Monitor interfaces serve as the communication channel between devices that generate or display information and the display itself. With the development of display technology, these interfaces have evolved as well, resulting in many different types over time. Currently, the mainstream interfaces include HDMI and DisplayPort (DP).
At the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) earlier this year, HDMI 2.2 was finally updated after many years. On the other hand, the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) also announced plans to upgrade the existing DisplayPort 2.1 specification in the spring of 2025, launching the DP 2.1b version.
These updates have sparked renewed discussions about the differences between HDMI and DisplayPort video interface protocols. As consumers, we may not always pay attention to these technical details, but they do play an important role in our daily lives. So, what exactly are the differences between HDMI and DP? What does the update to HDMI 2.2 mean?
01
What are DP and HDMI?
HDMI, which stands for High Definition Multimedia Interface, was established in 2002 by a consortium of companies including Hitachi, Sony, Panasonic, Philips, Silicon Image, Thomson, and Toshiba. It aimed to standardize the display input for televisions, replacing older interfaces like DVI and VGA. With its high reliability, convenience, and strong support from industry giants like Fox and Universal, HDMI quickly gained traction in the market and became the mainstream interface standard. In 2003, consumer products began to adopt HDMI, and by 2004, HDMI interfaces were already featured on consumer-grade HDTVs.
Since its debut, HDMI has undergone multiple version updates. From the initial HDMI 1.0 to the current HDMI 2.2, each update has brought higher bandwidth, more features, and better compatibility. For example, HDMI 1.3 introduced Deep Color and DTS-HD Master Audio, while HDMI 2.1 made major breakthroughs, supporting up to 10K resolution and refresh rates of 8K/60Hz and 4K/120Hz, along with features like Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) and Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), which are particularly favored by gamers. In terms of physical interfaces, HDMI mainly comes in standard, Mini, and Micro HDMI types.
However, HDMI is not without its flaws. It is a standard developed and controlled by a few companies in the industry, and users must pay high licensing fees to implement HDMI. Additionally, HDMI is part of a closed organization, meaning it lacks the broad consensus of the industry and the kind of authoritative industry certification found in organizations like VESA.
DisplayPort (DP), developed by the PC and chip manufacturing alliance and standardized by VESA, is a digital video interface that is free from licensing and certification fees. It is mainly used to connect video sources to displays and can also carry audio, USB, and other forms of data.
It is clear that HDMI is the standard supported by the TV and projector industries, while DP is the standard supported by the graphics card and PC industries. This explains why there are two parallel standards.
In general, to achieve a unified interface that connects all devices, it requires the participation of leading companies in the industry, a unified communication method, and an open standard.
In 2003, DELL developed a DisplayPort protocol based on LVDS (Low-Voltage Differential Signaling) technology and submitted it to VESA in 2005. At this point, VESA was no longer limited to graphics card companies, with major PC manufacturers like Apple and Dell joining the effort. In 2006, VESA officially released the DP standard. Since then, DP has gone through several version updates. DP 1.0 offered 10.8Gbps bandwidth and supported 2560×1600 resolution. DP 1.2 introduced Multi-Stream Transport (MST) technology, allowing a single DP interface to connect multiple monitors. DP 1.4 supports up to 8K resolution and HDR (High Dynamic Range) technology. The latest DP 2.1 standard further increases bandwidth to 80Gbps (via the UHBR 20 mode), enabling support for even higher resolutions and refresh rates.
More importantly, DP is free to use, requiring only a small entry membership fee and no patent fees. Additionally, DP graphics cards are highly compatible with existing HDMI and DVI interfaces, requiring only simple adapters to connect. DP also transmits pure data and supports HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection), a technology developed by Hollywood and semiconductor giant Intel to ensure that digital video and audio data are not illegally copied during transmission, a feature also supported by HDMI.
Thanks to DP’s inherent scalability, many computer manufacturers have embraced the DP standard. In 2008, Apple developed the mini DP standard to replace DVI interfaces, making its laptops lighter and thinner. Later, Intel and Apple collaborated on the Thunderbolt interface, which uses the Mini DP connector but combines DP and PCI Express technologies.
HDMI2.2 and DP2.1 HDMI 2.2 and DP 2.1 are two advanced digital display interface standards, each with unique parameters and technologies. Below is a detailed comparison of the two:
I. Parameter Comparison
| Parameter | HDMI 2.2 | DP 2.1 |
|---|---|---|
| Max Bandwidth | 96Gbps | 80Gbps (up to, but common cables such as UHBR10 are 40Gbps) |
| Resolution Support | 8K/120Hz, 4K/240Hz (no DSC required), supports 4K/480Hz variants, and higher resolutions such as 16K. | 8K/60Hz (no DSC required), supports 4K/240Hz (DSC required), 16K/30Hz (single screen output) |
| Cable Requirements | Ultra High Speed cable “Ultra96” (Ultra96), supports full 96Gbps bandwidth and all the features of HDMI 2.2 specification, up to 3 meters, 3 times longer than the old cable. | Multiple cable sizes such as UHBR10(40Gbps) . UHBR13.5 (54Gbps) and UHBR20 (80Gbps) |
II. Adopted Technologies
HDMI 2.2
- Ultra96 Cable: HDMI 2.2 introduces the new “Ultra96” cable to support up to 96Gbps bandwidth, ensuring high-speed and efficient data transmission.
