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DisplayPort never caught on in the home entertainment market - have you ever seen a DisplayPort TV? And why would there be one, when everyone’s happy with HDMI?

DisplayPort never caught on in the home entertainment market - have you ever seen a DisplayPort TV? And why would there be one, when everyone’s happy with HDMI? DisplayPort, for most intents and purposes, has lost the format war. You buy a laptop - it’s HDMI on the side, not DisplayPort. You buy a monitor - DisplayPort is never an exclusive port on any model, but HDMI is.

bpye 2y ago
That’s not really true. Any device with USB-C video out is using DisplayPort, not HDMI. HDMI alt mode exists, but AFAIK never shipped in any products.
- gjsman-1000 2y ago
  If it’s not the physical connector, is it even worth calling DisplayPort? It might as well be called something else, that happens to run over a DP connector or a USB-C connector. It’s winning in a spiritual sense where nobody intuitively knows it’s DisplayPort.
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
  - p_l 2y ago
    It's worth it because it matters to simple cases of normal user needing a converter dongle. Passive USB-C DP-altmode to DP cable are easy to acquire, cheap, and work fine. USB-C -> HDMI is usually expensive because nearly nobody uses HDMI as alt-mode outside few old devices so you end up with frustrated users who try to buy cheaper converter and find out it does not work.
    - morsch 2y ago
      Looks to me like USB-C/HDMI cables are in the 5-20 EUR price range, about the same as USB-C/DP. I just got a new USB-C hub with HDMI port (4k@60) for about 15 EUR. Simple HDMI or DP cables (ie. same port on both ends) are available for 2-3 EUR, are there USB-C/DP cables in that range?
    - immibis 2y ago
      I wish the opposite was easier to find, since I have one display device with only a USB-C input, and a desktop computer.
      - bpye 2y ago
        I had this issue as well - Amazon (did?) have a bi-directional USB-C to DisplayPort cable [0], which works well for me. It looks like the 3ft one is still available. [0] - https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B081VK1KHV/ https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B081VK1KHV/
- ThatPlayer 2y ago
  There is also MHL alt-mode over USB-C. MHL was a way to do video over microUSB at the time and I really can't figure out if any products released with USB-C MHL support either.
p_l 2y ago
HDMI replaced VGA as the "lowest common denominator port" for conference usage, not as major display tech. HDMI is also for various reasons very tightly bound with home entertainment ecosystem because the DRM is mandatory while it's optional in DisplayPort. Meanwhile DisplayPort has effectively won the format war for computer displays, and on all newer display connectors.
- gjsman-1000 2y ago
  > Meanwhile DisplayPort has effectively won the format war for computer displays, and on all newer display connectors. Not on this planet - for the highest end displays, maybe. Almost every small business and government office I see is still using VGA.
  - p_l 2y ago
    Interesting, I don't think I've seen VGA anywhere outside retro setups or places that were setup once long ago and left like that. I think many people don't even know there was such a thing as VGA these days if they work in office. That said, HDMI 1.0 being DVI-D in different connector means conversion to VGA is very easy, as DVI-D stream is essentially VGA data minus DAC step (including vsync blanking and overscan).
  - ThatPlayer 2y ago
    I'd say not even the highest end displays. I'm using HDMI 2.1 on my RTX 4080 because it has more bandwidth than the DisplayPort 1.4 ports on this graphic card. It's a similar port selection on even the highest end monitors: 40 Gigabit/s HDMI 2.1, or 26 Gigabit DP1.4. I'm unable to find a single DP2.0 monitor.
    - p_l 2y ago
      IIRC main difference was that DP1.4 at 26gbit was more than enough to drive 4k displays
      - ThatPlayer 2y ago
dcan 2y ago
I would argue the opposite - DisplayPort has won the computing format war, especially on laptops. Most laptops will have at least two USB-C ports with DisplayPort tunneling. Most business PCs have only DisplayPort connectivity, with the assumption that you'll buy a DisplayPort to HDMI adapter (if you have an older monitor that only supported HDMI). True, we will never see them on the TV, but on the computer it is all DisplayPort.
- gjsman-1000 2y ago
  If you buy a ThinkPad, an IdeaPad, or a MacBook Pro, what port is on the right side?
  - blueflow 2y ago
    I just checked my thinkpad fleet, excluding VGA: one has no extra video port, one has HDMI, and 4 have displayport only.
  - p_l 2y ago
    Thinkpads will usually have multiple DisplayPorts (some as alt-mode on USB-C), and 1 HDMI for use with roach-motel-quality conference room setups.
  - burnerthrow008 2y ago
    My MacBook Pro has one HDMI and one DisplayPort on the right side. The left side has two DisplayPort and a MagSafe. Edit: And a MacBook Air would have just the two DisplayPort on the left with no HDMI, plus headphone jack on the right.
    - Gigachad 2y ago
      The MacBooks HDMI port is also just a usb device internally. Utilising DisplayPort alt mode.
dathery 2y ago
Why do you assert that everyone is happy with HDMI? It has a lot of problems even before we get into the technical details. For example, it is so secretive and closed that the HDMI forum won't even let AMD implement HDMI 2.1 in their Linux driver: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/02/hdmi-forum-to-amd-no-you-cant-make-an-open-source-hdmi-2-1-driver/ https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/02/hdmi-forum-to-amd-no...
- gjsman-1000 2y ago
  [flagged]
  - dathery 2y ago
    Why would a random small business owner have opinions about DisplayPort vs HDMI...? I do not think that is a very useful benchmark for evaluating technology standards, and it is kind of a conversation killer to use it to avoid engaging with specific technical points people are bringing up in reply to you. This is a technical discussion forum, after all.
  - unclad5968 2y ago
    By that logic HDMI would never have gotten popular in the first place. No small business owner ever cared about what cable they connect to their TV as long as they have access to it.
- Yeul 2y ago
  Wasn't the DRM black box the whole reason why HDMI exists? Like I personally don't give a shit about that but content distributors do.
jsheard 2y ago
> DisplayPort, for most intents and purposes, has lost the format war. You buy a laptop - it’s HDMI on the side, not DisplayPort. The laptops USB-C ports probably speak DisplayPort though. There was another USB-C alt mode which carried HDMI instead but that spec was abandoned, DisplayPort is the de facto standard USB-C video protocol now.
- badlucklottery 2y ago
  Yeah, DisplayPort "lost" w/r/t the connector but it seems like DP-over-USB-C is the way forward. Being able to put video, audio, power, and USB connectivity over one relatively common connector seems like the obvious choice.
kccqzy 2y ago
Besides DisplayPort over USB-C that people have already mentioned there's also eDP which is basically the standard for connecting a laptop's screen to its GPU. You buy a laptop, regardless of what external port it has, DisplayPort is used on the internal display. And since most laptop users don't regularly connect to external displays, one can certainly say that the usage of DisplayPort here far eclipses HDMI.
immibis 2y ago
I'm seeing less and less HDMI ports on computer monitors, graphics cards, projectors, etc. Since IIRC they charge a royalty per port, this makes a lot of sense. I buy a laptop - it's USB only. No HDMI, DisplayPort, VGA, headphone jack or anything else. When was the last time you bought one? I buy a desktop graphics card. 1 HDMI - for compatibility, you know - and 3 DisplayPort. The HDMI is port number 2. Last time I used a projector it was DisplayPort or VGA. I brought brought both kinds of adapters just in case. My newest monitor has power input, DisplayPort and VGA. No HDMI.
- DidYaWipe 2y ago
  "I buy a laptop - it's USB only. No HDMI, DisplayPort..." So it has no video output?
  - immibis 2y ago
    It has a screen, and it has the USB-C port alternate channels connected to the GPU.
Gigachad 2y ago
DisplayPort in a way won. USB-C video is DisplayPort. And the HDMI port on your laptop is just an internal USB adapter for DisplayPort alt mode for hdmi.

