The Mini DisplayPort (MiniDP or mDP) is a miniaturized and less common version of the DisplayPort

audio-visual Audiovisual (AV) is electronic media possessing both a sound and a visual component, such as slide-tape presentations, films, television programs, corporate conferencing, church services, and live theater productions. Audiovisual service pro ...

digital interface. It was announced by Apple in October 2008, and by early 2013 all new Apple Macintosh computers had Mini DisplayPort, as did the LED Cinema Display. However, in 2016 Apple began phasing out the port and replacing it with the new

USB-C USB-C (properly known as USB Type-C) is a 24-pin USB connector system with a rotationally symmetrical connector. The designation C refers only to the connector's physical configuration or form factor and should not be confused with the conn ...

connector. The Mini DisplayPort is also fitted to some PC motherboards, video cards, and some PC notebooks from Asus, Microsoft, MSI, Lenovo, Toshiba, HP,

Dell Dell is an American based technology company. It develops, sells, repairs, and supports computers and related products and services. Dell is owned by its parent company, Dell Technologies. Dell sells personal computers (PCs), Server (computin ...

, and other manufacturers. Apple offers a free license for the Mini DisplayPort but they reserve the right to cancel the license should the licensee "commence an action for patent infringement against Apple".

Specifications

Unlike its

Mini-DVI The Mini-DVI connector is used on certain Apple computers as a digital alternative to the Mini-VGA connector. Its size is between the full-sized DVI and the tiny Micro-DVI. It is found on the 12-inch PowerBook G4 (except the original 12-inch ...

and

Micro-DVI The Micro-DVI port is a proprietary video output port found in the original MacBook Air. It is smaller than the Mini-DVI port used by its MacBook models. To use the port for displaying video on a standard monitor or television, an adapter must b ...

predecessors, the Mini DisplayPort can drive display devices with resolutions up to 2560×1600 ( WQXGA) in its DisplayPort 1.1a implementation, and 4096×2160 ( 4K) in its DisplayPort 1.2 implementation. With an adapter, the Mini DisplayPort can drive display devices with

VGA Video Graphics Array (VGA) is a video display controller and accompanying de facto graphics standard, first introduced with the IBM PS/2 line of computers in 1987, which became ubiquitous in the PC industry within three years. The term can now ...

DVI Digital Visual Interface (DVI) is a video display interface developed by the Digital Display Working Group (DDWG). The digital interface is used to connect a video source, such as a video display controller, to a display device, such as a comp ...

, or HDMI interfaces.

Compatibility

Apple replaced the DVI port from the MacBook,

MacBook Air The MacBook Air is a line of ultrabook computers developed and manufactured by Apple Inc. It consists of a full-size keyboard, a machined aluminum case, and, in the more modern versions, a thin light structure. The Air was originally positione ...

, MacBook Pro, iMac,

Mac Mini Mac Mini (stylized as Mac mini) is a small form factor desktop computer developed and marketed by Apple Inc. , it is positioned between the consumer all-in-one iMac and the professional Mac Studio and Mac Pro as one of four current Mac deskto ...

, and the Mac Pro with the Mini DisplayPort. Its use as the video connector for the 24-inch Cinema Display may complicate compatibility: * Mini DisplayPort's HDCP extension disables playback of certain

DRM DRM may refer to: Government, military and politics * Defense reform movement, U.S. campaign inspired by Col. John Boyd * Democratic Republic of Madagascar, a former socialist state (1975–1992) on Madagascar * Direction du renseignement milita ...

-encrypted content on any display not designed for it. This includes some content from the iTunes Store which has no such restrictions if played on a Mac without Mini DisplayPort. * Apple's Dual-Link DVI or VGA adapters are relatively large and expensive compared to past adapters, and customers have reported problems with them, such as being unable to connect to an external display. Monitors connected to a Mini DisplayPort via these adaptors may have resolution problems or not "wake up" from sleep. * While the DisplayPort specification can support digital audio, the older 2009 line of MacBooks, MacBook Pros, and Mac Minis cannot provide an audio signal through the Mini DisplayPort, and only do so over USB, Firewire, or the audio line out port. (The April 2010 line of MacBook Pro, Mid 2010 MacBook, and July 2010 iMac and later do support this). This can be a problem for users who want to connect their computers to HDTVs using a Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter. To work around this issue, some third-party manufacturers have created dual or triple-headed adapters that get power for the adapter from a USB port, video from the Mini DisplayPort, and audio from either the USB port or the optical-out port. Either option terminates with a single female HDMI connector, thus allowing both video and audio to be channeled over the single HDMI cable.

