VESA's DockPort Standard Brings USB Data And Power Charging To DisplayPort
As Computex marches on over in Taiwan, the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) has announced the proper release of the DockPort standard. VESA, as you're likely aware, is the team behind those mounting plates that enable you to hoist monitors and HDTVs up on your wall using uniform standards, but it's also responsible for certain interconnect standards. DockPort is an optional extension of the DisplayPort standard that will allow USB 3.1 data and DC power for battery charging to be carried over a single DisplayPort connector and cable that also carries high-resolution audio/video (A/V) data.
This new extension of the DisplayPort standard is fully backward compatible with all existing DisplayPort devices. When a DockPort-enabled DisplayPort source—such as a computer or tablet—is connected with a DockPort-enabled DisplayPort sink—such as a display monitor or docking station—A/V plus USB data and power will be transferred over a common cable through a single connector. If either the source or sink device is not a DockPort-enabled, then source and sink will recognize only the DisplayPort A/V data stream.
Moreover, it's a royalty-free standard, and VESA is expecting that several outfits at Computex will showcase DockPort-enabled DisplayPort systems. It's not quite wireless, but it certainly helps to remove one more element of the rat's nest of wires.
This new extension of the DisplayPort standard is fully backward compatible with all existing DisplayPort devices. When a DockPort-enabled DisplayPort source—such as a computer or tablet—is connected with a DockPort-enabled DisplayPort sink—such as a display monitor or docking station—A/V plus USB data and power will be transferred over a common cable through a single connector. If either the source or sink device is not a DockPort-enabled, then source and sink will recognize only the DisplayPort A/V data stream.
Moreover, it's a royalty-free standard, and VESA is expecting that several outfits at Computex will showcase DockPort-enabled DisplayPort systems. It's not quite wireless, but it certainly helps to remove one more element of the rat's nest of wires.
