VESA Introduces DisplayPort Alt Mode 2.0 With 80Gbit/s Bandwidth For USB 4

The Video Electronics Standards Association presents version 2.0 of the displayport alt mode. The new version integrates with USB 4 and offers the same possibilities as the DisplayPort 2.0 standard, such as driving 8k screens with HDR.

The specifications of displayport alt mode 2.0 are similar to those of the displayport 2.0 standard, which was introduced last year. The new standard is based on Thunderbolt 3, which is also integrated into USB 4. The displayport alt mode can be used to transfer up to 80Gbit/s of video data, using all four lanes. USB 4 connections can also reserve half the bandwidth for data transfer and the other half for controlling a screen.

With the new alt mode for usb-c connections based on usb 4 it is possible to drive screens with an 8k resolution at a refresh rate of 60Hz, without compression. That makes HDR playback at those values ​​possible. With compression and with SDR playback it is possible to drive a 16k screen, or to combine 8k with higher refresh rates.

The current displayport alt mode for usb-c connections based on usb 3 is based on the displayport 1.4 standard with up to 32.4GBit/s of bandwidth. VESA expects that the first products with displayport alt mode 2.0 will be launched next year.