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by | Mar 16, 2018 | Malus

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The VESA Digital Flat Panel (DFP) interface standard specifies a video connector and digital TMDS signaling for flat-panel displays.[1] It features 20 pins and uses the PanelLink protocol; the standard is based on the preceding VESA Plug and Display (P&D) standard, ratified in 1997. Unlike the later, electrically-compatible Digital Visual Interface (DVI, 1999), DFP never achieved widespread implementation.

History

P&D combined analog and digital video with data over USB and FireWire to reduce cable clutter, but the feature creep resulted in an unpopular, expensive connector.[2]: 4  Compaq described DFP as a "transition" step between the analog VGA connector and P&D: DFP was designed by a consortium including Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, and ATI Technologies as a smaller, simpler connector, dropping support for analog video and data in favor of transmitting exclusively digital video signals.[1]

The connector was used by displays such as the Compaq Presario FP400, FP500, FP700, Fp720, 5204, and 5280. It was offered on graphics cards such as the Xpert LCD,[3] and Rage LT Pro by ATI Technologies, and the Oxygen GVX1[4] by 3Dlabs.

Design

DFP is compatible electrically with P&D (and by extension, DVI); DFP uses the Display Data Channel (DDC) standard level DDC2B for operation and the Extended Display Identification Data (EDID) protocol to identify the display to the host.[5]: §1.2  Like the preceding P&D, DFP uses the PanelLink TMDS protocol developed by Silicon Image for digital video signals.[2]

The DFP standard specifies a 20-pin mini D ribbon connector;[5]: §3.3  however, as the signal protocols are identical, DFP connectors generally are compatible with devices equipped with a DVI interface by using a passive adaptor.

All DFP-compliant devices are required to support resolutions of 640×400, 720×400, and 640×480 (each at a refresh rate of 60Hz) as a minimum level of interoperability, although the resulting display may not necessarily be centered or scaled.[5]: §3.7 

DFP was superseded by DVI because DFP, like P&D, is limited to a single-link TMDS signal. In contrast, DVI is capable of higher maximum resolutions because it supports a dual-link TMDS signal; in addition, DVI also supports analog video, which makes the VGA connector redundant.[2]

  • male DFP connector
    male DFP connector
  • female DFP connector
    female DFP connector
  • DVI-DFP adaptor
    DVI-DFP adaptor

References

  1. ^ a b Manchester, Gary (1999). The VESA Digital Flat Panel (DFP) Standard: A White Paper (PDF) (Report). VESA Marketing Committee. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 12, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c Digital Visual Interface & TMDS Extensions (PDF) (Report). Silicon Image. October 2004. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  3. ^ "XPERT LCD". Archived from the original on 2003-07-21.
  4. ^ "Oxygen GVX1 AGP specs sheet" (PDF).
  5. ^ a b c "VESA Digital Flat Panel (DFP) Standard, Version 1" (PDF). Video Electronics Standards Association. February 14, 1999. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 2, 2001.

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