In a recent article by Craig Wiley, chairman of VESA’s Board of Directors, he discusses the trend of multiple monitor use, assisting in work productivity. Interestingly, NEC, ATI Technologies and the University of Utah found that dual monitor configuration was found to be 29 percent more effective for users. Wiley also addresses how more PC, displays, laptops and graphics cards manufacturers are leveraging the VESA DisplayPort standard to allow consumers to daisy-chain displays for either work purposes or pleasure.

You can read the full article on Wired’s Innovation Insights. Do you use multiple monitors already? What tasks do you find the multi-monitor experience the most helpful? Share your opinions in the comments below.

As the computer industry continues to phase out DVI, VGA and even HDMI ports from PCs, DisplayPort is becoming the display interface of choice in the PC industry. One reason is that DisplayPort supports VGA, DVI and HDMI displays through the use of simple adapters, and provides much greater capability for native DisplayPort monitors.  Having just one display output also enables smaller and lighter designs.  Soon we will be seeing more systems that support DisplayPort multi-stream, enabling multiple monitors from one DisplayPort output.  DisplayPort is also the only display interface that can support 4K (Ultra HD) at 60Hz frame rate using a single cable.

A few years ago, both Intel and Advanced Micro Devices announced the phasing out of chipset support for VGA and DVI and discouraging PC makers from adding these connections to new devices.  Apple was an early DisplayPort-only adopter and then migrated to Thunderbolt, which is DisplayPort-compatible. Today, other leading companies including Microsoft, Google, Dell and Lenovo are among other VESA members that offer DisplayPort-only products – featuring only DisplayPort and no HDMI, DVI or VGI outputs.

Some new devices reaching the market are starting to enable DisplayPort v1.2 features such as HBR2 (High Bit Rate 2), enabling support for 4K (Ultra HD) at 60 Hz through a single cable. Another DisplayPort v1.2 feature appearing in devices is Multi-Stream Technology (MST), allowing support for multiple monitors through a single cable, using a video hub or daisy-chainable displays. We expect to see an influx in devices with DisplayPort v1.2 capabilities appear on the market in 2013.

Below, we have included photos of the recent devices that include DisplayPort as the only display interface. Check them out and let us know which is your favorite in the comments section below.

Microsoft Surface Pro with Windows 8

Google Chromebook Pixel

Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook

Dell XPS 12 Convertible Touch Ultrabook

Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon Ultrabook

Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon Touch Ultrabook

Lenovo Thinkpad Helix Ultrabook Convertible

DisplayPort makes display cable selection pretty easy.  A standard DisplayPort cable is designed to work with any DisplayPort Source device, such as a PC or laptop, and any DisplayPort monitor.  This means that a standard DisplayPort cable will work with the very first DisplayPort systems and displays introduced around five years ago, and they will continue to work with the newest and future systems and displays that support multi-stream and display resolutions up to 4K (Ultra HD) at 60Hz.  You can also use a standard DisplayPort cable between a PC and a multi-stream hub, or between daisy-chainable multi-stream monitors.  You don’t need worry about getting a special cable to support certain DisplayPort capabilities.

However, we should note that there is one rare exception to this rule; there are a few Reduced Bit Rate (RBR) cables on the market that will support only up to 1080p, but these are generally restricted to projector installation applications. Unless the cable is identified as RBR, it is a standard DisplayPort cable and will support all DisplayPort configurations.

Despite what you may read, there is no such thing as a DisplayPort 1.1 cable and DisplayPort 1.2 cable.  A standard DisplayPort cable, including the so-call DisplayPort 1.1 cables, will work for any DisplayPort configuration including the new capabilities enabled by DisplayPort 1.2, including 4K and multi-stream capabilities.  All standard DisplayPort cables support RBR, HBR (High Bit Rate), and HBR2 (High Bit Rate 2), which can support 4K at 60Hz, or up to four 1080p displays using multi-stream.

