Home / Compare / DisplayPort 2.1 vs HDMI 2.1 Side by side
DisplayPort 2.1 vs HDMI 2.1 The useful comparison is the implemented feature set of your devices, not the family maximum.
StandardNo drawing: not a physical form
P039 · Standard DisplayPort 2.1 family overview ≠ StandardNo drawing: not a physical form
P037 · Standard HDMI 2.1 overview How they differ DisplayPort 2.1 family overview Document the supported rate at both endpoints and across the cable. Active cables and adapters have their own stated conditions and lengths.HDMI 2.1 overview Read the port’s feature list and supported display timings. Treat cable category, adapter capabilities and endpoint support as distinct evidence requirements.Illustrations are computer-generated with prior AI visual review; independent technical and rights review pending. A comparison is not a compatibility verdict.
This comparison stays within one evidence layer. All selected records are Standard records. Similar layer does not mean compatible, interchangeable or safe to mate.
Families represented: Video
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Adjust this comparison Add a field note Choose a connector, standard or cable class… USB Type-A — Connector USB Type-B — Connector SuperSpeed USB Type-B — Connector USB Type-C — Connector Mini-USB Type-B — Connector Micro-USB Type-B — Connector SuperSpeed Micro-USB Type-B — Connector HDMI Type-A — Connector Mini HDMI Type-C — Connector Micro HDMI Type-D — Connector DisplayPort connector — Connector Mini DisplayPort connector — Connector DVI-D single-link connector — Connector DVI-D dual-link connector — Connector DVI-I dual-link connector — Connector VGA DE-15 connector — Connector Lightning connector — Connector 8P8C modular connector (commonly called RJ45) — Connector 3.5 mm TRS connector — Connector 3.5 mm TRRS connector — Connector 6.35 mm TS connector — Connector 6.35 mm TRS connector — Connector RCA connector — Connector TOSLINK connector — Connector Mini-TOSLINK connector — Connector 3-pin XLR connector — Connector BNC connector — Connector 5.5 x 2.1 mm barrel connector: identification only — Connector SATA 7-pin data connector — Connector M.2 card edge interface — Connector USB 2.0 overview — Standard USB 3.2 nomenclature and modes — Standard USB4 version 1 overview — Standard USB4 version 2 overview — Standard Thunderbolt 4 overview — Standard Thunderbolt 5 overview — Standard HDMI 2.1 overview — Standard HDMI 2.2 overview — Standard DisplayPort 2.1 family overview — Standard USB Power Delivery overview — Standard USB-C to HDMI: video adapter requirements — Cable / adapter USB-C to DisplayPort: cable requirements — Cable / adapter DisplayPort to HDMI: active adapter class — Cable / adapter DisplayPort to HDMI: passive adapter class — Cable / adapter HDMI to DisplayPort: active adapter class — Cable / adapter USB-C charging-only cable class — Cable / adapter USB-C full-featured cable: capabilities to verify — Cable / adapter Mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort cable class — Cable / adapter Mini HDMI to HDMI cable class — Cable / adapter Micro HDMI to HDMI cable class — Cable / adapter Full-size SD card form — Connector microSD card form — Connector SMA coaxial connector — Connector RP-SMA coaxial connector — Connector F-type coaxial connector — Connector LC fiber connector — Connector SC fiber connector — Connector SD capacity classes: SD, SDHC, SDXC and SDUC — Standard UHS-I and UHS-II bus interfaces — Standard SD Express interface overview — Standard Display Stream Compression overview — Standard Premium High Speed HDMI cable class — Cable / adapter Ultra High Speed HDMI cable class — Cable / adapter