14 DAY TRIAL // So... you think DVI and HDMI video connectors are here to stay? While they surely provide premium image quality, Dell thinks these standards are a bit obsolete and rolls in its latest LCD displays with Display Port support. Display Port? What's this? Some new marketing scheme? In fact it is the new standard in image display and it should be widely adopted in 2008 if all goes well.
Dell has recently presented its redefined LCD displays that are Display Port ready. But why did Dell choose to support this new standard? First of all, it really is a step forward when it comes to interconnectivity. It delivers up to 4 times the current HDTV resolutions, provides additional bandwidth to allow for integrated peripherals around the display and will also enable users to create multi-display set-ups in no time. Everything related to a classical display such as audio channels, microphones, panel I/O and even Webcams will all be interconnected through a single bi-directional cable. The current Display Port revision 1.1 supports the latest HDCP protection features, but the video display standard group VESA claims that revision 2.0 is already in development. Responsible for the deployment of the Display Port is a company known as Luxtera, which is also aiming at replacing copper cables with optical ones as the medium for transferring high-bandwidth digital video signals.
Another interesting consequence determined by the adoption of the Display Port in future displays is that a lot of the electronics used for video conversion will be eliminated, making the display monitors super-thin. Dell showcased a prototype LCD, which was only half an inch thick, although including a couple of integrated speakers. Dell announced that these displays should be available later this year and it also mentioned that the Display Port would help notebook monitors become even thinner.