no intermediate link.

I actually found this article to be pretty good.

http://www.edn.com/index.asp?layout=article&articleid=CA6594089

Here’s a another good one:
http://www.bit-tech.net/bits/2007/10/22/displayport_a_look_inside/1

Perhaps The HDMI connector was not the best choice, but they are so many out there and it appears that the two connection formats are not electrically compatible with each other. It’s late in the game to make a change. DVI and HDMI are compatiable to some extent. Cables and adapters are available. How would one handle the DP/HDMI connector issues?

Wow! Nice to see the interests. May have to do a full blown report for you guys. There is still much to talk about here. Thanks for the response!

one the hdmi does not do is support displays the have high resolutions then those on hdtvs 1080p is just not good enough for people who use monitors for design, photography, ect this is the why i support dp.

One point I missed in both the article and the comments is the fact that DP is built up as an internal high speed interface rather than a connector. The key point is that GPUs have a native DP output, and panels have a native DP input. This eliminates significant amounts of components. It’s great that DP can also carry native GPU output to other devices, but that is not its main advantage. HDMI can never achieve this, hence the new standard. The real pain in the butt is that there is no provision for power, so it cannot replace USB.

What is this “no royalty fees” and hdmi few cent thing? Please explain.