Video Standards and Protocols
Video standards and protocols define how visual information travels from sources to displays, encompassing electrical specifications, timing requirements, data encoding schemes, and auxiliary features like audio transport and content protection. These standards have evolved from simple analog connections to sophisticated digital links capable of delivering ultra-high-definition video with billions of colors at high frame rates.
The transition from analog to digital video brought fundamental changes in how displays receive and process image data. Where analog interfaces transmitted continuous voltage levels representing instantaneous pixel brightness, digital interfaces transmit encoded bit streams that require receivers to decode, deserialize, and reconstruct pixel data. This digital approach enables higher resolutions, better color accuracy, and immunity to the noise and distortion that plagued analog connections.
VGA and Analog RGB
The Video Graphics Array (VGA) interface emerged in 1987 as IBM's standard for PC graphics, establishing conventions that persisted for decades. VGA uses analog signaling where voltage levels directly represent pixel intensity, with separate signals for red, green, and blue color channels plus horizontal and vertical synchronization pulses that coordinate the display's scanning pattern.
Analog Signal Characteristics
VGA carries color information as analog voltages ranging from 0 to 0.7 volts, where 0 volts represents black and 0.7 volts represents maximum brightness for each color channel. The display's analog-to-digital converter samples these voltages at precise moments determined by the pixel clock to reconstruct the digital pixel values originally generated by the graphics controller.
Signal quality depends critically on bandwidth and impedance matching. Standard VGA cables use 75-ohm coaxial conductors for each color channel, with bandwidth requirements increasing with resolution. A 1920x1200 display at 60 Hz requires approximately 150 MHz of analog bandwidth, pushing the limits of what typical VGA cables can deliver without visible degradation.
Synchronization Signals
Horizontal sync (HSYNC) pulses mark the beginning of each scan line, triggering the display to return its electron beam or addressing circuitry to the left edge. Vertical sync (VSYNC) pulses mark the beginning of each frame, causing the display to start from the top-left corner. The timing relationships between sync pulses and active video determine the visible image position on screen.
Front porch, sync pulse, and back porch intervals surrounding active video allow time for display retrace and settling. These blanking intervals originated from CRT requirements but persist in modern displays for compatibility. Sync polarity—whether active-high or active-low—often encodes resolution information that displays use for automatic configuration.
Component and RGB Variations
Professional video equipment often uses component analog interfaces that separate luminance and color difference signals (Y, Pb, Pr) or carry RGB with sync on green (RGsB). These variations optimize bandwidth usage or provide synchronization flexibility for broadcast and production applications. Component connections typically use BNC connectors for their superior shielding and locking mechanism.
RGBHV separates horizontal and vertical sync onto dedicated conductors, providing the cleanest signal separation and simplest processing at the display. This configuration appears on high-end professional monitors and projection systems where maximum signal quality justifies the additional cabling complexity.
Limitations and Legacy
Analog video interfaces suffer from several inherent limitations that drove the transition to digital. Cable length significantly impacts signal quality as high-frequency components attenuate more rapidly, causing visible softening of fine detail. Electromagnetic interference induces noise that appears as snow or color artifacts. Ground loops between source and display create hum bars that scroll through the image.
Despite these limitations, VGA remained prevalent for decades due to its simplicity and universal compatibility. The interface requires no handshaking, authentication, or complex initialization—simply connecting a cable produces an image. This reliability kept VGA in use long after superior digital alternatives became available, particularly in industrial, medical, and legacy computing applications.
DVI and HDMI Protocols
The Digital Visual Interface (DVI) emerged in 1999 as the first widely adopted digital display connection, using transition-minimized differential signaling (TMDS) to transmit pixel data as serial bit streams. HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) evolved from DVI, adding audio transport, consumer electronics control, and enhanced content protection while maintaining electrical compatibility with DVI for video signals.
TMDS Signaling
TMDS encodes 8-bit pixel data into 10-bit characters that minimize signal transitions and maintain DC balance for reliable transmission over long cables. The encoding algorithm selects between XOR and XNOR transformations of input data based on transition count, then optionally inverts the result to maintain running disparity. Two control bits indicate the encoding mode and disparity selection.
