VESA first introduced its DisplayPort digital technology in May 2006 primarily to provide PC manufacturers with an option to replace the DVI connector for PC monitors, the LVDS interface for flat panels and the analog VGA connector. A VESA newsletter from December explained "DisplayPort is not being positioned to compete with HDMI, but rather to complement it for PC and PC-based products."
VESA hosted a press conference during International CES where it announced that it expects to publish in the first quarter an update on the standard in its latest Interoperability Guideline for convergence with Version 1.1 of its DisplayPort technology format. The conference featured a panel including representatives from a variety of companies that have helped to develop DisplayPort including Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Intel, Samsung Electronics, AMD, Genesis, Microchip, Lenovo, NVIDIA and Modex.
According to VESA, the specification "addresses the need for separate high-definition audio and video paths, but it does so on a single cable." Other key benefits of the DisplayPort format are said to include: lower display costs, ease of use, higher performance, user ability to use new features like video chat over a simple cable and fewer wires. The specification is expected to make it possible to produce "direct drive monitors."
