Overview of DP

DisplayPort is the first display communication port that relies on packetized data transmission technology. This packetized transmission technology can be found in technologies such as Ethernet, USB, and PCI Express. It can be used for both internal display connections and external display connections. Unlike the past standards that required fixed transmission timer signals in differential pairs at each output end, the DisplayPort protocol is based on small data packets called micro-messages. These micro-messages can embed the timer signals in the data stream, and their advantage is that they can achieve higher resolution with only a smaller number of pins. The application of data packets also allows for the scalability of DisplayPort, which means that over time, the physical communication ports themselves do not need significant changes to add additional functions. 
DisplayPort can simultaneously transmit both audio and video, and each of these can be transmitted independently without the other. Each color channel in the video signal path can have 6 to 16 bits, and the audio path can have up to 8 channels of 24-bit 192 kHz uncompressed PCM audio, or can encapsulate compressed audio formats within the audio stream. A bidirectional, half-duplex auxiliary channel carries device management and control data for the main link, such as VESA EDID, MCCS, and DPMS standards. Additionally, this communication port is capable of transporting bidirectional USB signals.
DisplayPort signals are incompatible with DVI or HDMI. However, dual-mode DisplayPorts are designed to transmit single-link DVI or HDMI 1.2/1.4 protocols through this communication port, which requires the use of an external passive connector to achieve this, select the desired signal, and convert the electrical signal from LVDS to TMDS. Dual-mode DisplayPorts with passive connectors do not support VGA and dual-link DVI. These communication ports require active connectors to convert the desired output protocol and signal. VGA connectors can be powered using DisplayPort connectors, while dual-link DVI connectors may rely on an external power source (refer to HDMI, DVI, and VGA compatibility).
DisplayPort connectors can have 1, 2, or 4 differential data pairs (wedges) in the main link, and each pair of wedges can operate at a self-timer rate of 162, 270, or 540 MHz, with an original code rate of 1.62, 2.7, or 5.4 Gbit/s. The data is encoded as 8b/10b, meaning that every 8-bit message is encoded into 10-bit symbols. Therefore, the effective data transmission rate per channel after decoding is 1.296, 2.16, or 4.32 Gbit/s (or 80% of the total).