Video Electronics Standards Association Prepares for 8K and Beyond

SAN JOSE, Calif.—The Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) has updated its DisplayPort standard as it gears up for higher-res displays of the future.

DisplayPort 2 includes support for resolutions beyond 8K, including 10K and 16K, higher refresh rates and high dynamic range (HDR) support at higher resolutions and “improved user experience with augmented/virtual reality (AR/VR) displays.”

A maximum payload delivery of 77.37 Gbps, three times more powerful than the current DisplayPort 1.4a spec, allows for support of a feed at 8K resolution with a 60 Hz refresh rate, full-color 4:4:4 resolution and 30 bits per pixel to support HDR10. According to VESA, the performance boosts can be delivered over the native DisplayPort connector or through USB-C.

“Being an open standards body comprising more than 280 member companies across the electronics value chain gives VESA a unique vantage point to anticipate the needs of the display market several years out and add new capabilities to our standards ahead of demand,” said Alan Kobayashi, VESA board chair and VESA DisplayPort Task Group chair.

“DP 2.0 represents one of our most significant milestones in the history of DisplayPort, and is the culmination of several years’ effort and major enhancements to this ubiquitous standard. Like the previous versions of DisplayPort that helped pave the way for major inflection points in video technology such as UHD, 4K, 5K, video over USB-C and HDR, DP 2.0 will help take the industry to the next level—enabling even higher frame rates and resolutions up to and beyond 8K, greater flexibility in display configurations including multiple monitor setups, as well as improved power efficiency.”

Jenny Priestley

Jenny has worked in the media throughout her career, joining TVBEurope as editor in 2017. She has also been an entertainment reporter, interviewing everyone from Kylie Minogue to Tom Hanks; as well as spending a number of years working in radio. She continues to appear on radio every week and occasionally pops up on TV.