Display Link Showcases USB 3.0 Video Adapters

Even though IDF 2011 closed its gates about two weeks ago, there are still a couple of devices presented during the conference that haven't had their five minutes of fame yet, this also being the case with Display Link's USB 3.0 video adapters.

These adapters were designed in order to provide computers featuring USB 3.0 connectivity with the possibility of connecting an external monitor through such a port.

DisplayLink has developed two chipsets for this task, the DL-3500 and DL-3900, and both of these were showcased during Intel's conference.

Starting with the DL-3500, this is the simpler of the two video adapters and can support HDMI monitors with resolutions up to 2048x1152, which makes it sufficient for all of today's Full HD displays.

From the specs that were provided by the company, this doesn't seem to differ too much from the USB 2.0 video adapters that are currently available, but the added bandwidth should provide a more pleasing experience when fast action video is being played back.

In comparison with the DL-3500, the second solution to be introduced by Display Link features a much more complex design, as it resembles more a docking station than a video adapter.

According to AnandTech, this chip provides not only an HDMI output, but also DisplayPort, VGA, DVI connectivity, and, on top of that, it also supports networking and can act as an USB 3.0 hub.

In addition, the maximum resolution of the monitors that can be driven by this controller has also been increased over the DL-3500, in order to support up to a 2560x1600 panel, or two 1920x1080 displays.

For now, availability and pricing of USB 3.0 video adapters is still unknown as Display Link only produces the controllers used in such devices (just like AMD and NVIDIA for example), but SemiAccurate believes that USB to HDMI adapters will retail $80 (59 Euro), while docking stations will carry a $150 (111 Euros) price tag.