An Overview of Current Display Interfaces

8
Display Interface Comparison Table
Table 5. Display Interface Comparison Table
VGA
DVI
HDMI
DisplayPort
Connector
Type
15 -pin high-density
D-subminiature,
often with
thumbscrews for
latching
Unique 24-pin, 3-
row main field,
DVI-I adds 4-pin
micro-cross section.
Unique 19-pin
dual-row connector
(HDMI-A)
Unique 20-pin dual-
row connector with
latch
Capacity/
Bandwidth
Undefined; usually
ok to about 150
MHz pixel rates.
4.8 Gb/s (single
link); 9.6 Gb/s
(dual-llink)
4.8 Gb/s thru
HDMI 1.2; up to
9.6 Gb/s HDMI
1.3 spec
Up to 10.8 Gb/s if
all four lanes are
used (21.6 Gb/s for
DP 1.2)
Electrical layer
0.7 Vp-p analog
video with
separate TTL syncs
Silicon Image
TMDS [1], 3 or 6
data pairs plus
clock pair.
Silicon Image
TMDS [1], 3 or 6
data pairs plus
clock pair.
PCI-Express, 1, 2, or
4 data pairs
(“lanes”) with
embedded clock
Audio
No support
No support
Yes, effectively
mandatory on
HDMI-A
Optional
Content
protection
None
HDCP [2]
(optional)
HDCP [2]
(optional)
HDCP [2]
(optional)
Other
channels
Video Elect.
Standards
Association (VESA)
Display Data
Channel (DDC)
VESA DDC
VESA DDC,
Consumer
Electronics Control
(CEC)
AUX channel (1
Mb/s, bi-directional
general purpose;
~500 Mb/s in DP
1.2)
Controlling
authority
None, DDC
version was
established by
VESA
Digital display
Working Group
(defunct)
HDMI Founders;
HDMI Licensing,
LLC
VESA
NOTES:
[1] TMDS - Transition Minimized Differential Signaling, a Silicon Image trademark
for their proprietary differential-drive electrical layer.
[2] HDCP - High Definition Content Protection, referring to a system developed by
Intel and licensed by Digital Content Protection, LLC, for more information see
http://www.digital-cp.com/home.
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652382-001, March 2011