Mini displayport or hdmi whichever is better. Comparison of HDMI and DisplayPort

The HDMI audio / video interface standard has become very successful. It is the most common digital connection you'll find on TVs, set-top boxes, Blu-ray players, AV receivers, game consoles, camcorders, and digital cameras. Heck, he even started appearing in some smartphones.

You will also find an HDMI port in most desktops and laptops. No modern all-in-one device is complete without HDMI input, which allows you to connect your game console or set-top box to your computer, so you can use its display for a second purpose.

But given the ubiquity of HDMI, you may have forgotten about another digital audio / video standard, DisplayPort. While you'll find it alongside HDMI in many of the latest models, and it's added to graphics cards as well as notebooks aimed at the business user market, it rarely appears in Windows PCs aimed at general consumers.

Both HDMI and DisplayPort can transfer high definition digital video and audio from a source device to a display. So what's the difference? Is one display interface better or more flexible than the other? We will try to answer these questions in a head-to-head comparison of their feature sets and typical use cases. But first, let's look at how these two standards came about, and which legal entities control them.

Back to history

The HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) specification was conceived over a decade ago by six consumer electronics giants: Hitachi, Panasonic, Philips, Silicon Image, Sony, and Toshiba. Today HDMI Licensing, LLC, a subsidiary of Silicon Image, controls the specification. Manufacturers must pay royalties to include HDMI ports in their products.

If you want to connect your computer / laptop to a TV or monitor, one of 4 connectors should be your choice: HDMI, DisplayPort, DVI or VGA. With such a variety, an inexperienced user gets his eyes wide and does not know which one is better to choose.

For modern TVs- HDMI is the most common connector. If you want to connect a computer to a TV (or you have purchased a new monitor), then there are several options: HDMI, DisplayPort, DVI or the good old VGA. Each of the listed interfaces has, as its own advantages and disadvantages, find out which site will help you.

Before we get started, it's important to note that, with the exception of VGA, all other connections here are digital. Thus, the resolution metrics (in pixels) change with each new interface, but the quality itself remains the same. 1920 x 1080/60 over HDMI will look the same as 1920 x 1080/60 over DVI and DisplayPort (all other settings being equal).

The cables themselves do not affect the picture quality. They simply transmit a certain resolution for a given distance.

HDMI

Today, almost all monitors and TVs support this type of connection. HDMI (High-DefinitionMultimediaInterface)- Transmits audio and video over the same cable. Most likely, if you want to connect your computer to a TV, you will use this particular interface.

HDMI is used in very wide range of products consumer electronics, including: laptops, PCs, tablets, smartphones, game consoles, Blu-ray and multimedia players, as well as a wide variety of other devices. This connector has gained immense popularity among users.

Until recently, HDMI v1.4 was the standard by which consumer electronics companies operated. Therefore, there is a great possibility that most of the electronics in your home have HDMI 1.4 connectors. However, you should be aware that there is a new version called HDMI 2.0 that takes HDMI to the next level.

After going out 4K / Ultra HD TVs - there was also HDMI 2.0, which allows you to display a picture in a resolution of 3820 x 2160 pixels at a frequency of 60 frames per second along with 32 channels of uncompressed digital audio. All this is done through HDMI cables that are already familiar to all of us, which have been around for many years.

Over time, nothing in these wires has changed, except for the connectors to which they were connected. So there is no need to replace them, when deciding to update everything for the new version of the interface (2.0).

Considering that HDMI has evolved to version 2.0, you should have fewer reasons to switch to the new interface, except for certain (less common situations) which we will discuss below.

DisplayPort

This is a digital display interface which was developed by VESA (Video Electronics Standards Association)... DisplayPort is not the best option for consumer-grade HDTVs (with the exception of Panasonic's premium 4K TV), which is the only (so far) consumer-grade TV with DisplayPort support.

Nevertheless, the DisplayPort (DP) is a good option (and many would say the best) for connecting a computer to a monitor. With all the necessary hardware additions and software (software) updates, DP version 1.2 delivers a maximum resolution of 3840 x 2160 at 60FPS making it capable of supporting 4K / Ultra high definition content and just like HDMI, Transmits digital audio over one cable with video.