Ultra96 HDMI cable class — Cable / adapter FireWire 4-pin connector — Connector FireWire 6-pin connector — Connector FireWire 9-pin connector — Connector 6-pin Mini-DIN (PS/2 form) — Connector 4-pin Mini-DIN (S-Video form) — Connector 5-pin DIN connector: MIDI and legacy uses — Connector 6P4C modular plug (often sold as RJ11) — Connector 6P6C modular plug (often sold as RJ12) — Connector 4-position modular handset form — Connector DE-9 D-sub (commonly called DB9) — Connector DB25 D-sub connector — Connector DVI-I single-link connector — Connector DVI-A connector — Connector eSATA 7-pin data connector — Connector CompactFlash Type I card interface — Connector CFast card interface — Connector CFexpress Type A card interface — Connector CFexpress Type B card interface — Connector XQD card interface — Connector ST fiber connector — Connector MPO multi-fiber connector — Connector 5-pin XLR connector — Connector 2-pole speakON loudspeaker connector — Connector 4-pole speakON loudspeaker connector — Connector IEC 60320 C13 cord connector — Connector IEC 60320 C14 appliance inlet — Connector IEC 60320 C15 hot-condition cord connector — Connector IEC 60320 C16 hot-condition appliance inlet — Connector IEC 60320 C19 cord connector — Connector IEC 60320 C20 appliance inlet — Connector NEMA 5-15P plug — Connector NEMA 5-15R receptacle — Connector NEMA 5-20P plug — Connector NEMA 5-20R receptacle — Connector ATX 24-pin main power connector — Connector 8-pin +12 V CPU power connector (EPS12V form) — Connector PCIe 6-pin auxiliary power connector — Connector PCIe 8-pin auxiliary power connector — Connector 12VHPWR 16-contact auxiliary power connector — Connector SATA 15-pin power connector — Connector Slimline SATA connector — Connector SAS SFF-8482 drive connector — Connector SlimSAS connector family — Connector U.2 / U.3 SFF-8639 68-position drive connector — Connector Micro SATA connector — Connector SFP / SFP+ / SFP28 host connector form — Connector QSFP+ host connector form — Connector QSFP-DD host connector / cage form — Connector FC fiber connector — Connector MT-RJ fiber connector — Connector HD-BNC coaxial connector — Connector 4-pin XLR connector — Connector 6-pin XLR connector — Connector 8-pole speakON loudspeaker connector — Connector Centronics / CHAMP 36-position connector — Connector 8-pin Mini-DIN connector — Connector IEC 60320 C5 cord connector — Connector IEC 60320 C6 appliance inlet — Connector IEC 60320 C7 cord connector — Connector IEC 60320 C8 appliance inlet — Connector IEC 60320 C17 cord connector — Connector IEC 60320 C18 appliance inlet — Connector NEMA L5-20P locking plug — Connector NEMA L5-20R locking receptacle — Connector NEMA L6-20P locking plug — Connector NEMA L6-20R locking receptacle — Connector OSFP host connector form — Connector CFP2 host connector form — Connector CFP4 host connector form — Connector N-Type coaxial connector — Connector RP-N-Type coaxial connector — Connector TNC coaxial connector — Connector RP-TNC coaxial connector — Connector MCX coaxial connector — Connector MMCX coaxial connector — Connector SMB coaxial connector — Connector Mini-BNC coaxial connector — Connector DIN 1.0/2.3 coaxial connector — Connector M12 D-coded Ethernet connector — Connector M12 X-coded Ethernet connector — Connector ix Industrial connector — Connector Mini-SAS internal SFF-8087 connector — Connector Mini-SAS external SFF-8088 connector — Connector Mini-SAS HD internal SFF-8643 connector — Connector Mini-SAS HD external SFF-8644 connector — Connector OCuLink SFF-8611 / SFF-8612 connector family — Connector 50-position 2.54 mm IDC ribbon header — Connector 40-position 2.54 mm IDC ribbon header — Connector 