Each color channel transmits as a differential signal pair at rates up to 165 MHz for single-link DVI (3.96 Gbps per channel) or 340 MHz for HDMI 1.4 (10.2 Gbps total). A separate clock channel carries a reference signal at the pixel rate, allowing receivers to synchronize their data recovery circuits. The differential signaling provides excellent noise immunity, enabling reliable transmission over cables up to 15 meters.
DVI Configurations
DVI-D carries only digital signals and comes in single-link and dual-link variants. Single-link DVI supports resolutions up to 1920x1200 at 60 Hz, while dual-link doubles bandwidth to reach 2560x1600 at 60 Hz by adding three additional TMDS channels. The larger dual-link connector accommodates the extra signal pins.
DVI-I integrates analog VGA signals alongside digital TMDS, allowing a single connector to support both analog and digital displays through appropriate adapters. DVI-A carries only analog signals and exists primarily for adapter compatibility rather than as a native interface. The flexibility of DVI-I connectors simplified the transition period when both analog and digital displays coexisted.
HDMI Features and Versions
HDMI 1.0 through 1.4 progressively added capabilities including audio transport (up to 8 channels of uncompressed audio), Audio Return Channel (ARC) for sending TV audio to soundbars, Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) for coordinated power and input switching, and 3D video formats. HDMI 1.4 introduced the Ethernet channel for network connectivity over the same cable.
HDMI 2.0 doubled bandwidth to 18 Gbps, enabling 4K resolution at 60 Hz with full color depth. HDMI 2.1 dramatically increased bandwidth to 48 Gbps through new cable specifications, supporting 8K at 60 Hz, 4K at 120 Hz, dynamic HDR metadata, variable refresh rate (VRR) for gaming, and enhanced Audio Return Channel (eARC) for high-bitrate audio formats.
Audio and Auxiliary Data
HDMI transports audio during the horizontal and vertical blanking intervals when no pixel data requires transmission. Audio samples embed in data islands using packets that specify sample rate, bit depth, and channel configuration. The interface supports linear PCM from stereo to 7.1 surround at up to 192 kHz/24-bit, plus compressed formats including Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio.
InfoFrames carry metadata describing video format, colorimetry, aspect ratio, and other parameters that receivers need for proper signal processing. Auxiliary Video Information (AVI) InfoFrames convey critical details including color space, quantization range, and active format description. Audio InfoFrames specify channel allocation and downmix configurations for surround content.
DisplayPort Standards
DisplayPort emerged from VESA (Video Electronics Standards Association) as a royalty-free alternative to HDMI, targeting both internal and external display connections. Its packet-based architecture and flexible lane configuration distinguish it from the fixed-bandwidth approach of HDMI, enabling efficient bandwidth utilization and seamless scaling across diverse applications.
Main Link Architecture
The DisplayPort main link consists of one, two, or four differential lane pairs, each operating at data rates that have increased through successive versions: 1.62 Gbps (RBR), 2.7 Gbps (HBR), 5.4 Gbps (HBR2), 8.1 Gbps (HBR3), and 10 Gbps (UHBR 10) per lane. DisplayPort 2.0 introduced UHBR rates reaching 13.5 Gbps (UHBR 13.5) and 20 Gbps (UHBR 20) per lane.
Unlike HDMI's separate clock channel, DisplayPort embeds clock information within the data stream using 8b/10b encoding (through HBR3) or 128b/132b encoding (UHBR modes). The receiver recovers timing from data transitions, simplifying the physical interface while requiring more sophisticated clock recovery circuits. This approach also enables the micro packet architecture that gives DisplayPort its flexibility.
Packet-Based Transport
DisplayPort organizes all data—video, audio, and auxiliary—into packets transmitted through a unified transport stream. Video data fills the main portion of each frame period, while secondary data packets (SDP) carrying audio samples, metadata, and extension data fit into blanking intervals or interleave with video. This architecture enables efficient bandwidth utilization regardless of video timing.
The packet structure includes headers specifying data type, length, and routing information, plus error detection and correction capabilities. Stream multiplexing (Multi-Stream Transport) allows a single DisplayPort connection to carry independent video streams to multiple displays through daisy-chaining or hub configurations, a capability unique among consumer display interfaces.
Auxiliary Channel
The AUX channel provides a bidirectional communication path between source and sink operating at 1 Mbps using Manchester encoding. This sideband channel handles link training negotiation, DPCD (DisplayPort Configuration Data) register access, EDID retrieval, HDCP authentication, and other management functions without consuming main link bandwidth.