Despite the prevalence of the HDM interface today, DisplayPort has several features that position it as direct alternative that will earn its right to be, thanks to the efforts of enthusiasts.

The main feature is the ability to work with multiple monitors at the same time. It is very convenient for designers, programmers and all those who work at a computer for a long time.

Users have the ability to connect up to 5 monitors simultaneously that allows you to create comfort in your workplace. There are many computer applications for organizing work in this way.

In addition, there is an additional feature that allows you to refer to material that is on one screen while typing on another without pressing a combination Alt +Tab.

While the current version is DisplayPort 1.2a, VESA recently approved standards version 1.3... With the new release of the interface bandwidth increase by 50%, namely up to 32.4 Gbps... This will improve the resolution of the monitors. When using one cable, it will be possible to connect one 5 K monitor (5120x 2880 pixels)... Dramatically increase the bandwidth when connecting multiple monitors. Now it could be 4 K (2840x 2160 pixels)... The new version will also retain the ability to convert video to HDMI, VGA and DVI.

DVI

DVI (DigitalVisualInterface) - attracted attention as standard connector for connecting displays back in 1999, but over time HDMI has almost completely replaced it. DVI technology is designed to deliver uncompressed digital video and can be reconfigured to support multiple modes such as:

DVI-D(digital only)
DVI-A(analog only)
DVI-I(digital and analog)

Digital video - The signal transmitted over DVI is extremely similar to HDMI, although there are differences between the two formats, namely the lack of audio in DVI.

You will no longer find DVI on HD TVs and BLU-ray players. Trust me, you will not want to connect flat screen TVs through this interface, as you will need an additional audio cable. But for computer monitors, which often lack speakers, DVI will be a good solution. You will also find these connectors on older projectors that are being cut somewhere in your home.

If you want to watch 4K video, then your choice should fall on HDMI or DisplayPort, DVI can no longer cope with this. If you don't have such a need, DVI will serve you perfectly.

There are two types of connectors of this type, they are:

Single-link;
Dual-link.

Dual-link connector pins allow double the transmit power for faster signal speed and quality. For example, an LCD TV using the DVI Single-Link connector can display the maximum resolution 1920 × 1200, and Dual-Link for the same screen will give as much 2560 × 1600.

VGA

Once it was one of the standards of electronics and computer technology, today the sameVGA (VideoGraphicsArray) practically not used in the standard set of multimedia interfaces. It is capable of transmitting only analog video, which every day can be seen less and less on TV screens. You can find it on old projectors, laptops, PCs.

At the end of 2010, the teams of such large technology companies as Intel and Samsung came together to "bury" VGA by announcing plans to phase out the format and accelerate their adoption of HDMI and DisplayPort as the default interfaces for computer monitors.

We in no way recommend that you refuse to use this interface. If you are not particularly demanding on image quality, DVI will serve you faithfully, no matter how 15 years ago everyone used it only.

You can see all the differences of the above interfaces in the video below.

Output

If you are going to connect to a TV, turn your attention to HDMI. If you like to play games or work at your computer all day, DisplayPort will be the best option for you, especially since it has become more popular and is supported by the manufacturer. VGA and DVI are all used to connect computer monitors. VGA is severely limited in delivering high quality images and will not be in common use for long. As a result of this article, we want to focus on HDMI and DisplayPort, as these are advanced technologies and are being developed by their manufacturers.

It's hard to dispute the superiority of HDMI over other video / audio interfaces (at least in terms of popularity). It is embedded almost everywhere: monitors, personal computers, laptops, tablets, game consoles and TVs, newfangled cameras. It would seem that there is no direct alternative. Well, or almost not, because there is DisplayPort or just DP - a competitive interface that everyone is trying to enter the pedestal, but it is not so easy to overcome the popularity of the high definition multimedia interface.