bpye 2y ago

That’s not really true. Any device with USB-C video out is using DisplayPort, not HDMI. HDMI alt mode exists, but AFAIK never shipped in any products.

gjsman-1000 2y ago
If it’s not the physical connector, is it even worth calling DisplayPort? It might as well be called something else, that happens to run over a DP connector or a USB-C connector. It’s winning in a spiritual sense where nobody intuitively knows it’s DisplayPort.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- p_l 2y ago
  It's worth it because it matters to simple cases of normal user needing a converter dongle. Passive USB-C DP-altmode to DP cable are easy to acquire, cheap, and work fine. USB-C -> HDMI is usually expensive because nearly nobody uses HDMI as alt-mode outside few old devices so you end up with frustrated users who try to buy cheaper converter and find out it does not work.
  - morsch 2y ago
    Looks to me like USB-C/HDMI cables are in the 5-20 EUR price range, about the same as USB-C/DP. I just got a new USB-C hub with HDMI port (4k@60) for about 15 EUR. Simple HDMI or DP cables (ie. same port on both ends) are available for 2-3 EUR, are there USB-C/DP cables in that range?
  - immibis 2y ago
    I wish the opposite was easier to find, since I have one display device with only a USB-C input, and a desktop computer.
    - bpye 2y ago
      I had this issue as well - Amazon (did?) have a bi-directional USB-C to DisplayPort cable [0], which works well for me. It looks like the 3ft one is still available. [0] - https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B081VK1KHV/ https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B081VK1KHV/
ThatPlayer 2y ago
There is also MHL alt-mode over USB-C. MHL was a way to do video over microUSB at the time and I really can't figure out if any products released with USB-C MHL support either.

p_l 2y ago

HDMI replaced VGA as the "lowest common denominator port" for conference usage, not as major display tech. HDMI is also for various reasons very tightly bound with home entertainment ecosystem because the DRM is mandatory while it's optional in DisplayPort. Meanwhile DisplayPort has effectively won the format war for computer displays, and on all newer display connectors.

