DisplayPort 1.4 & 1.2 - What's the difference?
DisplayPort cables have offered broad and impressive bandwidth for data transmission since their first iteration, which is only improved in successive generations.
Regarding DisplayPort 1.4 vs 1.2, the newer standard is more capable, but DisplayPort 1.2 is still impressive.
DisplayPort 1.2 offers a maximum total bandwidth of 21.6 Gbps over its four lanes and a maximum total data rate of 17.28 Gbps. In comparison, DisplayPort 1.4 has the same four-lane structure but expands the maximum total bandwidth to 32.40 Gbps, and the maximum total data rate to 25.92 Gbps.
DisplayPort 1.4, however, takes things a much greater step further. It supports 1440p resolution up to 240Hz and even 4K at up to 120Hz. It also supports 5K resolution at up to 60Hz, and even 8K resolution at 30Hz.
DisplayPort 1.4 has a maximum total bandwidth of 32.4Gbps and a maximum total data rate of 25.92 Gbps. This gives it enough bandwidth to handle a 4K UHD stream at up to 120Hz with 24-bit/px colour, or a 5K display at up to 60Hz, with 30-bit/px colour. It even supports 8K video, but only up to 30Hz due to the hefty bandwidth demands.
Another important feature of DisplayPort 1.4 is the introduction of Display Stream Compression 1.2 support (DSC). As a visually lossless encoding technique, DSC is a fantastic way to get more for your cabling, and with DisplayPort 1.4 coupled to a DSC supported display, you can support 4K at up to 120Hz with 30-bit/px colour and HDR-enabled or 8K at up to 60Hz.
Additional benefits include support for Dual-mode for DVI and HDMI, making it possible to connect a DisplayPort 1.4 device to an HDMI 2.0 source or vice versa. It also includes better support for HDR10 metadata and forward error correction for a noiseless transmission.
Another significant improvement with DisplayPort 1.4 was on the audio front, where it moved from a maximum audio sample rate of 768kHz to 1,536kHz. It also increased the maximum number of audio channels from 8 to 32.
DisplayPort 1.4 cables are backwards compatible with older DisplayPort devices, using a full-size or Mini DisplayPort connection.