Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) has approved a new version of the DisplayPort, which is expected to finally get adopted by makers of personal computers and consumer electronics. The new 1.1 standard supports copyright protection technology already available with DVI and HDMI interconnects and features some other advantages.

“The benefits of version 1.1 are significant, and will encourage adoption of DisplayPort in new generations of computers and consumer electronics equipment,” said Bill Lempesis, VESA executive director. “Our task groups and committees within VESA worked very hard to ensure that DisplayPort 1.1 satisfies the important objectives it is designed for, and as a result, this new version has widespread support among all the leading computer and consumer electronics suppliers.”

The DisplayPort is designed to enable a common interface approach across both internal and external display connections. Internal connections include display interfaces within a notebook PC or within an LCD display. External display connections include the interface between a source device such as a desktop PC, set-top box, DVD player or game console, and a display device such as a direct view flat panel or projection display for viewing video and graphics. The DisplayPort standard will also include an optional digital audio capability allowing streaming of high definition digital audio-video content over the interface, and provides performance scalability to enable the next generation of displays featuring higher color depths, refresh rates, and display resolutions.

DisplayPort incorporates a Main Link, a high-bandwidth, low-latency, unidirectional connection supporting isochronous stream transport. One stream video with associated audio is supported in Version.1.0, but DisplayPort is seamlessly extensible, enabling support of multiple video streams. Version 1.0 also includes an Auxiliary Channel to provide consistent-bandwidth, low-latency, bi-directional connectivity with Main Link management, and device control based on VESA’s E-DDC, E-EDID, DDC/CI and MCCS standards. The Link configuration enables true “Plug-and-Play”. The Main Link bandwidth enables data transfer at up to 10.8Gb/s using a total of four lanes.

DisplayPort 1.1 adds support for high bandwidth digital content protection (HDCP) version 1.3 and also provides for low voltage and low power operation, and enables improved interoperability and reduced EMI through its embedded clock architecture.

John Byrne, who is responsible for sales of graphics chips and chipsets at Advanced Micro Devices, said in an interview with X-bit labs that first graphics cards and monitors incorporating DisplayPort 1.1 will be available by the end of 2007.