gjsman-1000 2y ago
> Meanwhile DisplayPort has effectively won the format war for computer displays, and on all newer display connectors. Not on this planet - for the highest end displays, maybe. Almost every small business and government office I see is still using VGA.
- p_l 2y ago
  Interesting, I don't think I've seen VGA anywhere outside retro setups or places that were setup once long ago and left like that. I think many people don't even know there was such a thing as VGA these days if they work in office. That said, HDMI 1.0 being DVI-D in different connector means conversion to VGA is very easy, as DVI-D stream is essentially VGA data minus DAC step (including vsync blanking and overscan).
- ThatPlayer 2y ago
  I'd say not even the highest end displays. I'm using HDMI 2.1 on my RTX 4080 because it has more bandwidth than the DisplayPort 1.4 ports on this graphic card. It's a similar port selection on even the highest end monitors: 40 Gigabit/s HDMI 2.1, or 26 Gigabit DP1.4. I'm unable to find a single DP2.0 monitor.
  - p_l 2y ago
    IIRC main difference was that DP1.4 at 26gbit was more than enough to drive 4k displays
    - ThatPlayer 2y ago

dcan 2y ago

I would argue the opposite - DisplayPort has won the computing format war, especially on laptops. Most laptops will have at least two USB-C ports with DisplayPort tunneling. Most business PCs have only DisplayPort connectivity, with the assumption that you'll buy a DisplayPort to HDMI adapter (if you have an older monitor that only supported HDMI). True, we will never see them on the TV, but on the computer it is all DisplayPort.

gjsman-1000 2y ago
If you buy a ThinkPad, an IdeaPad, or a MacBook Pro, what port is on the right side?
- blueflow 2y ago
  I just checked my thinkpad fleet, excluding VGA: one has no extra video port, one has HDMI, and 4 have displayport only.
- p_l 2y ago
  Thinkpads will usually have multiple DisplayPorts (some as alt-mode on USB-C), and 1 HDMI for use with roach-motel-quality conference room setups.
- burnerthrow008 2y ago
  My MacBook Pro has one HDMI and one DisplayPort on the right side. The left side has two DisplayPort and a MagSafe. Edit: And a MacBook Air would have just the two DisplayPort on the left with no HDMI, plus headphone jack on the right.
  - Gigachad 2y ago
    The MacBooks HDMI port is also just a usb device internally. Utilising DisplayPort alt mode.

dathery 2y ago

Why do you assert that everyone is happy with HDMI? It has a lot of problems even before we get into the technical details. For example, it is so secretive and closed that the HDMI forum won't even let AMD implement HDMI 2.1 in their Linux driver: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/02/hdmi-forum-to-amd-no-you-cant-make-an-open-source-hdmi-2-1-driver/ https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/02/hdmi-forum-to-amd-no...

gjsman-1000 2y ago
[flagged]
- dathery 2y ago
  Why would a random small business owner have opinions about DisplayPort vs HDMI...? I do not think that is a very useful benchmark for evaluating technology standards, and it is kind of a conversation killer to use it to avoid engaging with specific technical points people are bringing up in reply to you. This is a technical discussion forum, after all.
- unclad5968 2y ago
  By that logic HDMI would never have gotten popular in the first place. No small business owner ever cared about what cable they connect to their TV as long as they have access to it.
Yeul 2y ago
Wasn't the DRM black box the whole reason why HDMI exists? Like I personally don't give a shit about that but content distributors do.

jsheard 2y ago

> DisplayPort, for most intents and purposes, has lost the format war. You buy a laptop - it’s HDMI on the side, not DisplayPort. The laptops USB-C ports probably speak DisplayPort though. There was another USB-C alt mode which carried HDMI instead but that spec was abandoned, DisplayPort is the de facto standard USB-C video protocol now.

badlucklottery 2y ago
Yeah, DisplayPort "lost" w/r/t the connector but it seems like DP-over-USB-C is the way forward. Being able to put video, audio, power, and USB connectivity over one relatively common connector seems like the obvious choice.

kccqzy 2y ago

Besides DisplayPort over USB-C that people have already mentioned there's also eDP which is basically the standard for connecting a laptop's screen to its GPU. You buy a laptop, regardless of what external port it has, DisplayPort is used on the internal display. And since most laptop users don't regularly connect to external displays, one can certainly say that the usage of DisplayPort here far eclipses HDMI.

immibis 2y ago

I'm seeing less and less HDMI ports on computer monitors, graphics cards, projectors, etc. Since IIRC they charge a royalty per port, this makes a lot of sense. I buy a laptop - it's USB only. No HDMI, DisplayPort, VGA, headphone jack or anything else. When was the last time you bought one? I buy a desktop graphics card. 1 HDMI - for compatibility, you know - and 3 DisplayPort. The HDMI is port number 2. Last time I used a projector it was DisplayPort or VGA. I brought brought both kinds of adapters just in case. My newest monitor has power input, DisplayPort and VGA. No HDMI.

DidYaWipe 2y ago
"I buy a laptop - it's USB only. No HDMI, DisplayPort..." So it has no video output?
- immibis 2y ago
  It has a screen, and it has the USB-C port alternate channels connected to the GPU.

Gigachad 2y ago

DisplayPort in a way won. USB-C video is DisplayPort. And the HDMI port on your laptop is just an internal USB adapter for DisplayPort alt mode for hdmi.