Display Port is increasingly being integrated into various electronics, popularizing it and giving people the right to choose. So, the creators of DP claim that it can produce an image, superior in quality picture from HDMI. In order to find out what is better for an ordinary user in everyday life, you need to make a comparison.

HDMI and DisplayPort - a bit of history

Eminent brands worked on the creation of HDMI back in 2002. These include such giants from the world of electronics as:

Sony;
Toshiba;
Panasonic;
Silicon Image;
Philips.

It was in 2002 that the world of electronics first learned about the popularity of high definition multimedia interface, but it became popular over time, replacing VGA. By the way, now the technology in question is fully supported by the brand of the same name - HDMI Licensing - a subsidiary of Silicon Image.

The development of Display Port is a merit of VESA. The Video Electronics Standards Association is the common name for many big name brands working on common projects. It includes such giants as:

ZIPS Corporation.

VESA owns the rights to DP and is still producing support for it. DisplayPort also was intended to supplant from the world of electronics, outdated at that time (2006) interfaces - VGA, DVI. By the way, so far even HDMI and DP cannot completely replace these oldies.

HDMI

HDMI is the most popular way to carry audio and video signals. It has been used in almost all electronics for over a decade. Allows you to transfer video / audio data to one target device at high speed, in high quality.

The cable has improved over the years to become what we see and use today. During this time, several managed to appear, namely 4 cable variations as well as 3 types of connectors.

The advantage of this interface is the ability to transmit high-definition and quality video, while doing it instantly, without delays. The same goes for sound. The port is relatively inexpensive, so almost every manufacturer nowadays integrates it into their electronics.

For comfortable use of old VGA and DVI with relatively new HDMI, displayport to hdmi adapters were invented in both directions.

DisplayPort

The Display Port cable makes the transmission of high quality picture and sound to the target device a snap. Supports all modern technologies from the leading manufacturers of computer video graphics - AMD and NVidia.

Has the ability to work simultaneously with several devices reception, transmit a high-resolution image to them, which its competitor does not know how. Invented in 2006, it is a direct competitor to the well-known HDMI, as it is very similar, but not identical with it in terms of parameters. So, DP supports NVidia G-Sync, but its rival does not.

What is the difference between Display Port and HDMI

“I connected what I have” - this is what the majority of users will think. More experienced users know that ports actually have differences in which to choose them. So, Display Port is practically not used in portable devices, tablets, smartphones. Whereas Micro-HDMI is popular. But full-fledged ports compete, and quite actively. Let's take a look at their main differences.

Connectors

Let's move on to the features of each of the connectors. High definition multimedia interface has 19 contacts and can be presented in several variations:

Standard - Standart (category A);
Mini - Mini (C);
Micro - Micro (D).

An ordinary user probably had the experience of meeting only with the usual, standard HDMI connector. This is not surprising, because each variation has its own purpose. None of them has a lock by default and it is still quite rare to find a non-standard connector.

So, standard port HDMI is usually used to display high quality images on a screen. Any kind is used for high definition video transmission, starting from Full HD. Mini and micro are embedded in car media systems, phones, cameras, video cards, in general, where you need to save space. Its purpose is to interface with external devices, information storage devices.

It is believed that smaller connectors transmit the worst signal, but this is not the case - the size does not affect the signal quality in any way.

Differences between one interface and the second begin already in the number of contacts: if the direct competitor has 19 of them, then the Display Port has them invariably 20. In addition, the port in question has only two variations: standard and mini (mini displayport). The latter can rarely be found anywhere (for example, a tablet from Microsoft - Surface Pro). Display The port is usually equipped with a lock, although the interface is securely attached without it. This is how the DP connector looks on the video card:

Outwardly, you can confuse the connectors only without having dealt with them before, as well as the cables, which we will talk about later. In the picture below, DisplayPort is on the left and HDMI on the right.

