Calling itself an early bird in this new standard domain, Parade sees DisplayPort as a serious opportunity, given the right engineering resources. The company has expertise in areas like high-speed interface and video graphics and processing.

DisplayPort proponents like Parade claim the technology can grow and scale to high-end applications. "Being a packet-based architecture, it can be tailored for different configurations," said Ding Lu, VP of product development at Parade. "It can occupy a single lane for smaller displays, while it can offer four lanes for higher-size displays."

DVI face-off
According to Lu, DVI is mostly suited to PC video, while HDMI is a DVI-like technology with audio and secondary data to make it adaptable to consumer electronics applications.

"DVI has speed limitations and this could be a factor for high-resolution displays," Lu added. "DisplayPort is targeted at the PC market, but it is also applicable to CE applications."

However, Lu acknowledged that HDMI has a stronghold in the CE and TV markets, and that it is likely to stay in the lead.

DisplayPort, according to Lu, has a technology edge in its low power consumption and lower cost, and this is bound to be a differentiating factor as more and more users move from a desktop PC to a notebook, driving the need for power reduction.