DisplayPort 1.4 Brings 8K Support and Lossless Video Compression over USB Type-C

Posted by – March 9, 2016

Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) Executive Director Bill Lempesis (who I previously interviewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4PGoVR3ENo) introduces DisplayPort 1.4 A/V standard, which VESA developed, with input and cooperation from more than 230 global members. DP 1.4 includes a number of next-generation features, including capabilities for High Dynamic Range (HDR) and 8K video across the USB-C connector. It also features, for the first time, VESA’s Display Stream Compression Standard (DSC) standard, which enables up to 3:1 video compression with visually lossless performance. Stephane Boisclair, senior hardware designer for Hardent, provides an in-depth description of the latest DSC specification update, v1.2. A VESA member company, Montreal-based Hardent develops IP cores to support DSC encoding and decoding. DSC 1.2, which supports up to 16 bits per color and HDR, has great implications for high-end TVs and PCs, as well as automotive applications, where the growing number of camera sensors requires less cabling and greater range.