Adaptive-Sync added to DISPLAYPORT 1.2A Standard- G-SYNC to FreeSync

[Wraith]

VESA Adaptive-Sync

Good news for Gamers??

The Video Electronics Standards Association or VESA for short have announced Adaptive-Sync and will be adding it to their Displayport Video Interface, which they "promise" will deliver smooth, tear-free & stutter-free video with the added benefit of reduced power consumption.

Adaptive-Sync is said to dynamically adjust your display to match your GPU's rendering output, frame by frame thus providing a smooth, low latency gaming experience.

It is reported that this new feature at some point in the not to distant future will be implemented into the current Displayport 1.2a connector.

Also where ever static imaging is present i.e web surfing, email, social networking or office environments Adaptive-Sync dynamically allows the display to reduce the refresh rate, lowering overall system power consumption.

"Adaptive-Sync is a proven and widely adopted technology. The technology has been a standard component of VESA’s embedded DisplayPort (eDP™) specification since its initial rollout in 2009. As a result, Adaptive-Sync technology is already incorporated into many of the building block components for displays that rely on eDP for internal video signaling. Newly introduced to the DisplayPort 1.2a specification for external displays, this technology is now formally known as DisplayPort Adaptive-Sync."

Interesting to say the least.. Mmm not really sure where this leaves nVidia or AMD with there recent iterations.

Source: VESA.ORG

~Wraithguard~​

 

[WYP]

Earlier this year AMD said they were developing a Variable framerate solution, coined "FreeSync, to rival Nvidia's own G-Sync solution. This morning this solution was ratified and standardised within the DisplayPort 1.2A standard as Adaptive-Sync.

Adaptive-Sync, like G-Sync, is a variable frame rate solution which provides gamers with a tear free image without the visual stuttering which occurs with V-Sync. An article desribing this in more detail can be found here.

Adaptive-Sync is to be a more open version of Nvidia's G-Sync, which instead of using an expensive and proprietary G-Sync module uses existing specifications from the embedded DisplayPort™ v1.0 specifications.

With it's origins coming from a predominantly mobile based standard power consumption is also a major gain here. Situations which require a reduced refresh rate, like static images or idling at the desktop, the monitors refresh rate can be reduced in order to conserve power, another notable gain over "fixed rate monitors".

AMD were able to provide this series of Q&As about Active-Sync this morning.

Q:What is DisplayPort™ Adaptive-Sync?
A: DisplayPort™ Adaptive-Sync is a new addition to the DisplayPort™ 1.2a specification, ported from the embedded DisplayPort™ v1.0 specification. DisplayPort™ Adaptive-Sync provides an industry-standard mechanism that enables real-time adjustment of a monitor’s refresh rate of a display over a DisplayPort™ link.

Q: What is Project FreeSync?
A: Project FreeSync is an AMD effort to leverage industry standards, like DisplayPort™ Adaptive-Sync, to deliver dynamic refresh rates. Dynamic refresh rates synchronize the refresh rate of a compatible monitor to the framerate of a user’s AMD Radeon™ graphics to reduce or eliminate stuttering, juddering and/or tearing during gaming and video playback.

Q: How are DisplayPort™ Adaptive-Sync and Project FreeSync different?
A: DisplayPort™ Adaptive-Sync is an ingredient DisplayPort™ feature that enables real-time adjustment of monitor refresh rates required by technologies like Project FreeSync. Project FreeSync is a unique AMD hardware/software solution that utilizes DisplayPort™ Adaptive-Sync protocols to enable user-facing benefits: smooth, tearing-free and low-latency gameplay and video.

Q: Is DisplayPort™ Adaptive-Sync the industry-standard version of Project FreeSync?
A: The DisplayPort™ Adaptive-Sync specification was ported from the Embedded DisplayPort™ specification through a proposal to the VESA group by AMD. DisplayPort™ Adaptive-Sync is an ingredient feature of a DisplayPort™ link and an industry standard that enables technologies like Project FreeSync.

Q: What are the requirements to use FreeSync?
A: To take advantage of the benefits of Project FreeSync, users will require: a monitor compatible with DisplayPort™ Adaptive-Sync, a compatible AMD Radeon™ GPU with a DisplayPort™ connection, and a compatible AMD Catalyst™ graphics driver. AMD plans to release a compatible graphics driver to coincide with the introduction of the first DisplayPort™ Adaptive-Sync monitors.

