Laptops and all-in-ones could offer 8k playback by mid-2016

The Video Electronics Standards Association has updated the embedded displayport 1.4 standard to version 1.4b. By mid-2016, laptops, tablets and all-in-ones should offer support for edp 1.4b and thus be able to control 8k screens, among other things.

Version 1.4b is now ‘production ready’ according to the VESA, but not much has changed in terms of content. Compared to 1.4a, it mainly offers optimizations. For example, the protocol for panel self refresh that refreshes part of the screen has been expanded. Panel self refresh ensures that parts of the screen are not refreshed with static content, in order to reduce energy consumption. The selective update protocol now contains, in addition to the x-axis coordinates of the frame part to be updated, also those of the y-axis. As a result, screen manufacturers no longer need to add a quartz crystal or crystal oscillator for timing, which reduces costs.

edp 1.4 has been worked on for two years. The standard offers a link rate of 8.1Gbit/s per lane. The lanes can be divided into two or four independent panel segments or all used for a theoretical bandwidth of 25.92 Gbit/s. These high throughput speeds should enable displays with 8k resolutions to be driven and greater color depths within reach. It will probably be years before laptops and all-in-ones get 8k displays. Sharp already showed a 13.3-inch OLED screen with a resolution of 7680×4320 pixels last year, but that was a prototype.

GPUs and CPUs that support edp 1.3 must also be able to handle the 1.4 standard, the VESA promises. The organization is already starting preparations for embedded displayport 1.5.