Apple's Mini DisplayPort gets VESA stamp of approval
By Darren Murph 
posted Nov 10th 2009 8:48AM
posted Nov 10th 2009 8:48AM
We already knew that Apple's homegrown Mini DisplayPort connector was being baked into the DisplayPort 1.2 specifications, but now said socket has even more validity in the marketplace thanks to a ringing endorsement from the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA). As of now, the diminutive connector has managed to comply with all of the signaling and protocol capabilities defined in the DisplayPort Standard Version 1, Revision 1a, and we're told that DisplayPort 1.2 -- which incorporates mDP and doubles available bandwidth to 21.6Gb/second -- is nearing finalization. Looks like we can finally look forward to seeing products take advantage of this socket aside from those Designed In California (and copied shamelessly in the outskirts of Shenzhen).
obvious troll is obvious
Yes, yes you are
Wouldn't it be nice if we could use that rediculous 21.6Gb/s for other forms of data transfer?
Like what?
I'm surprised it was that high as well .. eSATA III is only 6 Gb/s.
Wasn't being snippy incidentally, it was a serious question, for HD's it would be overkill, for internet also, so such speed are best for either displays and maybe LAN networks, but those cables can't be as long as CAT so it would have to be some local thing where you do distributed computing with a rack full of serverunits.
Ridiculous
Just... *sigh*
Does this actually have some merit to take off?
It seems like I saw monitor companies putting in display port connectors for about 5.5 weeks and then they all switched to adding HDMI instead.
Business-grade machines tend to include DisplayPort; machines and cards targeted at home users might be more likely to include HDMI.
I know that the ThinkPad line has DisplayPort built in, as do our OptiPlex machines from Dell, both of which fall into the "managed product lifecycle" category and are designed for businesses.
The key to the future of the mDP is in smaller devices just like the mini-USB has (finally) caught on. That's likely the main reason why Apple developed and is pushing it (since the standard Display Port isn't limiting on larger devices like laptops). Sticking an HDMI port onto a phone would be clumsy and take up too much space. The ZuneHD can output to HDMI but only when connected through the ZuneHD dock. If the ZuneHD had a mDP and a mDP-HDMI cable, there would be no need for the dock (one less thing to buy/forget to have with you).
ATI's triple (and sextuple) screen thing requires at least one display to be displayport, so there's going to be a market for it and monitors available, and displayport is without the licensing burden of HDMI.
The licensing burden is small on HDMI. And if your device uses HDCP (and all DisplayPort devices do, despite the alternative that was offered and failed), then you're paying per-connector licensing anyway.
Does this mean that the Macbook Pro will finally be able to output audio through the display port?!
No. That's a hardware limitation. Apple didn't link the Mini-DP port to the audio system on the motherboard.
That's the first I've ever heard that it was a hardware limitation... everything I've read said it was merely "disabled". Please site where you found that it is an actual hardware issue please.
I've spoken ad nauseam on this particular issue and finally sold my macbook to be done with this (what I perceive to be) ridiculous limitation. It is a hardware limitation, or Apple in their 'infinite forward think wisdom' (as I've been reminded countless times) would have enabled it in Snow Leopard, a mere 1 YEAR after the port debuted. But alas they didn't. It is still broken in that it can't carry audio, which to me makes it useless beyond a vastly overpriced Cinema Display as 99% of HDTVs utilize HDMI.
If Apple were 'forward thinking' they would have opted for a 1.3+ HDMI port and would have incorporated a bluray drive in the lineup a year ago, but I digress.
@chad - It's not useless, but it's just not the most ideal. I currently use a $40 Mini DisplayPort + USB to HDMI adaptor that I got from Monoprice and it works just fine... But I totally agree they should have just stuck a mini HDMI port in instead, but for some reason apple fights against standards.
It's a bit of a pain, but it's nothing I would get rid of my MBP over.
It's a hardware limitation. NVidia's chipset doesn't support it. Apple uses NVidia's chipset.
Maybe that means a Core i5/i7 iMac could do it? Anyone bother to check?