Q: When can I buy a monitor compatible with Project FreeSync?
A: AMD has undertaken every necessary effort to enable Project FreeSync in the display ecosystem. Monitor vendors are now integrating the DisplayPort™ Adaptive-Sync specification and productizing compatible displays. AMD is working closely with these vendors to bring products to market, and we expect compatible monitors within 6-12 months.

Q: What AMD Radeon™ GPUs are compatible with Project FreeSync?
A: The first discrete GPUs compatible with Project FreeSync are the AMD Radeon™ R9 290X, R9 290, R7 260X and R7 260 graphics cards. Project FreeSync is also compatible with AMD APUs codenamed “Kabini,” “Temash,” “Beema,” and “Mullins.” All compatible products must be connected via DisplayPort™ to a display that supports DisplayPort™ Adaptive-Sync.

Q: How is Project Freesync different from NVIDIA G-Sync?
A: While both technologies have similar benefits, G-Sync uses expensive and proprietary hardware. In contrast, Project FreeSync utilizes the industry-standard DisplayPort™ Adaptive-Sync specification to promote wider adoption, lower cost of ownership, and a broad ecosystem of compatibility.

Q: Why should gamers purchase a system that utilizes Project FreeSync?
A: Project FreeSync’s ability to synchronize the refresh rate of a display to the framerate of a graphics card can eliminate visual artifacts that many gamers are especially sensitive to: screen tearing, input lag, and stuttering. Project FreeSync aims to accomplish this through an open ecosystem that does not require licensing fees from participants, which encourages broad adoption and low end-user costs.

Q: What is the supported range of refresh rates with FreeSync and DisplayPort™ Adaptive-Sync?
A: AMD Radeon™ graphics cards will support a wide variety of dynamic refresh ranges with Project FreeSync. Using DisplayPort™ Adaptive-Sync, the graphics card can detect and set an appropriate maximum and minimum refresh rate based on the capabilities reported by the display. Potential ranges include 36-240Hz, 21-144Hz, 17-120Hz and 9-60Hz.

So what does this mean for G-Sync?

DisplayPort Adaptive-Sync technology will be offered to VESA members without any license fees (FREE!!), which means we will likely see big monitor manufacturers such as LG or Samsung can adopt this standard easily and cheaply into upcoming monitors. These panels according to AMD will be coming in the next 6-12 months, whether this is for consumer purchase however remains to be seen.

G-Sync will still come to the market first, being already available in a upgrade module form and coming stock compatible monitors which will releasing within the next few months. Nvidia will likely adopt the Adaptive-Sync standard in future GPUs, being a VESA member, with G-Sync will likely fade into the backround in the coming years of Nvidia's research and development costs.

Nvidia will have to be thanked for bringing the issue of non-variable frame rates all of our attentions, especially in the wake of higher and higher resolutions (4K & 8K and the lower frame rates that accompany them, but in my personal opinion VESA's newest standard will win the variable frame rate battle in the long run.

As always thanks for reading and please post your thoughts and feelings below.


Source - brightsideofthenews.com

 

[Wraith]

Tiptop news reporting right there

 

[SPS]

Well this is basically what AMD proposed with their FreeSync, so this is good!

EDIT: Well my post sounds silly after the thread edit.

 

[Wraith]

All credit must go to Watsyerproblem for the vastly impressive Q&A and the initial Adaptive-Sync write up and comparison to G-Sync/Free-Sync..

 

[Tripp]

hurrah

 

[Wraith]

I think the main thing we can all take from this is that it will become a international standard soon and we won't be bummed into spending a damn penny on a certain corporations greed! I find this hilarious.

 

[SPS]

I think the main thing we can all take from this is that it will become a international standard soon and we won't be bummed into spending a damn penny on a certain corporations greed! I find this hilarious.

Not only that but for those of us that can't live with screen tearing, we can keep v-sync/adaptive on and bump up the graphics settings, free performance!

 

[Wraith]

Not only that but for those of us that can't live with screen tearing, we can keep v-sync/adaptive on and bump up the graphics settings, free performance!

Precisely

 

[MadShadow]

I'm glad some sort of "sync" was made that will work with both AMD and Nvidia cards. Having to buy a new monitor when you switch from red to green (or vice versa) would have been a nightmare.

