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VESA publishes DisplayPort 2 standard as 8K future nears

DisplayPort gets its first major standards update in over three years.

Eli Blumenthal Senior Editor
Eli Blumenthal is a senior editor at CNET with a particular focus on covering the latest in the ever-changing worlds of telecom, streaming and sports. He previously worked as a technology reporter at USA Today.
Expertise 5G, mobile networks, wireless carriers, phones, tablets, streaming devices, streaming platforms, mobile and console gaming
Eli Blumenthal
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DisplayPort is getting a new spec just in time for 8K displays. 

Josh Miller

As companies continue to announce higher, richer and sharper displays the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) has decided to update its DisplayPort spec. The first major update in over three years, the group on Wednesday introduced DisplayPort 2, a new spec designed to take on the new displays of the future. 

New features of the updated spec include 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. The group says the performance boosts can be delivered over the native DisplayPort connector or through USB-C. 

According to VESA the first products to support the new spec are "projected to appear on the market by late 2020."