when you read this , then i would say go to a shop and simply buy a HDMI cable to connect your computer / laptop to your big screen tv....
but when you want to know more then continuous reading...
DisplayPort to HDMI adapters generally cost about 7 dollars.
But if you want to go the other way round, you will need to dive a whole lot deeper into your pockets.
The reason? An HDMI to DisplayPort conversion always requires an active instead of a passive adapter.
But what exactly is going on inside these adapters, and is converting DP to HDMI always that easy?
And is there a difference between consumer and professional use?
DisplayPort and HDMI were created by different consortiums, with different applications in mind.
HDMI was conceived by manufacturers of displays, whereas DisplayPort comes from the IT-world.
In other words, we could say that DisplayPort comes from the video source side (AV receivers, computers, etc.), and HDMI more from the visualization side (HDTV, projectors, etc.).
Although certainly not a general truth, it is more likely you want to connect a DisplayPort output to an HDMI input than the other way round.
DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort
First, let’s talk about the similarities between DVI and HDMI.
Because HDMI was created as a follow-up to DVI, the two standards were very similar at the beginning. They both use TMDS (Transition-Minimized Differential Signaling), a technology to transmit data.
Using a simple connector-to-connector type adapter, you could switch from DVI to HDMI and vice versa.
This applies to single link DVI, supporting resolutions up to 2048 x 1200.
For resolutions above HD, however, there is High Speed HDMI, which diverts from the dual link DVI you would use.
So you do need an active adapter to make the conversion.
Note however that HDMI does support digital audio, whereas DVI is purely a video standard.
So if you want to use both audio and video, you either need to use a (quite expensive) converter, or connect the audio to the display in a different way - for example via the headphone jack.
DisplayPort (and mini DisplayPort) on the other hand, is something completely different.
It uses another signal type technology and even a lower cable voltage (3.3 V instead of the 5 V of HDMI/DVI).
This makes the passive DP-to-HDMI adapter even more mysterious…
Making the translation
The tippy technology that allows the use of a simple passive adapter, is called DisplayPort Dual-Mode (or DP++).
Although this is an optional feature and not part of the actual standard, it is available on most consumer devices’ video cards.
You might find the DP++ logo on the device, but because it is so widespread most modern consumer products don’t mention the logo either.
The theory of DP++ is actually quite simple: when the device detects an HDMI adapter attached to it, the graphics card or GPU (Graphical Processing Unit) will automatically make a translation and send HDMI TMDS signals via the video output.
The pins of the DisplayPort connector are then mapped onto the HDMI pins, making the transition very simple.
The system is completely plug and play and does not need any driver to work.
Note however that this simple transition only applies to single-link DVI signals, so up to HD resolution.
Furthermore, when you want to connect multiple DVI or HDMI monitors to a DisplayPort output, you will need an active adapter or splitter as well.
Many graphics cards can’t support DP++ output to multiple monitors.
Check with the customer service of the graphics card manufacturer for the type of adapter that suits your requirements the best.
