Apple's Mini DisplayPort officially adopted by VESA

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
The Video Electronics Standard Association officially issued its Mini DisplayPort standard Tuesday, based on the technology licensed from Apple.



VESA said that all devices using the Mini DisplayPort connector must meet the specifications required by the DisplayPort 1.1a standard, and cables that support the standard must also meet specific electrical specifications. It's a formal confirmation of the news from earlier this year, when VESA announced the Mini DisplayPort connector would be included in the forthcoming DisplayPort 1.2 specification.



DisplayPort 1.2 is a new standard VESA is finalizing that will double the technology's bandwidth capabilities to 21.6GB/s. It is said to support multiple monitors via a single connector, 3D displays, and higher resolutions, refresh rates and color depths.



The Mini DisplayPort is a small form factor connector invented by Apple to fully support the VESA DisplayPort protocol. Unlike the Mini-DVI and Micro-DVI connectors common on previous generation Apple products, the port is capable of driving resolutions up to 2560x1600, which is commonly used on 30-inch displays. Since it was announced in 2008, Apple has added the interface to revisions of its MacBook lineup, the iMac, Mac mini, Mac Pro, and Apple Cinema Display.



"Originally developed by Apple for its new generation of portable PCs, Mini DisplayPort is much smaller than DVI (Digital Video Interface) or VGA connectors and enables full function display output on ultrathin notebooks and netbooks," VESA said.



The Mini DisplayPort is 10 percent the size of a full DVI connector.



Though the Mini DisplayPort technology was originally created by Apple, earlier this year the Cupertino, Calif., company agreed to license the interface to VESA for its own DisplayPort standard. Prior to the agreement, Apple had to license its technology itself and made the standard free, as an incentive for rapid adoption.



In April, the first non-Apple Mini DisplayPort compatible displays were revealed. The Colins America CinemaView LCD displays aim to be low-cost alternatives to Apple's own Cinema Displays.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 260
    teckstudteckstud Posts: 6,476member
    HDMI is better- more universal.
  • Reply 2 of 260
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by teckstud View Post


    HDMI is better- more universal.



    its also lower resolution
  • Reply 3 of 260
    iqatedoiqatedo Posts: 1,822member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    ... 3D displays, ...



    I am looking forward to this coming to the everyday desktop.
  • Reply 4 of 260
    teckstudteckstud Posts: 6,476member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by joelsalt View Post


    its also lower resolution



    Not to the naked eye at six feet away which is where the majority of large screen displays will be viewed. Even still, the difference is splitting hairs.
  • Reply 5 of 260
    teckstudteckstud Posts: 6,476member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by IQatEdo View Post


    I am looking forward to this coming to the everyday desktop.



    It's not since MAcs are 10% and PCs have all opted for HDMI. Unless you talking strictly MAC desktops. Definitely not standard for PC laptops. DP is strictly for visual professionals- video editors, graphic designers and photographers, etc- not the average consumer.
  • Reply 6 of 260
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by teckstud View Post


    HDMI is better- more universal.



    If we followed this philosophy, there would never be any technological advancement.
  • Reply 7 of 260
    iqatedoiqatedo Posts: 1,822member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by teckstud View Post


    It's not since MAcs are 10% and PCs have all opted for HDMI. Unless you talking strictly MAC desktops.



    Quite honestly, from an everyday, functional point of view, I don't care less what goes on in the 'PC' world, I have all I need on the MAC. '3D' too would be great.
  • Reply 8 of 260
    teckstudteckstud Posts: 6,476member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by anonymouse View Post


    If we followed this philosophy, there would never be any technological advancement.



    Like Apple not adopting Blu-ray or Apple recently adopting SD slots? Do tell.
  • Reply 9 of 260
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by teckstud View Post


    HDMI is better- more universal.



    Although I do believe BR will eventually find its way into Macs, I do believe your fight for HDMI will never be fulfilled.
  • Reply 10 of 260
    teckstudteckstud Posts: 6,476member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DKWalsh4 View Post


    Although I do believe BR will eventually find its way into Macs, I do believe your fight for HDMI will never be fulfilled.



    Of course not- Apple owns mini DP. But it would be nice to have a universal standard to just plug our laptops wherever we go. Look at the numbers-How many new HDTVs / monitors have HDMI as opposed to DP?
  • Reply 11 of 260
    Done. That was quick. Wasn't it?
  • Reply 12 of 260
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by teckstud View Post


    Like Apple not adopting Blu-ray or Apple recently adopting SD slots? Do tell.



    VESA is known for developing unsuccessful digital interface standards. When you look at many of the standards they have adopted the terms "obsolete connector " or "standard" isnt far behind.
  • Reply 13 of 260
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by IQatEdo View Post


    I am looking forward to this coming to the everyday desktop.



    Just like ADC did a few years back...
  • Reply 14 of 260
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Quadra 610 View Post


    Done. That was quick. Wasn't it?



    Its always quick when you back one of your soon next to be obsolete connectors which is what VESA is known for doing.
  • Reply 15 of 260
    john.bjohn.b Posts: 2,742member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by teckstud View Post


    Of course not- Apple owns DP.



    Apple doesn't own DisplayPort, as of today they don't even own mini-DisplayPort.



    That said, I think HDMI would be perfect output for mini-based HTMacs.
  • Reply 16 of 260
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    We know DP as a technology is being readily adopted as the future display standard for computers, now we need to see if the diminutive mDP as a port interface will also be adopted now that it?s officially part of the spec.





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by anonymouse View Post


    If we followed this philosophy, there would never be any technological advancement.



    Teckstudian logic would mean Macs would still have floppy drives over optical drives, serial and parallel ports over USB, and HDMI would have never been adopted because VGA would have been more ?universal?.
  • Reply 17 of 260
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by teckstud View Post


    Of course not- Apple owns DP. But let's bow our heads and remember what's happened to that other Apple invention that got kicked to the curb- firewire.



    Apple does not own (just the mini connector). In theory at least displayport is an open standard. In practice, you don't see a whole lot of enthusiasm for regular displayport outside of Cupertino and even less for the mini-connector.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    We know DP as a technology is being readily adopted as the future display standard for computers.



    We do? You have to go into the high end business sections of Dell, HP, ETC, to find any displays with regular displayport and Mini-DP one year later still has exactly one display. How many years have we heard that displayport is going to break out and become the standard only to have nothing happen? Right now its a failed connector until it proves otherswise.
  • Reply 18 of 260
    vineavinea Posts: 5,585member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by teckstud View Post


    Not to the naked eye at six feet away which is where the majority of large screen displays will be viewed. Even still, the difference is splitting hairs.



    You mean like 27" and 30" displays? The resolution for DP is required to support PC displays. For Apple DP was the right choice over HDMI.
  • Reply 19 of 260
    teckstudteckstud Posts: 6,476member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by John.B View Post


    Apple doesn't own DisplayPort, as of today they don't even own mini-DisplayPort.



    That said, I think HDMI would be perfect output for mini-based HTMacs.



    I meant mini- so then who does?
  • Reply 20 of 260
    newbeenewbee Posts: 2,055member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by teckstud View Post


    HDMI is better- more universal.



    TechDud, your ability to see the obvious never fails to amaze me. You have correctly stated that a technology that has been around since 2003 is more "universal" than one that was introduced last year. Brilliant! .... Would you have been so quick to bring this to our attention if it was not another slam against Apple? .... I think not.



    You are becoming more like M$ every day ... never original, just more and more of the same crap. Being irrelevant is one thing, ..... now you're just becoming boring.
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