@RyanTV I agree. Two things are "too bad" right now, but they'll get better. It's too bad my MBP doesn't throw audio through the MDP (I got the same adaptor, which works as advertised), and it's too bad that many TV manufacturers are still throwing VGA ports on the back of their machines right next to a 3.5mm stereo connector. Not good enough, guys! Probably gonna see more DP on them in the coming years.
@why not the LS2LS7?
I don't know about NVIDIA's chipset not supporting it. My Dell Studio XPS 13 has the same chipset and includes VGA, HDMI, and FULL SIZE Displayport, not mini displayport BS. The full size one I believe is actually shorter than the mini. My Studio XPS can output audio over HDMI, so it is able to output audio over more than just speakers and headphone jacks. Don't know about displayport though, I don't have anything that uses it.
PeterF:
NVidia's chipset doesn't support audio over DisplayPort. It's not the same as audio over HDMI.
sweet. another adapter people will need to buy.
That's the thing I hate most about mDP. I work on a college campus and all of our projectors have VGA connections. But we always seem to get that random Mac user that doesn't know a damn thing about their computer and is absolutely clueless about needing an adapter in the first place, much less which adapter they need, resulting in me constantly having to go through the whole spiel of DVI, mini DVI or mini DisplayPort.
Please, people, if you're going to own a Mac, know how to actually USE it and be sure to actually OWN the adapters/devices needed to use your Mac on a PC campus.
I work on a college campus too. Much as I loathe Apple's changing of their video connector every other year, I hope they stick with this one a while, mostly because the plug does a really good job of staying in. The previous Mini-DVI connector had a horrible problem with the adapters coming loose at the slightest touch.
That said, we DO (for the time being) supply adapters upon request and it does suck to have to keep four different kinds in stock and keep track of them (G3/G4 iBook, Standard DVI->VGA, Mini-DVI->VGA, and DisplayPort->VGA). The previous university I worked at had a staunch policy of NOT supplying them for this very reason.
We might if displayport in general were gaining any kind of traction. Also, Mini-DP, while not officially part of displayport in previous revisions, has been available without royalties for almost a year now. Could be that they were waiting, but also could be that outside of Cupertino nobody is all that interested.
Too bad Apple doesn't want to send audio in any of its computers. =/
'Designed In California (and copied shamelessly in the outskirts of Shenzhen)."
That is so true...
yay?
Oh great.
Now I'll NEVER be able to find a full-sized displayport adaptor for my ThinkPad.
"Hi, do you have Displayport adaptor"
"Yeah, with the Apple accessories..."
"no, I mean FULL-SIZE displayport adapters"
"... Sorry, only Apple do displayport"*
*actual converstation I had in a computer store.
Of course we all can quote the most silly things from conversations in computer stores that make you roll your eyes.
I just shudder to even recall them.
Just buy online or goto a electronics parts store instead.
it'll look great next to your HD DVD player though.
DIAF. to the spammer above
yet another apple "innovation" that those outside of the RDF will ignore.
Apple didn't invent DisplayPort, so I'm not sure what your point is. DP is, as mentioned above, a fully ratified VESA standard. Both in normal and mini varieties. And in case you hadn't noticed, a lot of companies make monitors and video cards now with DisplayPort. Are you suggesting companies like Dell and HP are inside Steve's RDF?
I deal with this "innovation" every day. It means more $10 adapters I have to carry around every day so I can use the projectors in the conference rooms.
Way to go Apple! Next you can switch the USB ports on your Macs to Micro-A so that I can't plug in anything without an adapter. Don't laugh, it'll happen.
You guys are bitching about VESA-standardized ports. LOL? And also why do you keep saying "innovation" in quotes? Are you stupid? Apple didn't invent DisplayPort. Didn't I say that already? Did you miss it the first time?
Did you bitch this much when everything went from VGA to DVI? Did you try to blame that on Apple too? Would you rather everything stayed with DVI rather than moving on? You seem to be whining for the absolute dumbest of reasons in addition to blaming the wrong company for your terrible inconvenience.
