Does DisplayPort Carry Audio? [Here’s What You Should Know]

DisplayPort is the growing choice for the current market. Despite the popularity of HDMI, DisplayPort is giving strong competition in the market.

It is known for its higher resolutions and refresh rates, so it serves great video quality. But is it only video? How about the audio?

So let’s find it out!

So, Does DisplayPort Carry Audio?

DisplayPort is popular as a video interface but also carries audio signals, so you don’t need any other cable to set up for the sound. Unlike the old gen, we had to set 3 to 6 different wires for both audio and video, but HDMI came and started serving both video & audio.

Similarly, DisplayPort provides you with both video and audio signal transmission with one cable. You can connect a computer to the monitor to enjoy excellent video and audio connectivity.

Over time, the DisplayPort standard has also improved its audio quality and features. DisplayPort 1.0 has a max sample rate of 192 kHz, whereas DisplayPort 1.4 has a 1536 kHz max sample rate.

Again, DisplayPort 1.0 has only 8 audio channels, whereas the upgraded version can support up to 32 audio channels; here is more information.

However, many people don’t get the audio and are confused about whether it supports audio. We have to set up or enable the DisplayPort audio many times manually.

Although most of the time, DisplayPort automatically detects everything and plays the audio, we often have to set it up manually. Here is an article on how to enable DisplayPort audio.

Moreover, many laptops’ video output might not support audio transmission over multiple displays, so you have to check your device’s audio output.

Audio of DisplayPort Vs. Audio of HDMI

As HDMI is the direct competitor of DisplayPort, then it is important to know the differences in audio quality between these two to pick the best one if you’re an audio lover.

So both HDMI and DisplayPort support audio, but if you look at the specs of HDMI Audio, you’ll see that HDMI is better for audio than DisplayPort because it supports some additional features like ARC, eARC, Dolby TrueHD / DTS-HD Master Audio bitstream, Auto Lip-Sync Correction and more.

The ARC and eARC technology on the HDMI are capable of sending audio to an external audio device from your TV or monitor with a single cable. So it is a great feature when you have an external sound system connected to your monitor or TV.

HDMI also supports features like Dolby Atmos, Auto Lip-Sync Correction, and others for a superior audio experience. Thus, it is popular for TVs; however, DisplayPort transmits good audio and is preferred by most PC users. [Source: Wikipedia.org]

However, DisplayPort has 32 audio channels, whereas HDMI has only 8 channels. You can read the full comparison here.

Here is an article on who should be using DisplayPort; you can also check it out.

Does Mini DisplayPort Also Carry Audio?

Mini DisplayPort is another version of DisplayPort announced by Apple for use in their MacBook and other computers; however, later, they started offering free licenses to other companies.

Various companies like Asus, Microsoft, MSI, Lenovo, HP, Dell, and others provide mini DisplayPort cables in many of their laptops. But does it carry audio?

YES, as the specification says, Mini DisplayPort does carry audio or sound from your device to an external display or monitor. But the older Macbook, Macbook Pros & Mac Mini versions of 2009 don’t support audio transmission, but in 2010 they started providing the audio transmission feature.

But to transmit audio in older versions of Macbook, USB and Firewire can be used.

So if you’re not using an old Macbook, then you’re okay; your DisplayPort can transmit audio plus video to other displays or monitors. [Source: Wikipedia.org]

Audio in DisplayPort to HDMI Adapter

Many people ask whether they can use a DisplayPort to HDMI adapter for audio because many of us have a computer with DisplayPort but a monitor with HDMI. Or maybe someone wants to connect a multi-monitor with their laptop, but the monitors don’t have DisplayPort.

So, in that case, DisplayPort to HDMI converter can be a great solution. But you may doubt whether it can carry the audio along with the video.

The simple answer is YES! A DisplayPort to HDMI or other converters can carry audio from your input device to display or monitor, as the cable will transfer the DisplayPort signal to HDMI. So the audio will work fine, but you may need to change the audio output from normal audio to HDMI.

Hence if you’re using a DELL, Lenovo, or other laptops with DisplayPort and want to connect with an HDMI monitor, then you must change the normal audio out to HDMI audio. For that right, click on the Sound Icon > Open sound setting, then change the Output Device.

Suppose you’re using DisplayPort to VGA or DVI; it may not support the audio because VGA and DVI don’t carry audio, but the good news is at present most DisplayPort to DVI or VGI are equipped with a built-in audio port that carries the audio as well.

The whole thing also depends on your computer’s driver, chip, and other hardware or software. You must make sure your computer supports dual-mode [most DisplayPort sources support dual-audio].

Here is a good DisplayPort to HDMI converter that you can check on amazon.