Cable

High definition multimedia interface has acquired 5 cable variations for the entire time:

Standard (Standart)- for home use, ideal for streaming video to a TV. Used (often included) with tuners, DVD players, PCs. Able to work with HD and Full HD. 75 MHz frequency with 2.25 Gbps bandwidth
Standard with internet- in terms of transferring images and sound to the target display, it is completely identical to the previous variation. It is distinguished by its ability to provide a two-way high-speed Internet connection up to 100 Mbps.
High speedHDMI cable (High-speed)- a solution for those who need to transfer images in quality from HD to 4K to a TV, monitor. Able to work with most video formats (for example, 3D). Used with home theaters and Blu-ray players. Unfortunately, the frame refresh rate is only 24 / sec. 600 MHz frequency and 18 Gbps speed.
High speed with internet- the same as the previous one, only with a two-way high-speed internet connection up to 100 Mbps.
Car- everything should be clear from the title. Designed for extreme use and stress that can be generated by engine operation.

Apart from this, similar technology is subdivided by specification. The version number is assigned in ascending order - 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, and so on up to 2.1. When it comes to expanding functionality, letters are used, for example, 1.4a. Currently 2.0 (a / b) is considered relevant. Soon, the 2.1 standard will appear, which will be able to provide speeds up to 48 Gb / s, with a frequency of 1200 MHz.

In order not to confuse all of the above, pay attention to the tag near one of the "plugs". It should say what type of cable you have. HDMI has no maximum length and no fixed material.

With the Display Port cable, everything is much simpler - it is one. It works with the transmission of images in high resolution (up to 4K), and most importantly, it has a refresh rate of 60 Hz, that is, 60 frames / second. Works with all popular 3D formats. The specifications are used in the same way as the competitor. However, DisplayPort, currently the 1.4 specification, has a bandwidth of 32.4 Gb / s.

He also has disadvantages. So this is inability to transfer the Internet through the cable. Another disadvantage is the simplified principle of working with sound without using ARC technology, as is done in HDMI cables.

Bandwidth and video streams

DP bandwidth is 32.4 Gbps, while HDMI has 18 Gbps. It is worth noting that in 2018-2019 the HDMI speed is expected to increase to 48 Gbps and 72.8 Gbps for DisplayPort. In addition, HDMI can only work with two monitors, but Display Port supports up to 4. Moreover, the image resolution on them will be at least HD or even Full HD. It should be noted that this is a definite plus for people working with graphics.

DisplayPort or HDMI - which is better

The answer depends on the needs of the user. Ideally, the device should have two connectors - both Display Port and High definition multimedia interface. However, there are several criteria from which to start.

Gamers be sure to switch to Display Port. The same applies to people working with 3D graphics, objects, video editing. They definitely need support for multiple screens (or will need it in the near future). But the average PC user has nothing to switch to DP at all.

Right from the very beginning of the article, I want to inform you that there are no better ones here. In fact, it makes no sense to compare DVI and HDMI. Now, of course, a lot of "smart people" can crawl with words like: "You don't understand. HDMI is HD. It's more modern." Well, etc. No dear friends. In fact, it makes no sense to compare DVI and HDMI for the simple reason that they are used (at least should) in completely different areas. If you can connect both DVI and HDMI to your monitor, then this is simply because the manufacturer decided to add more connection options for you.

I would also like to draw your attention to the most important thing! A lot of people think that HDMI is better at transmitting images than DVI. So. I will reveal a terrible secret for you. Neither one nor the other is any different, because they both use the same digital signal transmission technology, which is called TMDS.

As I said above, they (should) be applied in different areas. DVI in PC, and HDMI in multimedia I will describe the reasons below. Of course, no one forbids you to use HDMI to connect your monitor. In my opinion, this is even more practical, since the HDMI cable itself is thinner and smaller than the huge DVI. At that moment, as the second huge and massive, which is able to provide excellent protection against tears, kinks and the rest of that spirit.

HDMI cable

DVI cable

And by the way. For those who still doubt that the image quality is transmitted the same, here is a photo of a DVI-HDMI cable, which is just a cable and clearly does not change anything during transmission. It means that DVI and HDMI work on the same signals and with the same quality. (Photo taken from one of the online store)

Differences between DVI and HDMI

And so, let's now figure out what is the difference between these two types of cables.

