Gennum Corp. is expanding its ActiveConnect family of high-speed digital interfaces with a new connectivity solution to extend the reach of its DisplayPort cable products. The Burlington, Ont., company's DisplayPort interface for laptops, PCs, media servers, home theatres and DVRs, supports up to10.8 Gb/s data rate over a two meter cable (roughly six feet). By using Gennum's ActiveConnect GV8502 device, a small, cost-effective semiconductor solution, within a standard copper cable assembly, displays are said to be able to be driven at distances up to 30 meters (roughly 100 feet) - more than 15 times the reach of passive DisplayPort cables.
"We see broad market adoption of DisplayPort, in commercial applications such as digital signage and business projectors found in meeting/conference rooms, auditoriums and training facilities" Vijay Sharma, Gennunm's director of product marketing for analog and mixed-signal products, said in a release. "These applications require cables as long as 100 feet, and have therefore been unable to take advantage of the multimedia quality that DisplayPort offers."
The GV8502-based solution is an active, receive-only solution that will be sold as part of a reference design kit containing a demonstration cable and design collateral. The kit can be leveraged to design cables, dongles, boosters and extenders capable of supporting the full suite of DisplayPort features and functions. The ActiveConnect reference design kit for DisplayPort will be available in January 2009. Initial volume pricing for the ActiveConnect GV8502 silicon solution for DisplayPort is expected to be $2.00 per unit in volume.