Link training begins with the source setting lane count and data rate, then iteratively adjusting pre-emphasis and voltage swing while monitoring receiver feedback through DPCD status registers. The adaptive process optimizes signal quality for each specific cable and connection, achieving reliable operation across varying channel characteristics.
DisplayPort Connectors and Alt Modes
Standard DisplayPort uses a distinctive 20-pin connector with a locking mechanism for secure connections. Mini DisplayPort provides the same functionality in a smaller form factor suitable for laptops and space-constrained devices. Both connector types support all DisplayPort features through proper pin assignments.
USB Type-C Alternate Mode allows DisplayPort signals to travel over USB-C cables and connectors, enabling single-cable connectivity for displays that also provide USB and power delivery. The mode negotiation occurs through USB Power Delivery protocol, dynamically allocating USB-C pins between DisplayPort lanes and USB data depending on requirements.
MIPI DSI
The Mobile Industry Processor Interface Display Serial Interface (MIPI DSI) connects application processors to display panels in smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices. Optimized for low power consumption, minimal pin count, and integration efficiency, DSI has become the dominant display interface in mobile and increasingly in automotive and embedded applications.
Physical Layer (D-PHY and C-PHY)
MIPI D-PHY provides the traditional physical layer with differential signaling operating in high-speed (up to 2.5 Gbps per lane) and low-power (up to 10 Mbps) modes. The dual-mode operation allows the interface to minimize power during idle periods while achieving high bandwidth when actively transferring image data. Each lane transitions between modes under protocol control.
MIPI C-PHY offers higher bandwidth efficiency through three-wire symbol encoding that achieves 2.28 bits per symbol compared to D-PHY's one bit per symbol. C-PHY uses embedded clock recovery eliminating the separate clock lane, reducing total wire count while increasing throughput. The tradeoff includes more complex receivers and reduced noise margin.
Protocol and Packet Structure
DSI packets begin with a header containing data type, virtual channel ID, and word count, followed by payload data and a checksum. Short packets fit within the header itself for efficiency, while long packets extend to carry pixel data and other substantial payloads. The virtual channel mechanism enables multiplexing of multiple logical connections over a single physical interface.
Video mode transfers pixels synchronously with display timing, streaming data continuously during active video periods. Command mode transfers pixels as memory write commands, requiring the display panel to include frame buffer memory that the host updates periodically. Video mode suits streaming content while command mode enables power savings for static or slowly changing images.
Display Command Set
The DSI command set provides standardized methods for display initialization, configuration, and control. Manufacturer Command Set (MCS) commands configure panel-specific parameters including gamma correction, power sequencing, and timing adjustments. User Command Set (UCS) commands handle generic operations like pixel format selection, brightness control, and power mode transitions.
DCS (Display Command Set) standardizes common operations across display vendors, enabling more portable driver software. Commands exist for reading display status, setting address windows for partial updates, controlling inversion and scrolling, and managing display power states. Vendor extensions accommodate panel-specific features beyond the standard command set.
Power Management
DSI power management integrates with mobile platform power states through defined interface modes. Ultra-low power state (ULPS) allows lanes to enter a minimal power condition when no transfers occur, reducing standby current to microamps. The escape mode provides a low-speed communication path that operates with reduced lane voltage for additional power savings.
Clock management further reduces power by stopping the clock lane during idle periods. The burst mode concentrates high-speed transfers into short intervals at maximum bandwidth rather than continuous lower-rate transmission, enabling clock and lane circuits to power down between bursts. These techniques collectively minimize display interface contribution to mobile device battery drain.
Embedded DisplayPort
Embedded DisplayPort (eDP) adapts the DisplayPort standard for internal connections between graphics processors and built-in displays in laptops, all-in-one computers, tablets, and automotive displays. The interface inherits DisplayPort's core capabilities while adding features specifically addressing internal panel requirements including power management, reduced pin count, and panel self-refresh.
eDP Versions and Bandwidth
eDP has evolved through multiple versions tracking DisplayPort bandwidth increases while adding embedded-specific features. eDP 1.4 supports HBR3 data rates (8.1 Gbps per lane) enabling 4K panels at high refresh rates. eDP 1.5 added adaptive sync for variable refresh rate operation, reducing power and eliminating tearing in dynamic content.
