Why displayport and not hdmi

The other HDMI connectors commonly use friction to keep the plug into the socket — although sometimes locking mechanisms are used that prevent the cable from pulling loose. Such mechanisms are a lot more common in DisplayPort solutions. DisplayPort connectors have 20 pins. There are two sizes available: the standard DisplayPort and a smaller alternative made by Apple called Mini DisplayPort.

The latter is the same port as Thunderbolt. Though most full-size DisplayPort connectors have a locking mechanism that prevents them from being disconnected accidentally, this feature is not required by the official specification.

Every new version of both the HDMI and DisplayPort standards typically introduce some minor new features, and higher resolution and bandwidth. This however does not mean that a new display always supports the latest version of the standard.

It doesn't make much sense to include a standard that supports 8K resolution on an HD display. The most important thing is that the standard matches the needs of the display. If not, you will be paying more for something you cannot use. The official name for this resolution is by the way UHD, but the term 4K is often used as well although in the movie industry this implies a resolution of x It also supports all common 3D video formats.

The maximum bandwidth to be sent through a DP 1. DisplayPort 1. The most used HDMI -version, version 2. In other words, it is more important to look at the version number on both the source and the display than to compare DisplayPort with HDMI. Meanwhile, HDMI 2.

Beyond the basics of plug type, resolution and format support discussed above, there are all kinds of technical details that we could dig into. Both HDMI and DisplayPort support variations of color spaces, compression formats, encoding schemes and copy protection standards. And if you want to get into those details, there's more than enough information out there to read up on. When it comes to TVs, soundbars and console gaming, HDMI is king — just make sure you're using the right cables to get all of the features available to you.

Professionals that need exacting color for photo and video editing have also preferred DisplayPort for it's higher technical standards. When visuals matter, pros and enthusiasts prefer DisplayPort. But this all may change in the coming months, as HDMI 2.

The first HDMI 2. For now, however, the answer to which connection or cables you need will come down to what equipment you already have. Brian Westover. Topics Accessories. They of course, pass that cost along to you.

DisplayPort debuted in as part of an effort to replace two older standards used primarily for computer displays: VGA Video Graphics Array, an analog interface first introduced in and DVI Digital Video Interface, introduced in Computers, with their shorter technology cycles and often greater display needs, were another matter. HDMI, recently revised to version 2. At the time of this writing, however, DisplayPort 2. This scenario is unlikely to change for a while.

As you can see from the images above and below, HDMI and DisplayPort both have widened their pipes tremendously over the years. HDMI and DisplayPort are similar when it comes to practical applications, and the industry largely views them as complimentary standards.

Indeed, HDMI 2. Both standards are also backward compatible, falling back to the oldest revision used in a connection. Here is a chart showing major features and specs for each standard. Click to expand to a readable size.

Definitions: bpp is bits per pixel. More recently, HDMI 2. In other words, the cost to end users is easily absorbed in most cases — unless some bean counter comes down with a case of extreme penny pinching. That's a separate licensing fee, naturally though it reduces the HDMI fee. HDCP can cause issues with longer cables, and ultimately it appears to annoy consumers more than the pirates. Some of that will depend on the hardware you already own or intend to purchase.

Both standards are capable of delivering a good gaming experience, but if you want a great gaming experience, right now DisplayPort 1. For Nvidia gamers, your best option right now is a DisplayPort 1. Unless you're planning on gaming on the big screen in the living room, you're better off with DisplayPort right now. Ampere supports HDMI 2. However, DisplayPort is still the preferred standard for PC monitors. Assuming your graphics card also supports both connections and it probably does if it's a card made in the past five years , in many instances the choice of connection won't really matter.

Anything lower than that will also work without trouble on either connection type. This is because old TV standards used a limited color range, and some modern displays still think that's a good idea. News flash: it's not. Other use cases might push you toward DisplayPort as well, like if you want to use MST to have multiple displays daisy chained from a single port.

That's not a very common scenario, but DisplayPort does make it possible. Home theater use on the other hand continues to prefer HDMI, and the auxiliary channel can improve universal remote compatibility.

Ultimately, while there are specs advantages to DisplayPort, and some features on HDMI that can make it a better choice for consumer electronics use, the two standards end up overlapping in many areas. From the first S3 Virge '3D decelerators' to today's GPUs, Jarred keeps up with all the latest graphics trends and is the one to ask about game performance.

Jarred Walton. Topics Gaming. See all comments Toadster88 said:. I tried to setup a g-sync monitor with HDMI lol yea didn't work and took me forever to figure it out. Easy choice now.