DisplayPort (DP) is a digital display interface developed by a consortium of PC and chip manufacturers and standardized by the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA). It is primarily used to connect a video source to a display device such as a computer monitor. It can also carry audio, USB, and other forms of data.[1] DisplayPort was designed to replace VGA, FPD-Link, and Digital Visual Interface (DVI). It is backward compatible with other interfaces, such as HDMI and DVI, through the use of either active or passive adapters.[2]
DVI is digital signal for the better signal transmission with TMDS clock rate. DVI and HDMI are both based on the TMDS signal. DVI has the single link and dual link solution. The maximum resolution is only up to 2K@60Hz.
HDMI is digital signal for the better signal transmission with TMDS clock rate. Usually in our life, we are using HDMI Type-A slot with 19 pins.
DisplayPort is digital signal for better signal transmission. It is the first display interface to rely on packetized data transmission.
Mini DisplayPort are the same protocol with DisplayPort protocl. But the shape is more compact.
The DisplayPort and HDMI are different protocol, the conversion will be uni-directional. When VESA design the displayport protocol, it also consider about the back compatibility with HDMI and DVI, so there are ACTIVE DP-HDMI, DP-DVI solution and PASSIVE DP-HDMI, DP-DVI Solution.
The ACTIVE DP-HDMI/DP-DVI solution will make the protocol conversion, the PASSIVE DP-HDMI/DP-DVI will only make the TMDS signal level shift without protocol conversion. So the product cost will be different.
The DisplayPort protocol is digital, the vga signal is analog, the conversion is a protocol conversion and it's also uni-directional. The following solution will only convert the signal from DisplayPort source to VGA display.