DisplayPort vs HDMI - Difference and Comparison

While HDMI is only intended to connect one device to one display, DisplayPort can be used to connect the same device to multiple displays. Both can carry HD quality digital video and audio signals, including support for High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP), which is required for certain types of DRM-protected HD or Blu-ray content, and which is not supported by DVI. HDMI is ubiquitous; it is found in most modern LCD and LED TVs, DVD recorders and players, set top boxes and monitors. DisplayPort is less popular in spite of being royalty-free but can be found on Apple's iMac desktops and MacBooks (Apple's Thunderbolt ports natively support Mini DisplayPort) and Microsoft's Surface Pro.

Comparison chart

Differences — Similarities —

DisplayPort versus HDMI comparison chart

	DisplayPort	HDMI
	current rating is 3.83/5 1 2 3 4 5 (103 ratings)	current rating is 3.95/5 1 2 3 4 5 (283 ratings)

General Specification	Hot pluggable, external, 20 pins for external connections and 30/20 pins for internal. Video, audio and data signals.	Hot pluggable, external, digital video and audio signal, 19 or 29 pins.
Type	Digital audio/video connector	Digital audio/video/data connector
Designer	VESA, a large consortium of manufacturers (includuing Panasonic, Silicon Image, Sony, and Toshiba)	HDMI Founders (Hitachi, Panasonic, Philips, Silicon Image, Sony, and Toshiba). Spec now controlled by Silicon Image Subsidiary HDMI Licensing, LLC.
Produced	2008–present	2003–present
Audio signal	Optional; 1–8 channels, 16 or 24-bit linear PCM; 32 to 192 KHz sampling rate; maximum bitrate 49,152 kbit/s (6MB/s)	LPCM, Dolby Digital, DTS, DVD-Audio, Super Audio CD, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD High Resolution Audio, DTS-HD Master Audio, MPCM, DSD, DST
Introduction (from Wikipedia)	DisplayPort is a digital display interface developed by the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA). The interface is primarily used to connect a video source to a display device such as a computer monitor, though it can also be used to transm	HDMI is a compact audio/video interface for transferring uncompressed digital audio/video data from an HDMI-compliant device (the source) to a compatible digital audio device, computer monitor or video projector
Hot pluggable	Yes	Yes
Designed	May 2006	December 2002
External	Yes	Yes
Manufacturer	Several, including Apple Microsoft	HDMI Adopters (over 1,100 companies)
Pins	20 pins for external connectors on desktops, notebooks, graphics cards, monitors, etc. and 30/20 pins for internal connections between graphics engines and built-in flat panels.	19
Video signal	Optional, maximum resolution limited by available bandwidth	Maximum resolution limited by available bandwidth
Data signal	Yes	Yes
Bitrate	1.62, 2.7, or 5.4 Gbit/s data rate per lane; 1, 2, or 4 lanes; (effective total 5.184, 8.64, or 17.28 Gbit/s for 4-lane link); 1 Mbit/s or 720 Mbit/s for the auxiliary channel.	10.2 Gbit/s (340 MHz)
Protocol	Mini-packet	TMDS
Capabilities	Can stream upto Ultra HD (4k x 2k) at 60Hz	Can stream upto 4K × 2K , i.e. 3840 × 2160p (Quad HD) 24 Hz/25 Hz/30 Hz or 4096 × 2160p at 24 Hz
Licensing cost	Royalty-free	$10,000 per high-volume manufacturer plus $0.04 per device
Bandwidth	21.6 Gbit/s	10.2 Gbit/s

Applications

DisplayPort is a digital display interface developed by the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA). DisplayPort was created to be a universal replacement for separate PC display interfaces including LVDS, DVI and VGA. The interface is primarily used to connect a video source to a display device such as a computer monitor, though it can also be used to transmit audio and other forms of data.

HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is a compact audio/video interface for transferring uncompressed video data and compressed/uncompressed digital audio data from an HDMI-compliant device ("the source device") to a compatible digital audio device, computer monitor, video projector, or digital television. It is de-facto standard connecting high-definition (HD) equipment, from HDTVs and personal computers to cameras, camcorders, tablets, Blu-ray players, gaming consoles, smart phones, media players and just about any other device capable of sending or receiving an HD signal.

Capabilities

DisplayPort can stream up to Ultra HD (4k x 2k) at 60Hz. It can also serve up to 4 displays from 1 port. Multi-channel (1-8 channels) audio is optional. It has twice the bandwidth of 21.6 Gbit/s compared to HDMI’s 10.2Gbit/s. DisplayPort 1.2 supports all common 3D video formats. It also includes HDCP (optional) as well as DisplayPort Content Protection (DPCP).

	Resolution
Quad HD (QHD)	2560 x 1440
Quad Full HD (QFHD) (4K)	3840 x 2160
Ultra HD (8K)	7680 x 4320

HDMI 1.4 increases the maximum resolution to 4K × 2K , i.e. 3840 × 2160p (Quad HD) 24 Hz/25 Hz/30 Hz or 4096 × 2160p at 24 Hz (which is a resolution used with digital theaters). It supports 3D , and version 2.0 will also support more than the current 8 channels of audio . HDMI comes with High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP), due to which an HDMI source such as a Blu-ray player may demand HDCP-compliance of the display, and refuse to output HDCP-protected content to a non-compliant display.

Both HDMI and DisplayPort can interoperate with each other and with other ports like VGA or DVI using the respective adaptors.

Types

Types of HDMI connectors

HDMI connectors are of 5 types:

Types of HDMI Connectors

HDMI Connector Types	Defined in	No. of pins	Usage	Compatible to
Type A	HDMI 1.0	19	All HDTV, EDTV and SDTV models	Single link DVI-D
Type B	HDMI 1.0	29	Very high resolution displays-WQUXGA	Dual link DVI-D
Type C (mini connector)	HDMI 1.3	19	Portable devices	Type A conenctor using typeA-to-typeC cable
Type D (micro connector)	HDMI 1.4	19	-	-
Type E	HDMI 1.4	-	Automotive (locking tab keeps the cable from vibrating loose, shell helps prevent moisture and dirt)	Relay connector for connecting to standard cables

Types of DisplayPort connectors

Mini DisplayPort

Mini Displayport connector

Mini DisplayPort (mDP) is a standard announced by Apple in Q4 of 2008. In Q1 2009, VESA announced that Mini DisplayPort would be included in the DisplayPort 1.2 specification. On 24 February 2011, Apple and Intel announced Thunderbolt, a successor to Mini DisplayPort which adds support for PCI Express data connections while maintaining backwards compatibility with Mini DisplayPort based peripherals.