Perhaps the very first point should be that DVI cannot transmit sound. HDMI has 8-channel audio transmission. Personally, I have a TV connected to my PC via HDMI, and I noticed a long time ago that sound is indeed transmitted. But also your video card should be capable of it. If your equipment does not have such an opportunity, then you will not be able to transfer anything.
The lack of audio in DVI can be explained by the following: Why? Either professional equipment or monitors are connected via DVI. What is the sound transmission for? While HDMI is often used in multimedia (set-top boxes, home theaters, etc.), this property is simply necessary there.
The latest versions of HDMI have an Ethernet channel for transferring "your Internet" at a speed of 100Mbps. DVI does not have this feature. But just like with sound, I don't think this can be attributed to a difference in technology, since they just managed to cram more contacts into the HDMI cable to transfer all sorts of goodies and nothing else.
Due to its goodies, as well as due to the fact that HDMI was developed as for multimedia, there was a place in it for only one digital video transmission channel. While DVI has 1 digital and 2 analog. Those. DVI can easily replace VGA if required by some hardware. This fact suggests that DVI is used more in professional areas than HDMI, which is used mainly in home environments.
Now let's turn our attention to HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection). I do not argue that many have not even heard of it. I have attached a link to Wikipedia so that you can read it if you want. In a nutshell, this is copyright protection for licensed video content. If the equipment is not HDCP capable, then you will not be able to watch most licensed films, etc. with Blu-ray. HDMI simply must and does have such a function. What is the point then to use it in home theaters. There are no problems here. But DVI does not know how to work with HDCP. In DVI, such a possibility was not even included initially, because only in Russia a person will watch a movie by purchasing a new licensed disc and watch it with 4K resolution and surround sound on his monitor, a folding PC. So if you get to this point, then DVI will not help you. If you do not have another cable or connector, then make sure that your video card and monitor have this technology.

Outcome

Let's summarize. There is no difference in image quality between HDMI and DVI. HDMI can work with HDCP, transmit sound and has an Ethernet channel, but this is simply due to the fact that at the time of development they laid a couple of more wires. If desired, the same can be done with DVI. But why. For there is no point in outputting sound to a regular monitor, and it does not need an Internet connection.
DVI is also widely used in professional areas because of its vastness of video channels, while HDMI has only one digital channel and can be used, for the most part, at home.

So there really is no point in arguing which cable to use when connecting a regular 17-inch monitor to your office system unit, since Word or Excel will still be displayed the same way.

HDMI audio / video interface is ubiquitous. You will find them on TVs, digital set-top boxes, DVD and Blu-ray players, game consoles, camcorders, digital cameras, and even some smartphones.

You can also find HDMI ports on most consumer desktops and laptops. Not a single modern candy bar is complete without this port, which allows you to connect a game console or digital TV receiver to your computer and thereby expand the range of possibilities for its use.

But while HDMI is ubiquitous, you may be forgetting another digital audio / video standard: DisplayPort. Although you can find it on par with HDMI in many "advanced" models of monitors, embedded video cards, so-called "business class" notebooks, this connector is rarely found on Windows personal computers aimed at the general consumer.

Both of these interfaces, HDMI and DisplayPort, are capable of transferring high-definition digital video and audio from a source to a display. What, then, is the difference between them? We will try to answer this question as fully and clearly as possible, starting with the history of the appearance of these two standards, as well as their copyright holders.

A brief history of the two interfaces

The HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) standard was born in 2002 as a collaboration between renowned consumer electronics giants including Panasonic, Philips, Silicon Image, Sony and Toshiba. Today, this development is entirely controlled by HDMI Licensing, which in turn is wholly owned by a subsidiary of Silicon Image. Electronics manufacturers are required to pay royalties to use the HDMI connector in their devices.

The DisplayPort specification was developed and still remains under the control of the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA), an impressive consortium of manufacturers ranging from AMD to the ZIPS Corporation. DisplayPort debuted in 2006 as part of an effort to supplant the much older VGA (Video Graphics Array, analog interface, first introduced in 1987) and DVI (Digital Video Interface, born 1999) standards previously used in computer monitors. DisplayPort is royalty free.

