Palm Springs, CA — Intel Corporation announced at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) the formation of a Digital Display Working Group which will address the industry’s requirements for a digital connectivity specification for digital displays and high-performance PCs.
The working group, a cooperative effort by Intel, Compaq, Dell, Fujitsu, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Microsoft, NEC and Silicon Image will define a robust, comprehensive and extensible interface specification addressing protocol, electrical, and mechanical definitions.
“Digital displays will free the industry to deliver lower cost, higher quality innovative form-factor solutions to enhance the visual computing experience on Intel Architecture-based PC platforms,” said Pat Gelsinger, vice president of Intel’s Desktop Products Group. “By delivering a robust, comprehensive and extensible interface specification, the Digital Display Working Group will help clear the path for product integration and legacy removal within the platform, thereby reducing cost and increasing performance.”
To date, several specifications and consortiums exist for digital displays, causing a confusing environment for system manufacturers and end users. The objective of the Digital Display Working Group is to deliver a single industry specification that defines the interface between digital displays and high-performance PCs in order to eliminate the confusion.
“As a leader in delivering Digital Flat Panel Displays to the consumer market, Compaq is very excited to join the Digital Display Working Group to advance the next generation of digital display technology,” said Rod Schrock, senior vice president, Compaq. “This new, robust industry specification for advanced digital connectivity will enhance the end user’s future PC experience while protecting consumers’ investments today. This will make it easier and quicker to take advantage of new, high-quality digital display technologies.”
“As a strong advocate of industry-standard technologies, Dell recognizes that customers who use external digital displays need greater selection and choice regarding the interoperability of the monitor and system,” said Eric Harslem, senior vice president, product and technology strategy, Dell. “Dell is committed to the goal of offering easy access to new display technologies through the support of standard, high-performance digital interfaces, and it supports the formation of the Digital Display Working Group as a way to accomplish this.”
“Creation of a single Digital Connectivity standard is important to the PC industry and to PC users as it will enable interchangeable use of a wide variety of display technologies with very high quality,” said Carl Stork, general manager, Windows Operating Systems Division, Microsoft Corporation. “With the formation of the Digital Display Working Group, there is now a forum for the industry to quickly achieve this. We are pleased to have played a major part in the process of establishing this working group and are very pleased that everybody has agreed to back the same standard.”
By working together on establishing an industry connectivity specification, members of the Digital Display Working Group hope to deliver a complete, open specification that will accelerate the adoption and implementation of high-quality digital displays on the PC platform, allowing for a better visual experience. The working group expects to complete the specification by the first quarter of 1999.