GET CONNECTED IN 2020
Oft overlooked but ever important, the humble display interface is due an overhaul in 2020. One major development will be the roll-out of DisplayPort 2.0. It’s a major upgrade versus the most recent prevailing DisplayPort standard, namely 1.4a. DisplayPort 2.0 delivers a 3x jump in raw bandwidth compared to DisplayPort 1.4a. Want hard figures? 1.4a serves up 25.92Gb/s of usable bandwidth for transporting display images; DisplayPort 2.0 ups that to 77.37Gb/s.
As for the implications of the bandwidth bump, they’re numerous. The more bandwidth, the higher the resolution you can display at greater refresh, and with more dynamic range and color fidelity. For example, with DisplayPort 2.0, you’ll be able to drive dual 8K monitors at 120Hz and 10 bits of color per channel over a single interface. In terms of a single panel, a 16K monitor – 15360x8640 pixels – at 60Hz will be possible. Or how about triple 10K panels at 60Hz? Another option supported by DisplayPort 2.0.
Long story short, all those high-res, high-DPI panels we’re hoping for will finally be possible with DisplayPort 2.0. As for HDMI, its most advanced standard, 2.1, was announced in 2017, and no further advances have been made public. HDMI 2.1 actually compares favorably with DisplayPort 1.4a, with 42.6Gb/s of usable data. It’s designed to cater for 8K resolutions with refresh rates up to 120Hz. So, it’s pretty much got you covered.
Finally, there’s USB Type C and Thunderbolt 3, sharing the same interface. This is a frustratingly complex subject, but the short version is that both support up to DisplayPort 1.4 in Alt Mode over the USB/Thunderbolt interface. Some examples are the Microsoft Surface Pro 7, Surface Pro X, and Surface Laptop 3, all of which support up to DisplayPort 1.4. Some even support multi-stream capability, so you can connect dual 4K 60Hz monitors via a single cable. But note: Most portable PCs made up to mid2019 are likely to only support DisplayPort 1.2 in Alt Mode, and thus a single 4K
60Hz display.