HDMI and DisplayPort connectors and sizes

HDMI connectors are equipped with 19 pins and are most commonly found in three sizes: Type A (standard), Type C (mini), and Type D (micro). Of these, type A is much more common than others.

The much more rarely used Type B has an extended video channel for transmission of images with a resolution above 1080p. Another type of HDMI connector, type E, is used to connect external devices to car media systems.

Most HDMI connectors are equipped with a friction stopper, which means that a plug that is firmly inserted into the socket ensures a secure connection between the pins. However, some manufacturers design their own locks so that the wire cannot be simply pulled out of the socket by accident. Such locks, for example, for obvious reasons, are necessarily equipped with type E connectors.

The three HDMI connectors you're most likely to encounter (from left to right): Standard, Mini, Micro

DisplayPort connectors have 20 pins and come in two sizes: DisplayPort and Mini DisplayPort (the latter is the connector preferred for Microsoft's Surface Pro tablet). Interestingly, the Intel Thunderbolt controller interface combines the capabilities of Mini DisplayPort and PCI Express data connections - however, this is beyond the scope of this article.

While most full-size DisplayPort connectors have a locking mechanism that prevents the wire from being pulled out accidentally, this option is not considered mandatory by the official specification.

You can find a Type D micro HDMI connector on some smartphones and tablets, but no electronics manufacturer other than Microsoft even puts Mini DisplayPort on their portable devices. A lock is very common on full-size DisplayPort connectors, but even Type A HDMI connectors are rarely equipped with this useful feature.

HDMI and DisplayPort cables - what they are

The biggest problem with the HDMI cable varieties is that there are currently four of them, and a fifth is on the way, which will implement the recently released HDMI 2.1 specification. At the same time, a huge number of older cables do not have markings that explain their capabilities and bandwidth.

However, using an HDMI cable that is not suitable for a specific task is fraught with problems such as transmission failures or image distortion, artifacts in the frame, picture and sound out of sync.

Let's take a closer look at the current four types of HDMI cables.

Standard HDMI Cable: provides sufficient bandwidth for 720p and 1080i video only. Designed to connect any home devices with undemanding parameters (DVD players, satellite TV receivers, plasma and liquid crystal panels ...). A budget option for conventional signal sources and receivers. Suitable for those who do not require high quality picture and sound.
Standard HDMI Cable with ethernet: has the same channel, plus supports an additional bi-directional Ethernet HDMI data channel up to 100 Mbit / s. Allows the device to receive a high-speed Internet connection and at the same time distribute the content received from the network to other HDMI-connected devices. Unlike cable, Standart supports Audio Return Channel technology, which makes it possible to transfer audio data without using any S / PDIF audio connection (no additional cable).
High Speed HDMI Cable: provides a wider channel, is capable of transmitting video with a resolution of 1080p and 4K (4096x2160). Supports Audio Return Channel technology and almost all video formats, including Deep Color and 3D. Designed to connect high quality devices (Blu-ray and HDD players, plasma and LCD panels, satellite TV receivers). Provides, however, a maximum refresh rate of only 24 Hz, which is good enough for movies but disgusting for video games.
High Speed HDMI Cable with ethernet: supports wide channel and all the same technologies as High Speed HDMI Cable, and additionally provides Ethernet HDMI up to 100 Mbps.

Make sure to buy a High Speed HDMI Cable if you intend to use it to transfer 1080p or higher resolution video from your computer or Blu-ray player to your monitor (Ethernet support is optional)

All four cable types support ARC (Audio Return Channel) technology, which allows the TV to send audio data back to the AV receiver. Without it, you would have to connect a second cable to transmit sound (note that if you subscribe to cable or satellite TV and use a digital set-top box, you can do without ARC).

