Wednesday, January 6, 2010

CES preview: USB 3.0 video streaming chip from DisplayLink


Small wonder why USB 2.0 technology doesn't score as a proper video carrier. Attempts to push 3D video game graphics or a movie in HD result in glitches from low frame rates (60fps and 27fps respectively). DisplayLink, USB 2.0 video streaming pioneer, has sold a million of their specialized chips last year. But you have probably guessed already that the latest USB 3.0 standard brings a lot of potential into the concept. So did they, and with ten times more the bandwidth DisplayLink puts a lot of effort in designing a new USB 3.0 compatible chip. They will show it as soon as CES 2010 starts.

DisplayLink officials say that 4.8Gbps are more than enough to transmit any sort of video to display of any size and resolution. While this is apparent, the peculiar thing is that they are into a bit of a split with what the first video carrying chip was designed for. That was designed to replace VGA and DVI ports with a standard USB hub. This is what USB itself is for - combining all the different types of ports at the back of your computer into one easy to use, small and fast port. The next USB chip that is coming is planed primarily for notebooks. Latest AMD and Intel powered machines are fully capable of providing adequate gaming experience as well as decoding H.264 so constant need to plug and unplug a display at work, home, elsewhere is more likely to happen rather than with a desktop.

As it was mentioned above, USB 2.0 chip hasn't effected industry too much. However, when analytics considered 3.0 technology, they have come up with figures varying from a couple of millions to tens of millions sales per year. I think that is an entirely possible thing to happen because pretty much every manufacturer apart from Apple collaborates with DisplayLink now.

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