 

[SuB]

This is excellent news and finally makes sense from a 'it should have worked that way from the beginning' kind of standpoint.

It's great nVidia highlighted such a simple thing, but ultimately (I feel) they missed out by trying to milk it with the proprietary stuff which before it has even saturated the market is becoming almost obsolete. More fool nVidia in this case.

Always good news to hear things like this are becoming a free, standard-based thing.

 

[WillSK]

This is great news! Nice to see tech like this being implemented on a large scale

Thanks for the great reporting back as always guys

 

[barnsley]

Hooray . The future looks bright. Hopefully this also lowers the price of higher refresh monitors as well.

 

[SieB]

Non proprietary tech is always a good thing and it is good to see Vesa sticking the middle finger up at G-Sync.

 

[WYP]

All credit must go to Watsyerproblem for the vastly impressive Q&A and the initial Adaptive-Sync write up and comparison to G-Sync/Free-Sync..

Cheers dude, I think G-Sync and Adaptive Sync will be a major step forward in almost every meaningful way. Power consumption is reduced and less/no frame stuttering or tearing will occur.

The few reviewers who have used G-Sync said that the most improved experience is when playing games which have their framerates varying between 30 and 60FPS, good considering higher than 1080p resolutions are becoming more affordable and high framerates at high resolutions requires a lot of GPU power (so more smoothness at lower framerates will be good).

Perhaps even the next/current gen consoles will have an optional DP output in future iterations XBOX or PS4 (future Slim models perhaps). Consoles would greatly benefit from adaptive sync, given their games are designed to run at those kind of framerates.

This is excellent news and finally makes sense from a 'it should have worked that way from the beginning' kind of standpoint.

It's great nVidia highlighted such a simple thing, but ultimately (I feel) they missed out by trying to milk it with the proprietary stuff which before it has even saturated the market is becoming almost obsolete. More fool nVidia in this case.

Always good news to hear things like this are becoming a free, standard-based thing.

I agree with you on all points, Nvidia did a great job highlighting this issue. I bet they didn't think there would be a viable response to it would come so quickly though.

 

[SeekaX]

I suppose G-Sync is done then. I was wondering why they delayed it so much, probably because they dropped production and started working on their own version of freesync (i didn't read the entire article but if i understand correctly this standard only allows for things like freesync, so nvidia/AMD have to do it via drivers). Kudos to nvidia for pointing it out, kudos to AMD and DP for making it viable.
TBH i lost most interest in the whole freesync/g-sync thing, my games run at far more than 100fps so i will not notice a difference anyways. 144hz is 144hz, adaptive-sync or not.

 

[WYP]

AMD have been doing a lot with vesa to improve the DP standard, hell AMD have even created dockport to make displayport compete well with Intel thunderbolt.

If displayport continues to innovate in this way HDMI is done, IMHO (or rather will finally finish it off)

 

[SeekaX]

AMD have been doing a lot with vesa to improve the DP standard, hell AMD have even created dockport to make displayport compete well with Intel thunderbolt.

If displayport continues to innovate in this way HDMI is done, IMHO (or rather will finally finish it off)

When has HDMI ever been relevant? DVI performs better, the only thing HDMI is good for are televisions because you need no extra cables for sound.

 

[WYP]

When has HDMI ever been relevant? DVI performs better, the only thing HDMI is good for are televisions because you need no extra cables for sound.

Precisely, I'm hoping as 4K becomes more common HDMI gets phased out and replaced by DisplayPort.

DP can transmit audio like HDMI, go to higher resolutions and is a free standard. Yes HDMI 2.0 is coming for 4k, but DP already does that and is further improving for 8k or 3D4K as well as AdaptiveSync and will likely get AMD's Dockport added in the future.

 

[Drakkonen]

"To use Project FreeSync, users will require: a monitor compatible with DisplayPort Adaptive-Sync, a compatible AMD Radeon GPU with a DisplayPort connection, and a compatible AMD Catalyst graphics driver. AMD will release a compatible graphics driver to coincide with the introduction of the first DisplayPort Adaptive-Sync monitors."

http://hexus.net/tech/news/displays/69693-adaptive-sync-incorporated-vesa-displayport-12a-standard/

To be honest the way it's going, it looks like it's going to be basically proprietary anyway as I highly doubt NVidia will support it unless G-Sync completely flops.