34-position 2.54 mm IDC ribbon receptacle — Connector 50-position Mini Delta Ribbon (MDR) connector — Connector 68-position Mini Delta Ribbon (MDR) connector — Connector 68-contact VHDCI SCSI connector — Connector CHAMP 50-position connector — Connector 36-contact MDR / IEEE 1284C form — Connector M8 A-coded 4-position connector — Connector M8 D-coded Ethernet connector — Connector M12 A-coded 5-position connector — Connector M12 B-coded 5-position connector — Connector M12 L-coded 5-position power connector — Connector M23 12-position signal connector — Connector etherCON ruggedized RJ45 connector system — Connector opticalCON DUO 2-fiber connector system — Connector opticalCON QUAD 4-channel fiber connector system — Connector LEMO 3K.93C SMPTE 304M HDTV camera connector — Connector opticalCON DUO SMPTE camera-link cable system — Connector 12V-2x6 16-circuit PCIe power connector — Connector PCI Express x16 164-position card-edge connector — Connector MCIO / SFF-TA-1016 connector family — Connector USB 3.0 front-panel 19-pin internal connector — Connector USB 3.1 front-panel Key-A 20-pin header — Connector M12 S-coded 3-position power connector — Connector M12 S-coded 4-position power connector — Connector M12 T-coded 4-position DC power connector — Connector M12 K-coded 5-position power connector — Connector M12 M-coded 6-position power connector — Connector M12 Y-coded 8-position hybrid connector — Connector NEMA 1-15P plug — Connector NEMA 1-15R connector — Connector NEMA 6-15P plug — Connector NEMA 6-15R receptacle — Connector NEMA 6-20P plug — Connector NEMA 6-20R receptacle — Connector NEMA 14-30P plug — Connector NEMA 14-30R receptacle — Connector NEMA 14-50P plug — Connector NEMA 14-50R receptacle — Connector NEMA TT-30P RV plug — Connector NEMA TT-30R RV receptacle — Connector NEMA L14-20P locking plug — Connector NEMA L14-20R locking connector — Connector NEMA L14-30P locking plug — Connector NEMA L14-30R locking connector — Connector NEMA 10-30P plug — Connector NEMA 10-30R receptacle — Connector NEMA 10-50P plug — Connector NEMA 10-50R receptacle — Connector SFF-TA-1002 1C 56-contact connector — Connector SFF-TA-1002 2C 84-contact connector — Connector SFF-TA-1002 4C 140-contact connector — Connector SFF-TA-1002 4C+ 168-contact connector — Connector PCI Express x1 36-position card-edge connector — Connector PCI Express x4 64-position card-edge connector — Connector PCI Express x8 98-position card-edge connector — Connector Mini PCI Express / mSATA 52-position socket — Connector IEC 60320 C1 cord connector — Connector IEC 60320 C2 appliance inlet — Connector IEC 60320 C9 cord connector — Connector IEC 60320 C10 appliance inlet — Connector IEC 60320 C15A very-hot-condition cord connector — Connector IEC 60320 C16A very-hot-condition appliance inlet — Connector IEC 60320 C21 very-hot-condition cord connector — Connector IEC 60320 C22 very-hot-condition appliance inlet — Connector IEC 60320 C23 cord connector — Connector IEC 60320 C24 appliance inlet — Connector 3-pin Mini-XLR (Switchcraft Tini-QG) connector — Connector 4-pin Mini-XLR (Switchcraft Tini-QG) connector — Connector 5-pin Mini-XLR (Switchcraft Tini-QG) connector — Connector LEMO 3T 75-ohm broadcast triax connector — Connector LEMO 4A 75-ohm broadcast triax connector — Connector LEMO 00 NIM-CAMAC 50-ohm triax connector — Connector USB-A to USB-C cable class — Cable / adapter Thunderbolt 4 active USB-C cable example — Cable / adapter Thunderbolt 5 passive USB-C cable example — Cable / adapter RJ45-ended twisted-pair patch cord class — Cable / adapter BNC coax cable assembly class — Cable / adapter SMA 50-ohm coax cable assembly class — Cable / adapter