While retailers may try to sell you a more expensive cable touting it will provide a better picture quality, we are here to debunk that myth. Contrary to what you may think, the more expensive cable will not give you a better picture quality.  DisplayPort uses packetized data, similar to USB and Ethernet, to send digital display and audio data, therefore you either get all of the data or you don’t.  Unlike other older video interfaces, you don’t get a “better” picture or other incremental improvements with a more expensive cable.  But of course a poor quality cable could lead to data errors and obvious corruption of the video or audio data, but you can avoid such cables, as explained further below.

One thing you will need to consider in your cable purchase is the connector type on each end of the cable.  There are two DisplayPort connector types.  The standard DisplayPort connector (see image 1) is about the size of a USB connector, and this type is commonly used on DisplayPort-enabled PC monitors.  The smaller mini DisplayPort connector (see image 2) is commonly used for the DisplayPort output on notebook PCs including Apple products.  The mini DP connector is now also used for Thunderbolt that is widely used on Apple products.  And you can connect any DisplayPort monitor to a Thunderbolt Source, using a standard DisplayPort cable, while achieving DisplayPort quality (Thunderbolt is backwards compatible with DisplayPort, and even includes support for Dual-Mode DP-to-HDMI and DP-to-DVI adaptors, and DP-to-VGA adaptors).

Image 2: Mini DisplayPort Connector

An important criterion for selecting a DisplayPort cable is to know which type of DisplayPort connector you need at each end.  The other obvious criterion is cable length; they are generally available in lengths of 1 to 3 meters (up to about 10 feet).

As mentioned previously, it is important to avoid low quality DisplayPort cables to prevent unexpected video or audio problems, and sometimes even system power-up problems.  Always buy cables from a reputable computer system or accessory brand.  Or safer yet, buy a cable that is DisplayPort certified.  DisplayPort certified cables are listed here.

Recently VESA has experienced quite a few complaints regarding troublesome DisplayPort operation that ended up being caused by improperly made DisplayPort cables.  These “bad” DisplayPort cables are generally limited to non-DisplayPort certified cables, or off-brand cables.  To further investigate this trend in the DisplayPort cable market, VESA purchased a number of non-certified, off-brand cables and found that an alarmingly high number of these were configured improperly and would likely not support all system configurations.  None of these cables would have passed the DisplayPort certification test, moreover some of these cables could potentially damage a PC, laptop, or monitor.  We have not seen problems with the cables supplied by major computer brands, or major computer accessory brands, nor have we seen any problems with any of the cables that have been DisplayPort certified.

We expect to be adding more certified cables to our published list in the future and will continue to encourage DisplayPort product certification. To achieve the best of DisplayPort’s capabilities, we highly recommend using DisplayPort certified cables, or those from major brand names. Please continue to send us any questions or reports of bad cables that you may be experiencing.

– Craig Wiley, Chairman, VESA

The site, the DisplayPort Connection, is an online place designed to do just that – Connect DisplayPort users together.  This blog and the DisplayPort Connection forum are designed to be your one-stop-shop for all things DisplayPort, a place where you can learn about and discuss DisplayPort configurations, technology advancements and even ask troubleshooting questions.

In this blog we plan to provide unique perspectives from within the DisplayPort ecosystem, ranging from the engineers behind these standards to the nearly 200 VESA member companies that understand the value DisplayPort adds to their devices.  Contributors will cover diverse topics including the latest DisplayPort-enabled products, interface trends, guidance on DisplayPort configurations, and various tips and tricks.

But we don’t want this to be one-sided – we also want to hear your thoughts, ideas, questions, and perspective. We want to discuss your DisplayPort applications, ranging from gaming to work productivity, and from the various industries benefiting from the DisplayPort technology, such as healthcare, graphic design, banking and more.

We hope you find this DisplayPort Connection site useful.  We also encourage you to post any suggestions for topics or other comments below, and participate in conversations within DisplayPort Connection forum.  You can also connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn.

–Craig Wiley, Chairman, VESA