The HDMI specification does not specify the maximum cable length, nor does it set any restrictions on the material for its manufacture. Copper wire is the most popular material, but HDMI signals can also pass through CAT 5 or CAT 6 cable (up to 50 meters), coaxial cable (up to 90 meters), or fiber optic (over 100 meters) as described by HDMI Licensing LLC. ...

"Active" HDMI cables have integrated circuits built in to amplify the signal. Active cables can be longer and thinner than passive cables (the thinner the cable, the less likely it is to deteriorate and fail to bend severely if necessary).

DisplayPort cables are much easier to describe: they only come in one type!

The current version, DisplayPort 1.3, provides a sufficient bandwidth for video transmission with a resolution of up to 3840x2160 pixels with a refresh rate of 60 Hz and supports all common 3D video formats. DisplayPort cables are also capable of carrying multi-channel digital audio. On the other hand, DisplayPort cannot transfer ethernet data, and this standard does not support the Audio Return Channel technology either.

Two types of DisplayPort connectors - standard and mini

With the addition of a simple adapter, a DisplayPort cable can link a DisplayPort source to a VGA display (this is an extremely useful option if you need to connect your laptop to an older video projector). Adapters are also available to connect a DisplayPort source to a single link DVI or HDMI display. An HDMI cable can also be connected via an adapter to the DVI interface, but that's about it.

DisplayPort passive copper cable is capable of transferring extremely high amounts of data (for example, video with a resolution of 3840x2160) up to two meters in length. If you want to use a 15 meter passive DisplayPort copper cable, this standard will limit your potential transmission capacity to 1080p. But the specifications are conservative, and they are made with a margin, in practice, a 15-meter cable is capable of transferring enough bits to support a resolution of 2560x1600 (this is great for a 30-inch monitor).

An active copper DisplayPort cable, which feeds the signal amplifier built into the connector through itself, can transmit video with a resolution of 2560x1600 already up to 20 meters. Finally, DisplayPort fiber optic cables can be over a hundred meters in length.

How many devices can be connected via HDMI and DisplayPort

Each HDMI cable can carry one video stream and one audio stream at the same time, which is enough to support only one display. This is enough if you only connect one monitor or TV panel, but nowadays many people use more than one monitor.

One DisplayPort can support up to four monitors with a resolution of 1920x1200 pixels each, or two monitors with a resolution of 2560x1600 pixels, with each display receiving its own independent video and audio stream. And since some GPUs are capable of supporting multiple DisplayPorts, you have the ability to daisy-chain up to six compatible monitors from a single source.

So which interface is better - HDMI or DisplayPort?

HDMI was developed primarily for mainstream consumer electronics such as Blu-ray players, televisions, video projectors, and the like. When you deal with the difficult classification of cables by purpose and ability, this standard provides capabilities that are beyond the power of DisplayPort connectors. In the meantime, DisplayPort was created mostly as a general-purpose interface specifically for computer displays, so it does not replace, but rather complements HDMI.

Unfortunately, many PC makers - especially those of consumer notebooks and all-in-ones - seem to think that it is sufficient to equip them with an HDMI connector. We hope that view will change as DisplayPort can provide at least as much value to the consumer as it has long been to business users.

HDMI isn't going anywhere, and we're quite happy about it, but it's time for the computer industry to take a more affectionate look at DisplayPort.

Do you need DisplayPort?

As we said earlier, the HDMI standard is ubiquitous. This interface is present on almost any television panel, and every consumer computer monitor will be equipped with it. You can also surely find it on most embedded video cards, on laptops, system units of prefabricated computers and in every all-in-one.

But monitors, desktops and monoblocks of a higher level, in addition to HDMI, will be equipped with DisplayPort connectors. As for laptops - they, of course, experience a certain lack of space to accommodate connectors. However, the more expensive business-oriented models will also necessarily be equipped with a DisplayPort interface.

If you plan on using your laptop with a freestanding monitor, you won't regret the small overpayment for a model equipped with a DisplayPort connector. The ability to support multiple displays at the same time and the ability to connect through inexpensive adapters to virtually any type of monitor offers significantly more flexibility than HDMI alone can offer.