LC to SC fiber jumper class — Cable / adapter 3-pin XLR microphone cable example — Cable / adapter TOSLINK to Mini-TOSLINK optical cable example — Cable / adapter NEC ADP-CV1 component breakout — VT37 example — Cable / adapter StarTech VGA2VID2 — VGA to composite path — Cable / adapter StarTech HD2VID2 — HDMI to composite with audio — Cable / adapter StarTech VID2HDCON2 — composite to HDMI with audio — Cable / adapter Hosa CRA-200 series — stereo RCA interconnect — Cable / adapter Hosa DRA-500 series — S/PDIF RCA coax — Cable / adapter Hosa VCC-300 series — three-RCA component video — Cable / adapter Hosa C3M-100 series — mini-AV to RCA breakout — Cable / adapter Hosa GOP-490 optical form adapter — Cable / adapter StarTech DVIVGAMF — passive DVI-I to VGA adapter — Cable / adapter StarTech DVI2VGAE — active DVI-D to VGA converter — Cable / adapter StarTech HDMIDVIMM6 — HDMI / DVI-D cable — Cable / adapter StarTech DVI2HD — DVI-D to HDMI with USB audio — Cable / adapter Corning LC PC duplex OM4 jumper series — Cable / adapter Corning LC UPC OS2 reverse-polarity uniboot series — Cable / adapter Vericom LC UPC to SC APC OS2 simplex series — Cable / adapter Corning FC–ST square-flange hybrid adapter series — Cable / adapter Apple 240W USB-C Charge Cable · 2 m — Cable / adapter StarTech UCC-3M-10G-USB-CABLE · 3 m — Cable / adapter 3-pin PC fan connector / motherboard header — Connector 4-pin PWM PC fan connector / motherboard header — Connector Internal USB 2.0 dual-port header — keyed 2×5, pin 9 — Connector HD Audio front-panel header — keyed 2×5 (Intel example) — Connector 12 V four-pin motherboard RGB header (MSI JRGB) — Connector 5 V addressable RGB header (MSI JRAINBOW) — Connector JST PH wire-to-board connector family — Connector JST XH wire-to-board connector family — Connector JST SH miniature wire-to-board connector family — Connector JST GH secure-lock wire-to-board connector family — Connector Hirose U.FL micro-coaxial RF connector — Connector I-PEX MHF I micro-coaxial RF connector — Connector I-PEX MHF 4 low-profile micro-coaxial RF connector — Connector Apple original wired MagSafe — L-style and T-style — Connector Apple wired MagSafe 2 laptop power connector — Connector Molex Mini-Fit Jr. connector family — Connector Molex Micro-Fit 3.0 connector family — Connector Hirose DF13 miniature crimp connector family — Connector TE 0.5 mm top-contact FPC ZIF connector — 1-2492111-7 — Connector TE 0.5 mm bottom-contact FPC ZIF connector — 1-2492104-0 — Connector 5.5 x 2.5 mm barrel connector: identification only — Connector Apple wired MagSafe 3 laptop power connector — Connector FME coaxial connector family — Connector FAKRA keyed coaxial connector family — Connector LP4 four-contact peripheral power housing — Connector Miniature four-position floppy-drive power housing — Connector SCART plug — Connector USB Mini-A plug — Connector USB Mini-AB receptacle — Connector
Add to comparison Download comparison selection Copy link Evidence behind this page
Scope first. Source second. Approval separate. 6 linked sources · 6 scoped claims · 0 sources with inspection/access flags.
Page scope: Evidence behind the compared records; the editorial comparison still needs separate review.
Assessment 2026-10-22 · earliest scheduled source review 2026-12-30. This is a recorded-date assessment, not a live source check. Page-level independent review is not established by this panel.
Inspect 6 source scopes, access limits and dates HDMI Licensing Administrator · Standards-organization domain · inspected 2026-10-01 · due 2026-12-30
Within inspection window
Scoped support: 48 Gbit/s aggregate signaling ceiling, conditional on implementation.