The interface supports flexible lane configurations from one to four lanes, allowing system designers to balance bandwidth requirements against routing complexity. Lower-resolution panels may use single-lane connections to minimize PCB trace count, while high-resolution or high-refresh panels utilize all four lanes at maximum data rates.
Panel Self-Refresh (PSR)
Panel Self-Refresh enables dramatic power savings when displaying static or slowly changing content. The display panel includes local frame buffer memory that stores the current image, allowing the graphics processor to stop transmitting and enter deep sleep. The panel continues refreshing from its local buffer until content changes require new data.
PSR2 extends this capability with selective update, transmitting only changed screen regions rather than full frames. The graphics processor tracks modified areas and transmits minimal update rectangles to the panel's local memory. This selective approach reduces both transmission power and update latency compared to full-frame PSR transitions.
Regional Backlight Control
eDP supports communication with sophisticated backlight systems that provide zone-based dimming for improved contrast and power efficiency. The interface carries backlight control data specifying brightness levels for independent LED zones, enabling local dimming that reduces backlight behind dark image regions while maintaining full brightness where needed.
Backlight modulation can synchronize with display content changes, adjusting zone brightness as images update. This coordination requires timing alignment between pixel data and backlight commands, managed through the eDP auxiliary channel or embedded in the main link data stream.
eDP Connector and Integration
Internal eDP connections typically use compact board-to-board or board-to-flex connectors rather than the standard DisplayPort connector. The 30-pin and 40-pin eDP connector standards define mechanical and electrical interfaces for panel cables, with the 40-pin version accommodating higher lane counts and additional features.
Tight integration between display drivers, panel timing controllers, and graphics processors optimizes eDP implementations. Panel manufacturers provide initialization sequences and timing parameters that display drivers execute during startup. The absence of cable variation in internal connections simplifies link training, often allowing fixed settings rather than adaptive negotiation.
Video Timing Generation
Video timing generation creates the synchronization signals and pixel clock that coordinate data flow between video sources and displays. Proper timing ensures pixels arrive at the display at precisely the right moments to reconstruct the intended image, with all scanning and refresh operations synchronized to avoid visual artifacts.
Timing Parameters
Video timing specifications define horizontal and vertical active pixels, front porch, sync width, and back porch intervals. The horizontal total equals active pixels plus blanking (front porch + sync + back porch), determining line duration. Similarly, vertical total equals active lines plus vertical blanking, determining frame duration. The pixel clock frequency equals horizontal total multiplied by vertical total multiplied by frame rate.
Standard timing definitions like VESA DMT (Discrete Monitor Timing) and CVT (Coordinated Video Timing) provide proven parameter sets for common resolutions. CVT includes algorithms for calculating optimal timings for arbitrary resolutions, while CVT-R2 (Reduced Blanking version 2) minimizes blanking intervals to reduce required pixel clock frequencies and bandwidth.
Timing Controllers
Display timing controllers (TCONs) receive video data from interface receivers and generate the precise signals required by display panels. In LCD panels, the TCON produces gate driver and source driver timing, coordinates row and column addressing, and manages panel-specific sequences like polarity inversion that prevents image retention.
Modern TCONs incorporate sophisticated processing including overdrive for response time improvement, frame rate conversion for matching source to display rates, and local dimming control. The TCON may also handle resolution scaling, enabling panels to display non-native resolutions with acceptable quality through interpolation algorithms.
Variable Refresh Rate
Variable refresh rate (VRR) technologies including AMD FreeSync and NVIDIA G-SYNC allow displays to synchronize their refresh to source frame delivery rather than running at fixed rates. This synchronization eliminates tearing artifacts that occur when new frames arrive mid-refresh, and reduces stuttering caused by frame rate variations in gaming and video content.
VRR requires the display to accept a range of refresh rates and adjust its internal timing dynamically. The timing controller varies vertical blanking duration to accommodate different frame intervals while maintaining consistent horizontal timing. Minimum and maximum refresh rate limits define the VRR operating window, with low frame rate compensation (LFC) extending the range by displaying frames multiple times when source rates fall below the minimum.