- Fixed Rate Link (FRL) Technology: Building on HDMI 2.1’s FRL technology, it doubles the data transfer rate to reach a peak transmission bandwidth of 96Gbps.
- Latency Indication Protocol (LIP): Designed to optimize audio and video synchronization, particularly for complex system configurations.
- Uncompressed Video Transmission: Supports uncompressed 4K/240Hz and above streaming with 10-bit and 12-bit color depth, ensuring image integrity and rich detail.
DP 2.1
- Ultra High Bit Rate (UHBR) Transmission Mode: DP 2.1 introduces three new transmission modes, including UHBR 10, UHBR 13.5, and UHBR 20, with maximum bandwidth reaching 80Gbps.
- 128b/132b Encoding: Uses a more efficient 128b/132b encoding scheme, achieving an overall efficiency of 96.7%, making full use of the bandwidth.
- Display Stream Compression (DSC) Technology: When needed, DP 2.1 supports higher resolutions and refresh rates using DSC technology.
- USB-C Integration: DP 2.1 can use USB-C for connection, transmitting high-speed data and power for multiple 4K displays simultaneously.
It is worth noting that VESA has recently announced the release of the DP80LL UHBR (Low Loss Ultra High Bit Rate) cable, which provides a four-channel UHBR20 link speed (80Gbps) over a 3-meter active cable. VESA-certified DP80LL cables are expected to be available in the coming months. This update is a key highlight of DisplayPort 2.1b, which will be released in the spring of 2025. Compared to the existing VESA-certified DP80 passive cables, the DisplayPort 2.1b update will offer three times the cable length for GPU-to-display connections at UHBR20.
02
The Battle Behind the Interfaces
Aside from monitors specifically designed for computers, most multimedia devices support HDMI, but not necessarily DP or mDP.
It is important to note that HDMI charges licensing fees, with manufacturers paying $15,000 annually for licensing, plus $1.10 per HDMI cable produced. While this seems like a significant cost, for large manufacturers who produce millions of HDMI products annually, the licensing fees are negligible. In contrast, while DP is free and open, it lags behind in market share.
From a technical perspective, the DP 2.1 and HDMI 2.2 interfaces are nearly identical in terms of parameters. Any performance differences are primarily relevant to high-end audio-visual enthusiasts, while for the average user, both interfaces offer similar performance for entertainment purposes. However, TV manufacturers continue to use HDMI instead of adopting the free DP interface.
In fact, TV manufacturers aren’t using HDMI because they have excessive funds to spend; rather, it’s due to cost-benefit considerations. DP is a protocol led by PC and monitor manufacturers, while HDMI is led by TV manufacturers. HDMI is already widespread in the TV industry, and many associated “derivative products”—such as TV boxes, game consoles, players, and audio amplifiers—use HDMI. This means DP doesn’t offer a significant cost advantage.
Since HDMI has become widespread and DP technology, though new, is essentially similar to HDMI, many manufacturers see no need to add another unnecessary interface. Adding an interface introduces more instability for the circuit board and increases costs, with no significant benefit, so manufacturers avoid taking on that risk.
Although DP interfaces also have excellent hardware parameters, they are still considered a niche interface compared to HDMI’s market share. Surprisingly, even as the protocol promoted by graphics card manufacturers, DP 2.0 and above versions are not supported by some of the leading 40-series GPUs. Even Nvidia, the dominant force in the GPU market, has not supported DP 2.0, and monitor manufacturers lack the incentive to follow suit.
On the other hand, Intel and AMD have actively embraced the DP protocol. For example, Intel’s mobile graphics cards, such as the A350m and A370m released in 2022, support DP 2.0, though only up to UHBR10 (40Gbps).
As the traditional TV market shrinks, both HDMI and DP are competing for the video interface market in displays. The growing demand for high frame rates and high resolutions in gaming has also accelerated the evolution of interface protocols.
Although both HDMI and DP originated from DVI, their development has not stopped. They have been continuously updated and upgraded, with both HDMI and DP having gone through several versions.
Perhaps because DP has yet to truly dominate the market, the constant updates and innovations in DP have pushed HDMI to upgrade under pressure, contributing to the rapid and healthy development of high-definition digital technology.
03
The Unification of Type-C Interfaces
In today’s electronics market, the Type-C interface is showing a trend toward unifying multiple interface standards. With the widespread adoption of the USB Type-C interface, it has become a highly favored multifunctional solution due to its significant advantages in data transfer speeds, support for reversible insertion, and power delivery. Type-C is now widely used in devices like smartphones and computers.
A complete Type-C interface consists of 24 pins and offers strong functionality integration, supporting data transfer, power supply, and video signal transmission all through one interface, with these functions able to run concurrently. The current Type-C interface can achieve bidirectional 40Gbps data transfer speeds and transmit video, sound, and data simultaneously.
Thanks to its powerful functionality and high level of adoption, the Type-C interface is likely to become a more widely used standard in the future, potentially replacing HDMI and DP interfaces. This trend will not only simplify the interface design of electronic devices but also provide users with a more convenient experience.
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