By GRL Team on 2023. 03. 22

Global Audio-Visual Trend Insights From the Latest VESA Specifications

 

Granite River Labs, GRL
Jerry Sung Chaoyu 
宋超宇

How VESA DisplayPortTM 2.1, ClearMRTM, and AdaptiveSync standards are shaping the audio-visual market.

It’s not a stretch to say that the global consumer electronics market has emerged victorious from the Covid-19 pandemic. The industry proved to be surprisingly resilient in a time when many others folded under economic pressures. Of course, demand for electronics grew as consumers spent more time at home. But organizations responsible for formulating specifications for consumer electronics also played a pivotal role, seizing this rare opportunity to improve upon existing specifications and even launching new ones in recent years. 

A post-pandemic retrospective on VESA display standard updates

VESA launched many new standards, certification specifications, and testing guidelines in the beginning of 2020. These rules have facilitated the proliferation of high quality audio-visual products, which has in turn benefited consumers and the overall industry.

The DisplayPortTM interface, AdaptiveSync, and ClearMRTM are just some of the specifications that align with high audio-visual demands of this generation while providing consumers with clear indicators of product quality that empower them to make informed purchase decisions according to their needs.

DisplayPort™ 2.1 (DP 2.1) specifications: The newest interface standard 

The journey towards implementation of new standards has been far from smooth sailing. DisplayPort™ 2.0 (DP 2.0) and DisplayPort™ 2.1 (DP 2.1) were released by VESA in June 2019 and October 2022 respectively. During that three year window, consumers on the ground experienced confusion over whether DP 2.0 or DP 2.1 represented the latest specification interface, although that has largely cleared up since the latter’s release.

DP 2.1 sets itself apart from its predecessor by defining electrical characteristics and link layers succinctly. As the latest VESA standard, DP 2.1 also introduced the Enhanced Connector — an upgraded version of the original Full-Sized DP and Mini DP connectors that supports 20Gbps (UHBR20) transmission speed of the DP 2.1 specification while remaining backwards compatible with older connectors.

Enhanced DP Connector

Support capacity of various Enhanced Connector types:

  • Full-Sized DP Connector Type 1:Maximum support 13.5Gbps (UHBR13.5)
  • Full-Sized DP Connector Type 2:Maximum support 20Gbps (UHBR20)
  • Mini DP Connector:Maximum support 20Gbps (UHBR20)

The enhanced DP connector solves several problems that manufacturers have had to worry about up until this point. On top of supporting higher speeds, the connector also smoothens the chip development process by removing the problem of backwards compatibility.

Combined with close collaboration with VESA members to formulate DP 2.1 CTS, these efforts are a testament to VESA’s efforts and commitment in helping various manufacturers meet performance and compatibility standards in their product development lines.

DP 2.1 certified test labs have been pivotal in verifying the quality of and distributing certifications to deserving audio-visual products as they develop. Novatek Microelectronics Corp., an internationally renowned consumer electronics and chip manufacturer, became the first ever owner of a VESA DisplayPortTM 2.1 certified screen after passing tests at GRL in January 2023. The same screen went on to garner much fanfare at the International Consumer Electronics Show.

Test items and components comparison between DisplayPortTM 1.4 and DisplayPortTM 2.1Table 1: DP 2.1 and DP 1.4 specification comparison table

New display standards: VESA AdaptiveSync & Clear Motion Ratio (ClearMRTM)

VESA also introduced the AdaptiveSync and Clear Motion Ratio (ClearMRTM) specifications to promote greater and more consistent imaging performance in the panels of monitors, TVs, notebook computers, and other display products. Thus far, VESA AdaptiveSync certified panels have been proven to experience lower rates of frame loss, stuttering, and screen tearing. 

AdaptiveSync: Plugging the display test specifications gap

While the AdaptiveSync function has been around for some time, complete test specifications to ensure quality of function were not defined up until March 2022. This specification gap encouraged major display card manufacturers such as Nvidia and AMD to launch similar specifications such as G-Sync and Free-Sync in the interim. 

However, these specifications had to be verified by manufacturers themselves rather than an international governing body like VESA. With the official launch of AdaptiveSync’s test specifications, manufacturers can now consistently apply the same test functions, making it much easier to manufacture products that not only perform well, but are compatible with one another. 

ClearMRTM: Meeting demand for dynamic displays

VESA introduced another new specification in July 2022: The Clear Motion Ratio specification, more commonly known as ClearMRTM. By categorizing motion blur functions into graded tiers, ClearMRTM provides consumers with a clear indication of dynamic image presentation performance.

VESA ClearMRTM tiers from ClearMR 3000 to ClearMR 13000, arranged according to CMR Range

Table 2: VESA ClearMRTM Grading Indicators

ClearMRTM tiers are arranged according to the ratio of clear and blurred pixels whenever screens display fast-moving images. For example, under ClearMR 9000, the ratio of clear to blurred pixels lie between 86 to 95:1. While the average consumer may not perceive a significant difference from tier to tier since most screens today support high-resolution and dynamic images, demand for high performing displays is still expected to remain high among esports players and other consumers that frequently rely on 3D dynamic images. 

Obtain the latest DisplayPortTM 2.1, ClearMRTM, and AdaptiveSync display certifications

Whether in work or play, consumer demand for audio-visual products have evolved far beyond traditional displays. From higher specifications, resolutions, clearer dynamic images, to stringent specifications, manufacturers are facing greater design challenges than ever before.

Join the leagues that top quality audio-visual manufacturers are playing in by obtaining official DisplayPortTM, AdaptiveSync, and ClearMRTM certification from GRL’s VESA authorized labs. As a leader in the audio-visual certification testing, we’ll provide you with only the most accurate certification testing, pre-testing and debugging services the market has to offer.

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References

  1. VESA Adaptive-Sync Display Certification Test Specification r1.0, March 25, 2022
  2. VESA High-performance Monitor and Display – Clear Motion Compliance Test Specification (CM CTS) , July 8, 2022
  3. VESA DisplayPortTM (DP) Standard Version 2.1 10 October, 2022

About the Author

GRL Taiwan Technical Manager Jerry Sung

Technical Development Director of VESA DisplayPortTM and Display Performance Metrics at GRL Global. Familiar with DisplayPortTM, DisplayHDR, Adaptive-Sync, ClearMRTM, HDMI, Thunderbolt and other application interfaces.

Specifications and descriptions in this document are subject to change without prior notice.

Release Date 2023/02/08 AN-230208-TW

Published by GRL Team March 22, 2023