The Video Electronics Standards Association ( VESA ) has released DisplayPort Alt Mode 2.0, which allows for video output at resolutions up to 16K over USB 4 Type-C ports. According to AnandTech, the new standard repurposes the high- speed data pins of USB Type-C to provide users with greater bandwidth for video, up to 80Gbps. It does this by converting a 4-lane USB 4 connection into a 2-lane or 4-lane DisplayPort connection
In a statement about the new standard, Craig Wiley, senior marketing director at Parade Technologies, a member of the VESA board of directors and the head of the DisplayPort Alt Mode subgroup, said that VESA’s new DisplayPort Alt Mode standard includes a number of under-the-hood enhancements, including updates to interface discovery and configuration, as well as power management, to ensure seamless interoperability with the new USB 4 Type-C. This important undertaking, which has been in the works for several years, could only be realized through the combined efforts of VESA and USB-IF. As part of its partnership with USB-IF, VESA is taking care of everything related to high-performance displays with USB-C, whether via DisplayPort or USB-C, or by tunneling DisplayPort over the native USB 4 interface
USB 4 relies on a 2-up/2-down configuration to form a bidirectional connection. Since video signals don't need to go in both directions, DisplayPort Alt Mode 2.0 can use all four lanes, meaning a DisplayPort Alt Mode 2.0 connection will be just as good and satisfactory as a regular DisplayPort 2.0 connection in terms of connectivity and bandwidth. Finally, the new standard doesn't require users to have a USB 4 controller, meaning they can use their existing DisplayPort hardware without needing a USB 4-enabled display.