Multi-Display Synchronization
Applications requiring multiple displays to operate as a unified visual surface need timing synchronization across all screens. Genlock (generator lock) synchronizes displays to a common reference signal, ensuring frame boundaries align across the array. Frame lock extends this to synchronize frame buffer page flips, eliminating tearing across display boundaries.
Professional graphics systems provide hardware genlock inputs and outputs for connecting external reference signals or daisy-chaining displays. Software APIs expose synchronization controls to applications, enabling coordinated updates across multi-display configurations. Display walls and simulation systems depend on precise synchronization for seamless visual continuity.
EDID and Display Detection
Extended Display Identification Data (EDID) provides standardized mechanisms for displays to communicate their capabilities to video sources. This information enables automatic configuration of optimal video modes, avoiding incompatible settings that would result in no image or degraded quality. The detection and identification process occurs automatically when devices connect.
EDID Structure and Content
The basic EDID block consists of 128 bytes containing manufacturer identification, serial number, manufacturing date, physical size, supported timing modes, and color characteristics. Extension blocks add capabilities for detailed timing descriptors, audio specifications (for HDMI), and other advanced features. A display may provide multiple extension blocks describing its full capability set.
The preferred timing indicates the display's native or optimal mode that sources should select when possible. Additional timing descriptors list other supported modes including standard resolutions, established timings from common standards, and custom modes for specialized applications. Display physical size enables sources to calculate appropriate DPI for text scaling.
Reading EDID Data
Video sources read EDID through the DDC (Display Data Channel), an I2C bus operating over dedicated pins in the video connector. The display presents its EDID at I2C address 0x50, responding to sequential read requests. Sources typically read EDID during initialization and whenever hot-plug detection indicates a display connection change.
DisplayPort uses the AUX channel rather than DDC for EDID access, with EDID data mapped into DPCD address space. The underlying data format remains compatible, but the access mechanism provides higher bandwidth and integrates with DisplayPort's unified auxiliary communication channel.
Hot Plug Detection
Hot plug detection (HPD) signals indicate when displays connect or disconnect, triggering sources to re-read EDID and reconfigure their video output. In HDMI and DVI, the HPD pin connects to a voltage that rises when a display cable plugs in. DisplayPort uses the HPD pin for both connection detection and interrupt signaling for various events.
The HPD interrupt capability in DisplayPort allows displays to signal events requiring host attention without disconnecting. Link status changes, HDCP authentication requests, and CEC messages can trigger HPD pulses that prompt the source to query status through the AUX channel. This mechanism enables dynamic link management without service interruption.
EDID Challenges and Workarounds
EDID accuracy varies significantly across displays, with some providing incomplete or incorrect capability information. Legacy CRT monitors may report fixed timings despite supporting a wide range, while some flat panels claim support for modes they display poorly. Users sometimes need manual override to achieve optimal results despite EDID automation.
EDID emulators and managers address scenarios where normal EDID exchange fails. KVM switches, extenders, and matrix switches may not properly pass EDID, requiring devices that learn EDID from connected displays and present consistent data to sources. Custom EDID programming enables forcing specific modes that displays don't advertise but actually support.
Content Protection (HDCP)
High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) encrypts video content traversing digital display interfaces to prevent unauthorized copying. Mandated by content providers for premium video delivery, HDCP creates an authenticated, encrypted channel between source and display that pirates cannot easily intercept or record.
HDCP Authentication
HDCP authentication begins with a challenge-response exchange using keys derived from device-specific secret values combined with a shared key set controlled by the licensing authority. Each licensed device contains a unique key selection vector (KSV) identifying its key set and enabling revocation of compromised devices. Authentication must complete before protected content can display.
The authentication protocol establishes a session key used to encrypt the video stream. Both transmitter and receiver derive matching session keys from exchanged values, enabling decryption at the display. Re-authentication occurs periodically and whenever connection status changes, ensuring continuous protection throughout playback sessions.
HDCP Versions
HDCP 1.x operates over HDMI and DVI connections using the DDC channel for authentication messages. The encryption uses a custom cipher that processes pixel data as it transmits. While adequate for initial deployment, HDCP 1.x has been compromised through published master keys and hardware vulnerabilities.
HDCP 2.x addresses 1.x weaknesses with stronger cryptographic primitives including RSA for authentication and AES for content encryption. Designed to support various transport mechanisms, HDCP 2.x protects content over HDMI, DisplayPort, and wireless display connections. The upgraded protection satisfies content provider requirements for 4K and premium streaming video.
