HDMI might be the most widespread video connector out there, but we think it's an injustice
that DisplayPort isn't the king of connectors instead.
Here are 6 ways DisplayPort is better than HDMI.
1. DisplayPort can operate in places that you don't even see it.
I'm talking about a derivative of DisplayPort called EDP, with the E standing for Embedded.
Whenever you're using a laptop or a tablet, there's a really good chance that there's
actually a DisplayPort connection inside the machine that feeds the internal display.
This is likely making your laptop cheaper, simpler, and thinner than it would otherwise
be if it needed to rely on an internal HDMI protocol, which it can't do anyway because
HDMI doesn't actually have an equivalent to this. In fact, with the right kind of adapter, EDP even allows you to repurpose an old laptop
display. Hooray for standardization! 2.
DisplayPort has a special alt mode that works over USB-C.
Even if you have a computer that only has USB-C ports, there's a good chance it'll
still support DisplayPort. In fact, one of the newest DisplayPort standards, called UHBR20, can drive some seriously high
resolution signals, so you're not exactly giving up any performance by not using the
regular DisplayPort connector. The bad news is that DisplayPort alt mode over USB-C requires the monitor to explicitly
support it, and it usually won't work with a source device that isn't a computer.
But the good news is that if you do have a USB-C monitor, many of them support charging
your laptop at the same time over that single cable for a superior clean setup.
HDMI, on the other hand? Well, it did have a similar alt mode, but hardly anything supported it, and it's been
officially discontinued. 3. No royalties.
Although both ports are very common in PC monitors, display manufacturers have to pay
the HDMI form a royalty in order to include an HDMI port in their product.
Between 4 and 15 cents per unit sold, which can start adding up if we're talking about
a company that ships a lot of displays. On the other hand, DisplayPort is completely royalty-free, with manufacturers only paying
a fee to join Vesa, which gives them access to the latest spec.
To be clear, this doesn't mean that you're paying some kind of premium for HDMI products,
as there are plenty of low-cost displays and devices that feature HDMI, but the extraction
of royalties has rubbed some enthusiasts the wrong way, especially when the HDMI form makes
the decision that seems unfriendly to consumers.
4. Daisy Chaining. If you're running a multi-monitor setup, DisplayPort offers a more elegant way to drive
all of your screens. You can just run another cable from one monitor to the next, instead of connecting everything
back to your PC. With the latest version of DisplayPort, 2.1, you can Daisy Chain up to 4 4K monitors running
up to 60 frames per second. Pretty cool, especially if you have a limited number of ports on your computer to begin with.
DisplayPort can do this because of a feature called multi-stream transport, meaning the
link cable can actually carry multiple streams at once.
Do be sure though that the monitors you buy have a DisplayPort output if you want to Daisy
Chain, as some monitors only have a DisplayPort input. 5.
It is much easier to convert DisplayPort to HDMI than to go the other way around.
This is because of a feature called DisplayPort dual mode, or DP++, which can actually output
a native HDMI signal through a physical DisplayPort connector.
This means that adapters that run from a DisplayPort output to a screen with an HDMI input are
straightforward to construct and cheap to buy. However, going from an HDMI source to a DisplaySport screen is much more complicated, as the adapter
has to have active logic inside of it to convert the signal properly.
And 6. Many DisplayPort cables have latches that actually keep the connector in place.
Once you push the cable all the way in, a couple of latches will pop up and lock the
cable to the device, often audibly, so to disconnect it you then have to hold down a
button on the end of the cable while you're pulling, mitigating the risk that your cable
will come loose when you're in the middle of something really important gaming.
And admittedly, this isn't quite as cool as the other features we've discussed in this
video, but it might be the most useful feature if you're one of the folks who likes to walk
around the room with your laptop. But if you're worried about a cable being too difficult to remove, keep in mind that
this is an optional feature. And there are plenty of cables out there that don't have these little hooks if you just
gotta go fast. So thanks for watching guys, if you liked this video hit like, hit subscribe and hit
us up in the comments section with your suggestions for topics that we should cover in the future.