Question

Difficulty: MediumDisplay Cables and Connectors

A desktop support technician is auditing video hardware to ensure workstation graphics cards are connected using the appropriate interfaces for specialized display features. Match each video interface standard on the left with its primary technical capability or signal characteristic on the right.

  • DisplayPort 1.4Supports Multi-Stream Transport (MST) allowing multiple independent displays to be daisy-chained from a single output.
  • DVI-D Dual-LinkTransmits purely digital signals using two TMDS links to support resolutions up to 2560 × 1600 at 60 Hz without analog pins.
  • DVI-I Single-LinkCombines digital and analog signal pins on a single connector utilizing a single TMDS link up to 1920 × 1200 resolution.
  • HDMI 2.0Widely used consumer/commercial interface supporting 4K resolution at 60 Hz along with Audio Return Channel (ARC).

Answer

DisplayPort 1.4 matches with Multi-Stream Transport (MST) daisy-chaining support; DVI-D Dual-Link matches with purely digital dual TMDS link signals up to 2560 × 1600; DVI-I Single-Link matches with combined digital and analog signal pins up to 1920 × 1200; HDMI 2.0 matches with 4K at 60 Hz support and Audio Return Channel (ARC).
Each display standard is matched to its key physical and signal specifications: DisplayPort 1.4 is distinguished by its support for MST daisy-chaining; DVI-D Dual-Link provides purely digital dual-channel TMDS signals up to 2560 × 1600; DVI-I Single-Link includes integrated analog pins with a single TMDS channel capped at 1920 × 1200; and HDMI 2.0 provides 4K at 60 Hz along with Audio Return Channel (ARC).

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the distinct features of DisplayPort.
DisplayPort natively supports Multi-Stream Transport (MST), allowing multiple display monitors to be driven in a daisy-chain configuration from a single DisplayPort connector.
MST is a unique feature of DisplayPort specifications starting from version 1.2.
2
Differentiate between DVI-D Dual-Link and DVI-I Single-Link pinouts and capabilities.
DVI-D provides digital-only signals (no analog pins around the flat blade) and Dual-Link provides double TMDS bandwidth (supporting 2560 × 1600). DVI-I incorporates Integrated digital and analog pins, with Single-Link limited to 1920 × 1200.
The 'D' in DVI-D stands for Digital-only, while 'I' stands for Integrated. Dual-link adds pins for a second TMDS data channel.
3
Match the HDMI 2.0 specification to its standard features.
HDMI 2.0 added support for 4K video at 60 Hz along with consumer audio features such as Audio Return Channel (ARC).
HDMI 2.0 increased interface throughput to 18 Gbps to accommodate higher frame rates at 4K resolution.

Key Concept

Display Cables and Connectors
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