What just happened? As multiple 4K monitor setups and 6K/8K displays become a reality, the DisplayPort spec was definitely in need of an upgrade. Now, three years after the last update, DisplayPort 2.0 has been introduced, offering almost triple the bandwidth of its predecessor.

It was back in 2016 when the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) introduced the last spec update—DisplayPort 1.4a—which offers 25.9 Gbps bandwidth. With the 2.0 standard, that jumps to 77.4 Gbps.

That fat pipe is good news for users of high-resolution displays. DisplayPort 2.0 is the first standard that can support 8K at a 60Hz refresh rate with full color 4:4:4 resolution without compression, along with 30 bits per pixel (bpp) for HDR10 support. With Display Stream Compression (DSC), it can power two 8K@120Hz displays.

While there’ll be few people able to take advantage of it, DisplayPort 2.0 can also handle a 16K display (15,360 x 8,460) at 60Hz with DSC, while those using multi-monitor setups will appreciate support for three 4K displays at 90Hz.

Here’s a full list of setups:

Single display resolutions

  • One 16K (15360×8460) display @60Hz and 30 bpp 4:4:4 HDR (with DSC)
  • One 10K (10240×4320) display @60Hz and 24 bpp 4:4:4 (no compression)

Dual display resolutions

  • Two 8K (7680×4320) displays @120Hz and 30 bpp 4:4:4 HDR (with DSC)
  • Two 4K (3840×2160) displays @144Hz and 24 bpp 4:4:4 (no compression)

Triple display resolutions

  • Three 10K (10240×4320) displays @60Hz and 30 bpp 4:4:4 HDR (with DSC)
  • Three 4K (3840×2160) displays @90Hz and 30 bpp 4:4:4 HDR (no compression)

DisplayPort 2.0 is backward compatible with the previous versions of the standard and includes its main features, such as Forward Error Correction (FEC), and HDR metadata transport, along with support for USB Type-C and Thunderbolt 3 for carrying data.

When using USB-C via DP Alt Mode, which allows simultaneous SuperSpeed USB data and video, the following configurations are possible:

  • Three 4K (3840×2160) displays @144Hz and 30 bpp 4:4:4 HDR (with DSC)
  • Two 4Kx4K (4096×4096) displays (for AR/VR headsets) @120Hz and 30 bpp 4:4:4 HDR (with DSC)
  • Three QHD (2560×1440) @120Hz and 24 bpp 4:4:4 (no compression)
  • One 8K (7680×4320) display @30Hz and 30 bpp 4:4:4 HDR (no compression)

VESA says the first products to incorporate DisplayPort 2.0 will arrive on the market by late 2020.

Image credit: Mehaniq via Shutterstock