HDMI, DisplayPort, vs USB-C – Difference and Comparison

What is HDMI?

The HDMI is an abbreviation of the high-definition multimedia interface that helps transfer high-definition audio and video and is the most frequently used HD signal. It is used in many commercial AV sectors and is the most used cable for connecting different household devices.

It connects many digital devices like Digital versatile discs (DVD) players, digital television (DTV) players, set-top boxes, audio-visual devices, BluRay players, Xbox, PlayStation, and apple TV with television. This simple and effective cable connects most home AV devices.

Still, HDMI is now featured on laptops and PCs, becoming the standard for the corporate and commercial markets. It connects multimedia devices for education, presentation, digital signage, and retail display to transmit high-quality audio-video signals from the device to the device.

What is DisplayPort?

The DisplayPort is an interface cable that connects two or more devices. It is an interface for digital displays and is specifically used to connect computer monitors. It is developed by the video electronics standards association (VESA) as a high-performance replacement for Video graphics array (VGA) and digital visual interface (DVI).

It also connects audio, USB, and another form of data. DP cable is used to connect monitors and projectors, and laptops. DP is similar to high-speed HDMI regarding bandwidth but can transfer peak resolution data 60HZ vs. HDMI 24 HZ and have a higher refresh rate.

A DisplayPort to HDMI connector cable is also available commercially, which is used to connect a DisplayPort to HDMI.

What is USB-C?

A recent type of USB connector cable is a type-C USB. The 24-pin USB connector has a rotationally symmetrical connector.

It is convenient, faster, and more potent than older USBs; type c quickly charges popular devices, including the MacBook and mobiles, and helps in faster data transfer. It acts as a data connector and a power cable in a single cable.

Nowadays, USB-C connectors are seen on many gadgets, from simple external hard drives to expensive laptops and the latest smartphones. While all USB-C ports have the same appearance, not all have the same functions.

Although USB-C is now widely used, it has different uses everywhere. The USB-C connector is unique for being bidirectional, permitting connectors to be placed into sockets in either direction.

Difference Between HDMI, DisplayPort, and USB-C

HDMI, DisplayPort, and USB-C are popular connectors for linking your display to your PC.

High-speed HDMI cables are capable gaming connectors, but they lack Gsync support. HDMI cables are standard for connecting DVD players and current HDTVs. Still, high-speed HDMI cables are best for gaming consoles like Xbox and PlayStation.

 At the same time,  the DisplayPort cables can transmit more signals and are best used when you connect more than one monitor to your computers, even for gaming on a computer.

In contrast, The MacBook Pro and Nintendo Switch can be charged quickly with USB-C connectors, and data can be transferred faster than any other USB type. USB C is faster and becoming a standard data-transferring connector in various computing devices. It is also best suited for gaming devices like Nintendo.

Comparison Between HDMI, DisplayPort, and USB-C

References

1. Eidson, S., Gaines, B. and Wolf, P., 2003, May. 30.2: HDMI: High‐Definition Multimedia Interface. In SID Symposium Digest of Technical Papers (Vol. 34, No. 1, pp. 1024-1027). Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
2. Song, J., Jung, I., Song, M., Kwak, Y.H., Hwang, S. and Kim, C., 2012. A 1.62 Gb/s–2.7 Gb/s referenceless transceivers for DisplayPort v1. 1a with weighted phase and frequency detection. IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems I: Regular Papers, 60(2), pp.268-278.
3. Hasanah, R.N., Starr, T., Gazali, E. and Taufik, T., 2019, October. DC-DC Converter for USB-C Power Adapter in Residential DC Electricity. In 2019 IEEE Conference on Energy Conversion (CENCON) (pp. 207-212). IEEE.