Remember the acronym UHBR (Ultra-High Bit Rate), the new certification that the VESA (Video Electronics Standards Association) has announced for DisplayPort 2.0 connectors.
Some standard certifications that have generated doubts and come with two levels called DP40 and DP80 with a capacity of up to 40 Gbps and 80 Gpbs of data respectively. UHBR is a standard certification for both of them.
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What is UHBR?
UHBR or Ultra-High Bit Rate is a set of data transmission modes included in the DisplayPort 2.0 standard.
UHBR promises a truly impressive minimum bandwidth per DP lane, which will multiplied by the 4x lanes. These connectors or lanes can accommodate into
- UHBR10 (4×10 = 40Gbps)
- UHBR 13.5 (4×13.5 = 54Gbps)
- UHBR20 (4×20 = 80Gbps)
These promising bandwidths imply better screen resolutions by being able to transmit video in a more agile way than with the current versions of DP.
What is the UHBR Certification?
Despite VESA’s move to the DisplayPort 2.0 standard and UHBR types, manufacturers do not have to create cables and devices that are compatible with all modes. So manufacturers needed to decide what speed their product can handle.
See Also: Thunderbolt 3 vs USB SSD
For this, the VESA DisplayPort UHBR certification has been created, which will serve to certify that the cables that are sold, the video devices and the screens can handle the minimum bandwidth to obtain said label. But only two of the three types listed above are covered, i.e
- DP40 – A minimum of 40 gigabits, available via UHBR 10.
- DP80 – A minimum of 80 gigabits, available via UHBR 20.
- There is no DP54 certification for the UHBR 13.5 cited above. What VESA has done is simply point out all DP80s, which can handle UHBR 13.5.
Improvements that the new Standard will bring
Well, if you were expecting news about improvements, the truth is that the UHBR certification has not been created to provide promises about the benefits that DisplayPort 2.0 may have, but rather it has been created simply to help users when choosing and buying new cables and devices.
However, it can be expected that those certified as DP40 either the regular or mini version, can connect a single display with a maximum resolution of 4K and frequencies of 144 Hz, or 8K resolutions at 30 H.
Instead DP80, the superior could go up to 4K at 240 Hz or 8K down to a refresh rate of 85 Hz, which is not negligible. Therefore, the DP80 looks incredibly amazing compared to other current versions.
Of course, these figures are for uncompressed video. If DSC (Display Stream Compression) is used, then it can be increased even more, with resolutions of up to 16K @ 60 Hz, which is something stratospheric that few screens currently support, if it is already difficult to find an 8K, imagine a 16K …
USB-C and Thunderbolt
As you know, DisplayPort can be used through USB-C or Thunderbolt, in the first case it is an option and in the second it is an obligation.
These also meet the same standards as DisplayPort and your typical cable. Therefore, both DP40 and DP80 certifications can also be certified with UBHR in the same way as pure DP cables and connectors.
But the current maximum speed of USB-C 4 and Thunderbolt 4 is only 40 Gbps and perfectly comply with DP40, but not DP80, which would need twice the bandwidth current for these connections.
Additionally, VESA states that UBHR-certified USB-C to DisplayPort adapters is not yet available, but will be soon as certified USB-C cables.
Therefore, you will soon have these products in stores to acquire and test their new benefits if the information sending and receiving devices support it.
UHBR Comparison with HDMI 2.1
DisplayPort UHBR can be interpreted as a defense for the new HDMI 2.1. You already know that HDMI 2.0 is being replaced by HDMI 2.1a, but that doesn’t mean that all new HDMI cables and devices have maximum capabilities defined by this new version of the standard.
The ultra-speed HDMI 2.1a supports 48 Gpbs of bandwidth, so it would be behind the DP80 of DisplayPort.
Although we will see if there is another new version available for the HDMI standard, which is currently more popular than DP in crowd of devices, both in televisions and monitors, etc.
The battle between the two is served and both may continue to coexist equally. I have mentioned before, still do not tolerate 80 Gpbs transfers, so it may seem that they have gone too far with that certification for home users.
Zahid Khan Jadoon is an Interior Decorator, Designer and a specialized Chef and loves to write about home appliances and food. Right now he is running his interior designing business along with a managing a restaurant. Also in his spare time he loves to write about home and kitchen appliances.