Seriously, sack up. Take it like a man. Move forward with the rest of the world.
Jack, when everything went from VGA to DVI Apple was actually using their own connector called ADC instead. Which yes I bitched about at the time and BTW, it failed. Apple then went to DVI, only to be struck by the madness again.
Back when the rest of the industry was using DE-9 RGB, Apple used DA-15, then DB13W3. Then the industry went to HDI-15 VGA and Apple went to that. But Apple wasn't satisfied. They created their AppleVision connector which even Apple had to abandon immediately because it was too wide to fit in a PCI slot! Apple retreated back to HDI-15 VGA. Then when digital came along Apple created the ADC connector which in the spirit of the AppleVision connector carried power and video on the same cable. The only problem was your Mac had to have a bigger power supply so it could run any display available (23" LCD, 16" CRT were the biggest power hogs). And even then, you couldn't run two of them, because putting in a power supply capable of running two 16" CRTs wasn't cost-effective. So Apple had to retreat to DVI, only to go against the grain again by with mini DVI, then micro-DVI, then Micro DisplayPort.
Don't act like I'm making stuff up. Apple has a long history of making weird connector decisions, especially when it comes to video.
Making stuff up? No, see I think you missed the point. MiniDP is not a "weird connector". It is a VESA CERTIFIED STANDARD.
How many more times do I need to say that before you get it? Not even one part of your entire last post is relevant because things like ADC were not VESA certified standard ports. Mini DP is. See the difference?
so what's up with that $100 adapter? the reviews on apple.com mostly give it 1 star because of poor image quality and unreliable performance. pretty rare for a company that prides itself on innovation, display quality, and reliability. have they addressed the issue?
What kind of adaptor? Monoprice has one that takes your MDP and USB audio and feeds it to an HDMI cable. $40ish.
He's referring to Apple's Mini Displayport to Dual-Link DVI connector, which is required to drive the 30" Cinema Display.
It's widely regarded to be an overpriced cable/adapter/whatever, that doesn't work very well.
It's probably got more negative reviews than any other product on the Apple store website.
Couldn't they standardize the plug as mini from the very beginning?
Why do we have so many types of plugs that are supposed to do the same thing?
Why is Apple always producing a different plug? Just for the sake of producing adapters?
Apple produced mini-VGA, mini-DVI, and now mini-DP. What's next?
You forgot Micro DVI! (on the first gen MacBook Air)
Presumably Micro DisplayPort is next...
mDP makes sense only for its size in a notebook. Maybe apple will wise up and integrate (full size) DP on the next Mac Pro, since the ATI 5870 already has DP on it.
I'm cool with this. Wouldn't using HDMI limit the display to 1080p? Smaller connectors, higher resolution, faster throughput on mini dvi. The only thing missing is audio. I do miss the old days of the ADC connector on macs. One cable for USB, power, an display signal.
No. HDMI 1.3b can do 2560x1600x60fpsx8bit (i.e. run a 30" display). The cable length is annoyingly short though (something like 10 feet), a limitation people using the new DisplayPort standard will get to know too since the length limitations of the new 21Gbps DisplayPort are even more severe.
Oh, I should have said 2560x1600x60fpsx24bit.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Display_port
Is this the new Light Peak port?
Finally, a logical reason for Apple dragging their feet on a way overdue desktop display. The current 30" inch 951-day old dinosaur may now receive a facelift.
Regards,
What irks me about the Mini DP is its incapability to go from Mini DP to Composite. Apple's push towards future hardware leaves so many of its users forgotten, especially when there are still so many people with composite televisions. Going from Mini DP -> VGA -> Composite doesn't work either, it weakens the signal too much.
Composite? Really?
Yes? Is that really so hard to believe now, or am I the only one without S-Video/HDMI in the world?
How's your betamax player holding up?
;-)
If you didn't have to pay the high price for Apple gear, you'd have enough money to get an updated display that uses HDMI.
HDMI is nothing but a re-packaged DVI port with audio included. The VESA standard MiniDisplayPort is far superior in combination with optical audio.