Adoption

* In early 2009,

VESA VESA (), formally known as Video Electronics Standards Association, is an American technical standards organization for computer display standards. The organization was incorporated in California in July 1989To retrieve the information, searc ...

announced that Mini DisplayPort would be included in the upcoming DisplayPort 1.2 specification. * In the fourth quarter of 2009, VESA announced that the Mini DisplayPort had been adopted. All devices using the Mini DisplayPort must comply with the 1.1a standard. *On 7 January 2010, Toshiba introduced Satellite Pro S500, Tecra M11, A11 and S11 notebooks featuring Mini DisplayPort. *

AMD Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) is an American multinational semiconductor company based in Santa Clara, California, that develops computer processors and related technologies for business and consumer markets. While it initially manufact ...

released a special variant of its Radeon HD 5870 graphics card called the Radeon HD 5870 Eyefinity 6 Edition, which features 2GB GDDR5 memory, higher clock speeds than the original card, and six Mini DisplayPort outputs with a maximum resolution of 5760 × 2160 pixels (a 3×2 grid of

1080p 1080p (1920×1080 progressively displayed pixels; also known as Full HD or FHD, and BT.709) is a set of HDTV high-definition video modes characterized by 1,920 pixels displayed across the screen horizontally and 1,080 pixels down the screen verti ...

displays). *On 13 April 2010, Apple added support for audio out using Mini DisplayPort in their MacBook Pro product line. This allows users to easily connect their Macbook Pros to their HDTVs using a cable adapting Mini DisplayPort to HDMI with full audio and video functionality. *On 5 May 2010, HP announced Envy 14 and Envy 17 notebooks with Mini DisplayPort. *On 20 October 2010,

announced XPS 14, 15, and 17 notebooks with Mini DisplayPort. *On 24 February 2011, Apple and Intel announced Thunderbolt, a successor to Mini DisplayPort which adds support for PCI Express data connections while maintaining backwards compatibility with Mini DisplayPort-based peripherals. *On 17 May 2011, Lenovo announced the

ThinkPad X1 The ThinkPad X1 series is a line of high-end ThinkPad laptops and tablets produced by Lenovo. The current model list contains six lines of machines: * X1 Carbon - mainstream premium 14-inch model * X1 Yoga - the convertible 14-inch version ** ...

notebook with Mini DisplayPort. *In May 2011,

released the XPS 15z notebook with Mini DisplayPort. *On 15 May 2012, Lenovo announced the ThinkPad notebooks X1 Carbon, Helix, X230, L430, L530, T430s, T430, T530, T550, W530 with Mini DisplayPort. *In 2012, Intel shipped the second generation Intel NUC of which the top model with an i5 had a Mini DisplayPort and the top i3 model had Thunderbolt through a Mini DisplayPort. *On 9 February 2013, Microsoft released the Surface Tablet, Surface Pro, equipped with Windows 8 Pro and Mini DisplayPort. *In June 2013, Intel shipped the third-generation Intel NUC with both Mini HDMI and Mini DisplayPort. (The i3 and i5 models, not the Celeron or Atom models) *On 5 July 2013, Asus announced new N Series laptops N550 and N750 with both HDMI and Mini DisplayPort. *On 25 July 2013,

announced the Precision M3800 mobile workstation with Mini DisplayPort. *On 8 August 2013,

announced the

Latitude In geography, latitude is a coordinate that specifies the north–south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from –90° at the south pole to 90° at the north pole ...

E7240 and E7440 business notebooks with Mini DisplayPort. *On 9 September 2013, Lenovo announced the ThinkPad X240s, L440, L540, T440, T440s, T440p, T540p and W540 with Mini DisplayPort. *On 22 October 2013, Microsoft released the Surface Pro 2, equipped with Windows 8.1 Pro and Mini DisplayPort. *On 20 June 2014, Microsoft released the Surface Pro 3 with Mini DisplayPort. *On 5 May 2015, Microsoft released the

Surface 3 Surface 3 is a 2-in-1 detachable from the Microsoft Surface series, introduced by Microsoft in 2015. Unlike its predecessor, the Surface 2, Surface 3 utilizes an x86 Intel Atom system-on-chip architecture, or SoC, rather than a processor wit ...

with Mini DisplayPort. *On 6 October 2015, Microsoft released the

Surface Book The Surface Book is a 2-in-1 PC designed and produced by Microsoft, part of the company's Surface line of personal computing devices. Surface Book is distinguished from other Surface devices primarily by its full-sized, detachable keyboard, wh ...

, equipped with Windows 10 Pro and Mini DisplayPort. *On 10 October 2015, Microsoft released the

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, equipped with Windows 10 Pro and Mini DisplayPort. *On 2 June 2016,

Gigabyte The gigabyte () is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. The prefix '' giga'' means 109 in the International System of Units (SI). Therefore, one gigabyte is one billion bytes. The unit symbol for the gigabyte is GB. This definit ...

announced the Aero 14 with Mini DisplayPort. *On 11 November 2016, ECS Liva released the Liva Z Mini PC with Mini DisplayPort. *On 15 December 2016, Microsoft released the

Surface Studio The Surface Studio is an all-in-one PC, designed and produced by Microsoft as part of its Surface series of Windows-based personal computing devices. It was announced at the Windows 10 Devices Event on October 26, 2016, with pre-orders begin ...

with Mini DisplayPort. *On 15 June 2017, Microsoft released the

Surface Laptop The Surface Laptop is a line of laptops marketed by Microsoft, as a sub-brand of their Surface A surface, as the term is most generally used, is the outermost or uppermost layer of a physical object or space. It is the portion or region of t ...

, equipped with Windows 10 Pro, and the fifth-generation Surface Pro, equipped with Windows 10 Pro, both with Mini DisplayPort. *On 16 October 2018, Microsoft released the

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, equipped with Mini DisplayPort.

References

{{Solid-state drive Apple Inc. hardware Digital display connectors VESA Computer-related introductions in 2008 Apple Inc. displays

Specifications

Compatibility

Adoption

See also

References