The Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) announced the development of a new digital display interface specification for broad application within most forms of displays, including LCD, plasma, CRT and projection displays, as well as PCs and other sources of image content. The new interconnection will also act against piracy, the development organization said.

The standard which is to be called the DisplayPort will be 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.

The DisplayPort standard will feature a small, user-friendly connector that is optimized for use on thin profile notebooks in addition to allowing multiple connectors on a graphics card. Furthermore, the DisplayPort will be able to deliver audio to displays and other output devices.

The DisplayPort interface specification will accelerate the adoption of protected digital outputs on PCs to broadly support viewing of high definition and other types of protected content through an optional content protection capability, while enabling higher levels of display performance.

A group of industry companies, including ATI Technologies, Dell, Genesis Microchip, HP, Molex Incorporated, NVIDIA, Royal Philips Electronics, Samsung Electronics, and Tyco Electronics are close to completing the development of a detailed proposal. It is the goal of this group to submit a comprehensive version of the DisplayPort interface proposal to VESA in the Q3 of 2005. Pending ratification and adoption by VESA, the group intends that the DisplayPort interface standard be available to the industry as an open, extensible standard. Administration by VESA, a recognized industry standards organization, will ensure that the specification is maintained and will provide a forum for future standard revisions.