FAQ

Nothing could be simpler than DisplayPort. But we’ve packed a lot of powerful technology in this small plug and know you might have some questions. If you can’t find the answers below, just hop onto ‘Ask DisplayPort’ and we’ll get back with an answer!

Q: I am having trouble getting audio to my TV using a DP to HDMI adaptor. Can you help?

A: Yes. We have published a DP Audio User Guide for help on this topic.

Q: Is Thunderbolt replacing DisplayPort?

A: No. Thunderbolt technology actually leverages DisplayPort to deliver HD video to displays, helping to move media faster and simplify connections between devices. The support of DisplayPort within the Thunderbolt interface further shows the level of commitment towards DisplayPort within the PC industry. DisplayPort over Thunderbolt continues to support existing DisplayPort monitors as well as DVI, HDMI and VGA video output.

Q: What does Thunderbolt mean for DisplayPort? Are Intel and Apple dropping support for the standard?

A: Both Apple and Intel remain committed to DisplayPort. Apple continues to be one of the largest users of DisplayPort and Intel announced in December 2010 that it planned to accelerate adoption of DisplayPort. Intel was joined in that announcement by AMD, Dell, LG Display, Lenovo and Samsung Electronics LCD Business.

Likewise, industry analysts remain positive on DisplayPort:

• Research firm In-Stat predicts a 100 percent increase in external DisplayPort device shipments from 2009 to 2014.
• According to IDC, DisplayPort penetration will experience a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 106 percent between 2009 and 2014.
• IDC estimates that DisplayPort will be on 89.5 percent of commercial desktops in 2014 and DisplayPort’s penetration in commercial notebooks will increase to 95 percent in 2014.

Q: Can a DisplayPort v1.1a Display be field-upgraded to DP v1.2?

A: DisplayPort v1.2 features must be designed in to the Display.  DisplayPort v1.1a Displays are compatible with DisplayPort v1.2 PCs though.

Examples:

• Daisy chained monitors need input and output connectors
• High resolution monitors with 4k x 2k resolution need DisplayPort v1.2
• Monitors using USB over AUX channel communications need DisplayPort v1.2

Q: I am the owner of a new 27″ iMac, which I was planning to use as a high- resolution display for an HDMI equipped Blu-Ray player. I have purchased the DP-to-HDMI adaptor after being advised by Apple technical that it would function as an input, but having tried it, discovered that the device will only OUTPUT. My question is, why won’t the adaptor pass signal the other way, and what is the adaptor doing if it’s not powered, and it’s tiny, that it can’t do backwards?

A: DisplayPort-to-HDMI adaptors and DisplayPort-to-DVI adapters are very simple and only operate one way. For instance, when a DP-to-HDMI adaptor is connected to a PC that supports DP++ (multimode) capability, the PC senses the presence of the adaptor and sends HDMI signals over the DisplayPort connector rather than DisplayPort signals. No signal conversion is performed by the HDM adaptor. HDMI signals are merely passed through. The unique DisplayPort adaptor capability enables the PC to connect to a variety of displays via the DisplayPort connector including HDMI, DVI, and VGA.  VGA adaptors are more complex and perform active signal conversion from DisplayPort to VGA. These adaptors also operate only one way. Unfortunately, HDMI does not support conversion to other display formats as does DisplayPort.

Q: I’d like to know if I use a DP –> HDMI adaptor to connect my computer to my TV, will I hear the sound with my TV or my computer?

A: DisplayPort does handle full HDMI signaling including sound but keep in mind that implementation of full HDMI signaling is an option the PC manufacturer must choose to enable. It is recommended that you check with the PC manufacturer prior to making a purchase and verify that the PC supports DP++ capability with HDMI. DisplayPort adaptors simply passes through the DVI or HDMI signal. We have published a DP Audio User Guide for help on this topic.

Q: When will DisplayPort support ‘daisy-chaining’ of Displays ?  DisplayPort  specification version?

A: DisplayPort v1.2, supports monitor daisy chaining.

Q: Can an existing DisplayPort device (deployed today) be field-upgraded to enable the future feature ‘daisy-chaining’?  If so, how?

A: DisplayPort v1.1a displays are fully compatible with DisplayPort v1.2 PCs and graphics cards. A DisplayPort v1.1a display can be the last display in a DP v1.2 chain.
Here’s an example:
A PC with one DP connector is driving two monitors via daisy chaining. The 1st monitor is a DP v1.2 monitor with input and output connectors. The 2nd monitor is a DP v1.1a monitor. DP v1.2 PC—> DP v1.2 monitor with in & out connectors—->DP v.1.1a monitor.

Q: Is a DisplayPort to Mini DisplayPort cable going to be fully compatible in both directions? Most people use this adaptor to run a DisplayPort screen or projector from a Mac with Mini DisplayPort but I need to go the other way to run a Mac display with Mini DisplayPort from a DisplayPort on an AT Radeon 5770 on a PC. Am I likely to have full function or is the Apple implementation going to cause issues?

A: Standard DisplayPort-to-Mini DisplayPort adaptors and cables work both ways between sources and sinks:

• Mini DisplayortP graphics card to standard DisplayPort monitor
• Standard DisplayPort graphics card to mini-DisplayPort monitor

Q: What is the maximum length of DisplayPort cable that supports a resolution of 2560×1600?

A: 2560 x 1600 (WQXGA resolution) is supported over all 2-meter “DP Certified” cables.  Some cables, due to their design, may be capable of supporting 2560 x 1600 resolution over lengths longer than 2 meters.

