It has been almost two years since the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) first published its DisplayPort 2.0 specifications, promising support for 8K monitors, higher refresh rates and more. The first displays with DisplayPort 2.0 were due to arrive in late 2020, but VESA now says it expects the devices to be launched later this year.
“Monitors that support DisplayPort 2.0 are currently in development, but none have been released on the market yet,” explains a VESA spokesman in a statement to The Verge. “DisplayPort 2.0 is now working on new system chips that are expected to appear in products by 2021.”
The delay is due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Hardware developers and engineers usually meet a few times a year at a Plugtest event. These events are where several companies test systems and solve interoperability problems. “In 2020, VESA did not have PlugTests, which delayed the deployment of DisplayPort 2.0,” explains a spokesperson for VESA. “VESA is planning our next PlugTest for this spring in Taiwan, so we hope to get this process going again.”
DisplayPort 2.0 is important not only for 8K, but also for improving refresh rates and HDR support at higher resolutions. The new standard will technically support up to a maximum of 80 Gbps, almost three times what is currently available in the DisplayPort 1.4 specification. In reality, this will allow game monitors to operate at 4K resolution with 144 Hz or more and uncompressed HDR support.
Several game monitors are beginning to fill the gap with the Display Stream Compression (DSC), which compresses UHD streams without a noticeable drop in visual quality. DisplayPort 2.0 also supports the following:
Single screen resolutions:
- A 16K screen (15,360 x 8,460) at 60 Hz and 30 bpp 4: 4: 4 HDR (with DSC)
- A 10K screen (10240 x 4320) at 60 Hz and 24 bpp 4: 4: 4 (uncompressed)
Dual screen resolutions:
- Two 8K (7680 x 4320) monitors at 120 Hz and 30 bpp 4: 4: 4 HDR (with DSC)
- Two 4K monitors (3840 x 2160) at 144 Hz and 24 bpp 4: 4: 4 (uncompressed)
Triple screen resolutions:
- Three 10K screens (10240 x 4320) at 60 Hz and 30 bpp 4: 4: 4 HDR (with DSC)
- Three 4K monitors (3840 x 2160) at 90 Hz and 30 bpp HDR 4: 4: 4 (uncompressed)
DisplayPort Alt Mode 2.0 also brings all these features to USB Type-C connectors, just as the industry is preparing for USB 4. While we wait for the arrival of DisplayPort 2.0, HDMI 2.1 monitors are starting to appear more regularly. Several manufacturers unveiled new monitors at CES this week, but most chose not to price their HDMI 2.1 monitors.
Acer is the only exception, priced at $ 899 for its Nitro XV28, a 28-inch 4K monitor with an IPS screen, support for HDMI 2.1 and a 144 Hz refresh rate with FreeSync Premium. The HDMI 2.1 specification is also capable of 8K to 60Hz video, along with support for 10K resolution video. 8K monitors are still incredibly rare.