The world’s first DP8K Certified DisplayPort cables capable of supporting DisplayPort High Bit Rate 3 (HBR3) are now hitting the market in support of upcoming advances in display technologies. That’s according to a new announcement from the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA), which first published DisplayPort 1.4 standards that the cables are based on back in 2016. For those who may not already be aware, HBR3 – and, by proxy, DP8K Certified cables – takes monitors and televisions to the edge of what is currently possible thanks to the high bit rates supported by the cables and associated DisplayPort 1.4-compliant components. The cables support transmission at 8.1 Gbps per lane, allowing for 8K content to be displayed at 60 frames per second with a single cable.
Although the announcement wasn’t accompanied by any specifics as to which cables support the standards or where to purchase them, VESA says the achievement will be showcased at CES 2018. Specifically, the demonstrations will utilize high-performance gaming system to push 4K content at 120 frames per second, as a proof of concept to what DisplayPort HBR3 is capable of. That’s because single-port 8K transmission is not the only use for the new cables or the standard. DP8K-certified cables also pave the way for higher refresh rates, wide-aspect resolutions, and more reliable HDR for compatible 5K and 4K monitors and displays.
Looking toward the future, the release of DP8K cables and the advent of new, high-intensity uses for displays also suggests that new DisplayPort standards are needed, VESA says. In fact, the group plans to release a new set of standards within the next 18 months with two primary goals in mind. The first concerns, according to the association, stem from the promised potential of VR and AR. Both technologies are effectively held back by limits to the hardware that can be built to support them. VR, in particular, requires two displays working at higher resolutions, with better refresh rates, and at a higher number of frames per second. That also, according to VESA, requires at least double the bit rate, which is the first goal it hopes to address with new standards. Beyond that, the association plans to begin addressing the future needs of USB Type-C connections. Under the current standards, those connections support the HBR3 data rate for DisplayPort Alt Mode but are limited to about half of that rate because the signals are shared along two lanes.