Repeater Authentication
HDCP accommodates signal paths through intermediate devices like AV receivers and distribution amplifiers using repeater authentication. The upstream device authenticates with each downstream device, aggregating their KSVs into a device list that propagates back to the source. The source verifies that no revoked devices appear in the chain before releasing protected content.
Repeater topology limits restrict chain depth and device count to manageable levels. HDCP 2.x supports deeper topologies than 1.x while maintaining security through enhanced protocols. Compliance testing verifies that repeaters properly implement authentication relay and maintain content protection throughout their signal paths.
Implementation Considerations
HDCP implementation requires licensing from the Digital Content Protection LLC organization, which manages the master key database and revocation lists. Licensed devices receive unique key sets programmed during manufacturing. The licensing terms impose technical requirements and audit obligations that add complexity and cost to device development.
Content applications must coordinate HDCP authentication with playback pipelines, refusing to display protected content until authentication succeeds and halting playback if authentication fails or connection changes occur. Error handling must distinguish HDCP failures from other display issues, providing appropriate user feedback about content protection requirements.
Alternative Protection Methods
Watermarking complements encryption by embedding identifying information in displayed content that survives recording attempts. Forensic watermarks can trace leaked content back to specific devices or accounts, providing deterrence and investigation capability even when encryption is defeated. Robust watermarking survives format conversion, compression, and other transformations.
Output control mechanisms restrict what connections can carry protected content. Some streaming services require HDCP on all outputs, while others allow unprotected playback at reduced resolution. Device manufacturers implement policy enforcement that content providers configure through rights management systems, controlling the conditions under which premium content displays.
Emerging Standards and Future Directions
Display interface technology continues evolving to meet demands for higher resolution, increased dynamic range, and enhanced color reproduction. New standards address bandwidth limitations while maintaining compatibility and enabling innovative display capabilities.
High Dynamic Range Transport
HDR video requires transport of wider color gamuts and higher bit depths than standard dynamic range content. Both HDMI 2.0a and DisplayPort 1.4 added static HDR metadata transport indicating content mastering parameters. HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4 extended this with dynamic metadata enabling scene-by-scene or frame-by-frame tone mapping optimization.
HDR metadata standards including HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and HLG define different approaches to specifying content characteristics and display mapping. Interface specifications accommodate these formats through InfoFrames (HDMI) or SDP packets (DisplayPort) that carry the appropriate metadata alongside video data.
Display Stream Compression
Display Stream Compression (DSC) provides visually lossless compression enabling higher resolutions over bandwidth-limited interfaces. The standard defines compression ratios from 2:1 to 4:1 that reduce transmitted data while maintaining visual quality indistinguishable from uncompressed transmission in typical viewing conditions.
DSC operates on a slice basis, enabling parallel encode and decode paths for low latency. Both HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4 incorporate DSC, making 8K resolution practical over existing cable infrastructure. The compression standard evolves independently from interface specifications, with DSC 1.2a addressing high-frame-rate applications.
Unified Interface Convergence
USB Type-C has emerged as a convergence point for display connectivity through Alternate Modes that carry HDMI or DisplayPort signals over USB-C cables. USB4 deepens this integration with tunneling protocols that carry DisplayPort alongside USB data, Thunderbolt, and PCI Express over a common physical layer.
This convergence promises simplified connectivity where a single cable type handles all peripheral connections. However, it also creates complexity as cables, ports, and devices may support different capability subsets. Clear capability communication through branding and technical means remains an ongoing challenge for unified connector adoption.
Summary
Video standards and protocols have evolved from simple analog connections to sophisticated digital interfaces capable of delivering unprecedented visual quality. Understanding these interfaces—from legacy VGA through modern HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 2.0, plus mobile-focused MIPI DSI and embedded eDP—provides the foundation for designing systems that connect visual content sources to displays effectively.
The interplay of timing generation, display detection through EDID, and content protection through HDCP creates a complex ecosystem that engineers must navigate when implementing video systems. As displays continue advancing toward higher resolutions, wider color gamuts, and increased dynamic range, video interfaces will continue evolving to transport the ever-increasing data rates these capabilities demand while maintaining the compatibility and ease of use that consumers expect.