Understanding the eDP Display Interface: Features and Benefits

This page dives into the eDP (Embedded DisplayPort) display interface, which is commonly used for transferring images. We’ll cover the basics of the eDP interface and explore its various benefits.

Introduction

There are several common display interfaces used today, including LVDS, RGB, MIPI, Vx1, and eDP. This article will focus on understanding the eDP interface, its merits, and any potential drawbacks.

What is the eDP Display Interface?

The eDP interface was introduced in 2009 by the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA). It’s predominantly implemented in LCD TFT displays within consumer electronic devices.

One of the key reasons for its popularity is that it offers several advantages over the older LVDS interface, leading some to call it the “new LVDS.”

Modern Intel and AMD processors often feature the eDP interface as a native display interface, and it’s particularly widespread in notebooks.

eDP can handle demanding display specifications, such as:

• 3840 x 2160 pixels at 60 frames per second (FPS) with 24 bits per pixel (bpp)
• 1920 x 1080 pixels at 240 FPS with 24 bpp
• 2650 x 1600 pixels at 60 FPS with 48 bpp

In fact, eDP can support graphics resolutions up to 8K.

The eDP interface relies on differential signaling. One pair of signals is dedicated to the clock, and another handles the data. Half-duplex AUX channels are used to configure the LCD TFT controllers.

While the overall structure of eDP is similar to LVDS, it employs different packaging for information transfer.

The eDP interface uses the following modes for data synchronization:

• VSYNC: Vertical Synchronization
• HSYNC: Horizontal Synchronization
• DE: Data Enable

Benefits or Advantages of the eDP Interface

Here are some of the key benefits of using the eDP interface:

• Fewer Signal Wires: Requires fewer signal wires compared to LVDS, simplifying the design and reducing cost.
• Higher Data Rate: Supports a higher data rate, with bandwidth up to 1.62 GB/s, enabling higher resolution and refresh rates.
• EMI Resistance: Relatively resistant to electromagnetic interference (EMI), leading to a cleaner signal.
• Sub-Micron Compatibility: Compatible with sub-micron chip processes, allowing for smaller and more efficient designs.
• Power Saving Features: Supports advanced power-saving features, which is crucial for extending battery life in portable devices.

For more information, be sure to check out resources that compare the advantages and disadvantages of other interface protocols such as RGB, Vx1, UART, SPI, I2C, I2S, Serial interface, and Parallel interface.