Not established / limitations:
Locator: HDMI 2.1 bandwidth and cable announcement
HDMI Licensing Administrator · Standards-organization domain · inspected 2026-10-01 · due 2026-12-30
Within inspection window
Scoped support: A version number alone does not identify implemented features.
Not established / limitations:
Locator: FAQ about HDMI 2.1 supporting TMDS without FRL
VESA · Standards-organization domain · inspected 2026-10-01 · due 2026-12-30
Within inspection window
Scoped support: 40 and 80 Gbit/s aggregate link rates for their specified cable/link classes.
Not established / limitations:
Locator: DP40 and DP80 cable certification
VESA · Standards-organization domain · inspected 2026-10-01 · due 2026-12-30
Within inspection window
Scoped support: Version labels do not require the maximum UHBR rate. Check documented device capabilities.
Not established / limitations:
Locator: DP 2.1b requirements; how to know device features; DisplayPort over USB-C
VESA · Standards-organization domain · inspected 2026-10-11 · due 2027-01-09
Within inspection window
Scoped support: Page mixes current and legacy examples. Only identified passages support these observations; legacy numerical examples are not generalized.
Not established / limitations: Page mixes current and legacy examples. Only identified passages support these observations; legacy numerical examples are not generalized. Retrieval locators and observations retained; raw acquisition is recorded separately.
Locator: DisplayPort 2.1b certification minimum, DP over USB-C, no-video case, direction and DSC sections
VESA · Standards-organization domain · inspected 2026-10-11 · due 2027-01-09
Within inspection window
Scoped support: Cable classes and four-lane rates; verify an exact cable in the official database. Homepage retains older forthcoming wording; release timing is not inferred.
Not established / limitations: Cable classes and four-lane rates; verify an exact cable in the official database. Homepage retains older forthcoming wording; release timing is not inferred. Retrieval locators and observations retained; raw acquisition is recorded separately.
Locator: How will you use the performance of DisplayPort? DP80, DP80LL and DP40-to-DP54 statements
Trace 6 claims to their source records C037A · P037 HDMI 2.1 defines capabilities reaching 48 Gbit/s aggregate signaling.
Claim scope: Consumer identification / documented standard or product class only
Source links: S010 · Evidence trail → (private workspace)
C037B · P037 An HDMI 2.1-labeled implementation may retain TMDS rather than implementing the maximum FRL rate.
Claim scope: Narrowly stated supporting distinction; not an end-to-end device guarantee
Source links: S012 · Evidence trail → (private workspace)
C039A · P039 DisplayPort 2.1-family documentation distinguishes link and cable capabilities; the highest family rate is not required by every version-labeled product.
Claim scope: Consumer identification / documented standard or product class only
Source links: S015 · Evidence trail → (private workspace)
C039B · P039 VESA’s DP40 and DP80 cable classes cover specified 40 and 80 Gbit/s aggregate link-rate capabilities.
Claim scope: Narrowly stated supporting distinction; not an end-to-end device guarantee
Source links: S013 · Evidence trail → (private workspace)
C039C · P039 VESA permits DisplayPort 2.1b device certification without UHBR support, subject to its specified minimum and feature requirements. The version label therefore does not establish UHBR20 capability.
Claim scope: Version-versus-rate distinction; no detailed compliance certification performed here.
Source links: S519 · Evidence trail → (private workspace)
C039D · P039 VESA describes DP80LL low-loss active cables for four-lane UHBR20 support, up to 80Gbps over lengths up to three meters.
Claim scope: Certification family envelope, not an approval of an arbitrary three-meter cable or device.
Source links: S520 · Evidence trail → (private workspace)
Recorded evidence only. An inspection date, publisher label, source link or generated packet is not independent technical review, hardware testing, fabrication approval or a compatibility verdict.
