Flat Panel Display Interface

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FPDI Description

FPDI [Flat Panel Display Interface] describes the electrical layer, logical layer, and connector interface between flat panel displays and display controllers in an integrated environment. Also FPDI-1, used with VGA [640 x 480] and SVGA [800 x 600]. FPDI was followed by FPDI-2; FPDI is a VESA standard. The FPDI standard was released around 1996 and allows the integration between flat panel displays and graphics controllers. The FPDI [or FPDI-1] and FPDI-1B were replaced by FPDI-2 in 1998 [Flat Panel Display Interface -2].

Two types of connectors are defined; a 31 contact and 41 contact connector. The VGA interface uses 16-bits, while the SVGA interface uses 18-bits.

IC Manufacturers
National {Graphics Companion Flat Panel Display Controller}

Other Video interfaces used with PC Monitors

The SVGA [Super Video Graphics Array]: Interface bus uses a 15-pin D-sub connector. The table above provides the pinouts and signal names for the connectors. A 15-pin SVGA cable has the same pinout as a 15-pin VGA cable; however, VGA may also be found with a 9-pin D connector. The pinout and signal names for both a 9 pin and 15 D-sub connector is listed on the VGA Bus page. A listing on OEM D-sub connector manufacturers may be found on the D-Sub Connector Manufacturers page. Some other video standards are listed below for reference. The main page listing many of the Personal Computer Video Buses is listed here.

Video Interfaces
MDA [Monochrome Display Adapter]: established by IBM as part of the original Personal Computer [PC]. MDA is a monochrome-only, text-only standard, allowing text display at 80x25 characters. The MDA interface is OBSOLETE.

CGA [Color Graphics Adapter]: The CGA standard [1981] supports several different modes; the highest quality text mode is 80x25 characters in 16 colors. The monitors are digital with a composite signal which is at TTL logic levels; Hs, Vs, and RGBI all at TTL logic levels. The CGA interface is OBSOLETE.

DVI [Digital Visual Interface]: DVI interfaces are currently in full production and can handle digital or analog signals.

EGA [Enhanced Graphics Adapter]: This EGA standard [1984] offered improved resolutions and more colors than CGA. EGA allowed graphical output up to 16 colors (chosen from a palette of 64) at screen resolutions of 640x350, or 80x25 text with 16 colors, all at a refresh rate of 60 Hz. The monitors have a digital interface. OBSOLETE.

VGA [Video Graphics Array]: VGA [1987] is a superset of EGA, incorporating all EGA modes. Older displays sent digital signals to the monitor, while VGA and later versions send analog signals. This change was necessary to allow for more color precision.

XGA [Extended Graphics Array]: IBM introduced [1990] the XGA interface as a successor to its 8514/A display. The XGA interface is OBSOLETE.

VMChannel [VESA Media Channel] describes a hardware interface for desktop multimedia systems. The VMChannel is a multiple master, multiple drop, clock synchronous interface designed for concurrent pixel data streams. VMChannel enables the real time flow of uncompressed multimedia pixels in a bidirectional fashion between multiple video adapters.

The main PC Video Monitor Bus page, or to the main PC Interface Bus page. Use the Buses icon at the bottom of the page to reach the top level index for all bus types. Use the Equipment icon at the bottom of the page to reach manufacturers of PC Monitors.

All of the different interface Video bus pages listed above deal with layer 1 [Physical, Electrical and Mechanical Layer] of the OSI protocol stack. Many pages also reference layer 2; the Data Link Layer [which provide bit/byte stuffing, checksum, Protocols..].

Engineering Key Words: FPDI, Flat Panel, Pinout, Video, Pin out, Monitor Port, PC, Personal Computer, Display interface, LCD, CRT, Monitor, Display, Port, DB15, DE15, Connector, Cable, Out-dated, Obsolete, Legacy interface.

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