VESA Unveils Enhanced DisplayPort Automotive Extension 1.1 for Safer Automotive Displays

VESA Enhances Automotive Display Standards with DP AE v1.1

At CES 2026, the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) has announced the release of the DisplayPort Automotive Extension (DP AE) version 1.1. This latest update integrates a fully executable software emulator designed to enhance safety and security in automotive display systems. With this specification, VESA is setting the foundation for the future of automotive display technology, ensuring both reliability and security for vehicle information systems.

Key Features of DP AE v1.1

The DP AE v1.1 introduces a robust framework with several innovative features aimed at improving the performance and safety of automotive displays. The specification is the first open industry standard specifically focused on functional safety and security in automotive display systems.

Safety and Security Profiles

A highlight of the DP AE v1.1 is the inclusion of a normative C-model software emulator. This emulator implements four essential safety and security profiles:
1. Profile 1: Introduces mandatory functional safety through cyclical redundancy checks (CRC) and frame counters to ensure video frames are not corrupted or lost.
2. Profile 2: Builds upon Profile 1 by adding messaging features to support complex deployments and vendor-defined measurements.
3. Profile 3: Enhances security for auxiliary messages through secure channels, protecting against counterfeiting and unauthorized modifications.
4. Profile 4: Extends security coverage to video data, offering integrity checks and protection against replay attacks.

These profiles work harmoniously to ensure that the data transmitted from the vehicle's main computer (ECU) to the displays is both secure and accurate, minimizing risks of noise interference and tampering.

Importance of DisplayPort in Modern Vehicles

With the increasing complexity of automotive displays, which provide crucial information to drivers, the importance of a reliable data transmission standard cannot be overstated. Most of these displays utilize DisplayPort or Embedded DisplayPort (eDP) to communicate video data. DisplayPort’s capabilities, especially its multi-stream transport (MST), allow for the seamless connection of multiple displays from a single source, a feature that is essential in modern vehicles laden with technology.

This is especially pertinent as the number of high-resolution displays continues to rise in vehicles, enhancing the driver's experience while providing essential operational data. The DP AE v1.1 aims to deliver a standardized way to ensure the integrity of this data throughout its transmission.

Integration and Support for Automotive Manufacturers

The launch of this specification is a significant step forward for automotive manufacturers, as it provides a complete open-standards-based methodology for developing secure displays. According to James Goel, the lead for the DisplayPort Automotive Extension, this release allows teams involved in silicon manufacturing, certification, and display validation to work with a comprehensive set of tools to ensure their systems are both secure and efficient.

The C-model emulator will be an asset to different stakeholders including design engineers, testing laboratories, and OEM validation teams. A Linux application version of the emulator is already available, and further enhancements such as a Windows-based graphical interface are in development to support automotive professionals in manufacturing and validation efforts.

Industry Collaboration and Future Prospects

The development of the DP AE standard has seen contributions from numerous leading industry players. Brian Turner from BTA Design Services emphasized their commitment to advancing automotive display technology through collaboration with VESA.

Moreover, companies like Teledyne LeCroy are eager to support the adoption of the new standard by rolling out solutions for the Automotive Extensions, which aid in the testing of prototype devices for safety and interoperability.

VESA is also working on a compliance test specification (CTS) and logo program to ensure rigorous validation and certification processes that will help standardize the quality and reliability of automotive displays that adhere to the DP AE specification.

In summary, VESA's DP AE v1.1 promises to change the landscape of automotive displays, enhancing their safety features while maintaining high performance, and is a vital step toward the future of vehicle technology.