The adoption of new interconnection between display and graphics adapter – DisplayPort – will be considerably faster on notebooks than on desktops since makers of monitors have to ensure compatibility with older systems, whereas on mobile and all-in-one computers there is no need for compatibility with older components, believes In-Stat market research firm.

“We expect embedded DisplayPort to outpace DisplayPort ports in mobile PCs over the next few years, due primarily to the power reduction advantage. Adoption in desktop PCs will be slower because embedded DisplayPort’s power reduction is not as relevant in wired desktops, and external DisplayPort has tough display interface competition,” said Brian O’Rourke, In-Stat analyst.

Even though DisplayPort has a number of advantages over currently available interconnections, those advantages do not transform into cost-savings or quality increases for monitor makers. In order to make displays compatible with previous-generation standards, manufacturers have to integrate special chips into their products, which adds cost.

“In LCD monitors, DisplayPort enables direct drive monitors, which allows the elimination of the scaler chip and shifts the graphics control to the CPU or GPU in the PC. However, this means the monitors can no longer display VGA, DVI, or HDMI signals without an adapter, creating potential marketing and cost issues for monitor vendors,” explained Mr. O’Rourke.

Despite of complexities, shipments of DisplayPort-enabled devices will see a compound annual growth rate of 194% from 2008 to 2013, albeit from a very low base in 2008.

2010 will be a very significant year for DisplayPort, as both Intel and AMD are scheduled to release next-generation mobile and desktop PC chipsets and platforms that support it. In addition, both ATI, graphics business unit of AMD, and Nvidia Corp. will add DisplayPort to their discrete graphics chips ranges in the near future.

Tags: ATI, AMD, Nvidia, DisplayPort, Intel