Q: Is the DisplayPort original signal only from the PC?  Any other source? For example, I buy a TV with DisplayPort interface, Can only PC with DP interface connect to this TV? Any other possible DisplayPort device (Camcorder/Digital Camera, etc) could connect to my TV through DisplayPort?

A: If a source device has DisplayPort, such as a video player, and you connect it to a TV then it would send the video to the TV. Currently DisplayPort is primarily found in PCs because the standard is new and easy for the PC industry to implement, but it is not limited to PCs. We do expect to see more products come online in 2010.

Q: The DisplayPort standard says that it supports audio as well as video. I purchased the Alienware M15X laptop and a DisplayPort-to-HDMI adaptor in order to connect it to my TV.  I get the video but not the sound. Can you explain this please?

A: HDMI signaling is an optional DisplayPort++ feature that a manufacturer may or may not implement. DisplayPort adapters merely pass through the DVI or HDMI signal from the PC.  It is recommended that you read the product specifications on the packaging and also contact the manufacturer prior to purchasing a product to ensure that the product supports DP++ with HDMI signaling.

Q: Why isn’t there a wire on pin 20 (POWER) on the standard external DisplayPort cables?

A: The reason power isn’t included in standard cables is because both source and sink devices are designed to provide power.  Captive, attached cables often include the power wire. If it is desired, for example, that a particular source device utilize the power available from the mating sink device, then that Source device could include an attached or dedicated cable that carries the DisplayPort power signal. Same could be applied to a sink device.

Q: What is the difference between Mini DisplayPort and standard DisplayPort? Mini DisplayPort is what I am seeing on the Apple Macs. Does anyone have monitors that are powered, and have audio running over DisplayPort?

A: Mini DisplayPort connectors are now standardized by VESA and are fully compatible with standard DisplayPort connectors. Audio is an optional feature in DisplayPort v1.1a, and is now supported by several graphics cards and monitors.

Q: Looking for supply chain of PCB mount Mini Displayport PCB connectors.  Are large connector suppliers such as Molex, Tyco, etc. producing these yet?  I see a lot of standard DisplayPort connectors, but have found no Mini DisplayPort connectors.

A:  Mini DisplayPort connectors are now standardized by VESA and are available from several manufactures. Check vesa.org for the latest connectors and cables that are DisplayPort Certified.

Q: I hooked up my Dell E6400 notebook to my Plasma TV via the DisplayPort –to-HDMI adaptor. However, I was unable to get sound to play through to my TV. I tried all settings but was unable to get sound. Please help.

A: HDMI signaling is an optional DisplayPort++ feature that a manufacturer may or may not implement. DisplayPort adapters merely pass through the DVI or HDMI signal from the PC.  It is recommended that you read the product specifications on the packaging and also contact the manufacturer prior to purchasing a PC or graphics card to ensure that the product supports DP++ with HDMI signaling.

Q: On an HP dc7900 or any desktop with a DisplayPort connector, is it possible to in plug a DisplayPort-to-DVI adaptor cable and attach a DVI-to-VGA adaptor on top of that so that I could hook up 2 VGA monitors?  (One monitor via the adaptors and one via the VGA connector?)  Then later, when I get a monitor with DVI capability I can remove the DVI-to-VGA adapter.  Please let me know.

A: It’s recommended that you use a DP-to-VGA adapter for the VGA monitor, and a DP-to-DVI adapter for the DVI monitor. There are also DisplayPort v1.1a hubs available today that allow you to connect multiple monitors to a single DisplayPort connector.

Q: Have you heard of any reported problems hot plugging / unplugging a DisplayPort cable (monitor input failure, video card output failure, etc.)?

A:  We’re not aware of any issues today with hot plugging DisplayPort.

Q: When I hook up my new 24 in Dell monitor to the computer through the DisplayPort cable it will not activate my monitor.  What am I doing wrong?

A: You need to manually select the DisplayPort input in the monitor’s On Screen Display (OSD) with this model.

Q: How can I drive a DVI monitor and a HDMI flat screen TV simultaneously from a single DisplayPort provided on the PC? Can I “split” the DisplayPort output and then convert on output to DVI and the other to HDMI?

A:  There are DisplayPort v1.1a hubs available today that allow multiple monitors to be driven from a single DisplayPort connector. Various output configurations are available for these hubs including DisplayPort, DVI, and HDMI.

Q: I work in health IT and this all sounds great, I look forward to developments. But I have one problem. I have a Mac Pro and need an extension cable for the mini display- and it seems there isn’t such a thing! Do you know if extension leads will be available?

A: Mini DisplayPort extension cables are available.

Q: I have a Lenovo ThinkPad T500 laptop with a female DisplayPort out.  My HDTV has only HDMI input, so I have a HDMI cable from the TV, connected to a DisplayPort-to-HDMI adaptor which connects to the laptop.  I can get the video on the TV from the computer, but not the audio.  What do I need to do?  I thought HDMI and DisplayPort transmitted both audio and video signals.

A: HDMI signaling is an optional DisplayPort++ feature that a manufacturer may or may not implement. DisplayPort adapters merely pass through DVI or HDMI signal from the PC.  It is recommended that you read the product specifications on the packaging and also contact the manufacturer prior to purchasing a PC or graphics card to ensure that the product supports DP++ with HDMI signaling.

Q: I am aware of the Dell 4310WX projector but am looking for other relatively high end projectors within the $1,200 to $2,000 range that have DisplayPort compatible with my Thinkpad w700.

A: A variety of DisplayPort projectors are available from various manufacturers. See this link.