Apple and Intel Spearheading New Unified Display Interface Standard

An article was published today on EE Times, which details the new Unified Display Interface (UDI); a new standard to get video from computers to HD television sets and PC monitors is being spearheaded by Apple and Intel.

The main goal of the Unified Display Interface (UDI) is to provide a standard connection that will ultimately replace the hopelessly outdated VGA standard, while still providing backward compatibility with the DVI standard. The new standard will also be fully compatible with High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) technology "with full content-use rights management and high-definition video compatibility", the report details.

The list of companies involved in this effort includes LG Electronics, National Semiconductor, Samsung, Silicon Image, nVidia, Thine Electronics, Foxconn and JAE Electronics.

The exact specifications for the UDI Version 1.0 are not expected to be finalized until the second quarter of 2006.

This new Unified Display Interface seems to tie in well with the rumors that are going around that Apple is going to make a move towards the living room of the future by means of the new Mini, which is expected to be a media center Mac with Tivo-like DV-R capabilities. If Apple provides a media center Mini that will plug directly into the TV of the customer, they are going to take the world by storm again.