DisplayPort has been slow to move to the market, but it's growing in marketshare against other video interfaces - including DVI, which DisplayPort supersedes. DisplayPort is one of the most promising connector standards right now, given its ability to transmit audio data, USB data, and its high datarate (21.6 Gbps, over HDMI's 18Gbps). The current iteration of DisplayPort -- which was first produced in 2008 -- is the only video standard presently capable of 4K resolution output at 60Hz with a 30 bits-per-pixel color depth, making it important to the future of 4K displays.

Today, the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) announced that products integrating DisplayPort (TVs, monitors) increased 63% over last year. VESA also noted that it estimates "several hundred million DisplayPort products being sold every year."

300 new DisplayPort products were certified by VESA in 2013, including video cards (AMD is a large supporter of the DP standard), monitors, 4K TVs, laptops, cables, and adapters. In its press release, the company used this run-on to state:

"To maintain DisplayPort's technical lead, VESA announced several initiatives during the past year, including a new DisplayID 1.3 standard that will enable innovative display features at resolutions higher than 4K, and development of a micro-DisplayPort connector, which will be used by smartphones, ultra-thins and other small form factor video sources."

CES 2014, running from January 7th to January 10th in 2014, will host several DP-equipped products at booth 21324 in LVCC South Hall. The DisplayPort standard is expected to become more prolific as Thunderbolt gains traction and 4K devices become more affordable, so it's a good idea to learn more about the interface now. You can read about DisplayPort on the official website, found here.

- Steve "Lelldorianx" Burke.