Video Electronics Standards Association

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Video Electronics Standards Association

Abbreviation	VESA
Formation	July 1989 (37 years ago) (1989-07)
Purpose	Standards organization
Headquarters	San Jose, California, USA
Members	See list.
Website	vesa.org

The Video Electronics Standards Association, abbreviated as VESA (/ˈviːsə/), is an American technical standards organization for computer display standards. The organization was incorporated in California in July 1989 and has its office in San Jose. It claims a membership of over 300 companies.

In November 1988, NEC Home Electronics announced its creation of the association to develop and promote a Super VGA computer display standard as a successor to IBM's proprietary Video Graphics Array (VGA) display standard. Super VGA enabled graphics display resolutions up to 800×600 pixels, compared to VGA's maximum resolution of 640×480 pixels—a 56% increase.

The organization has since issued several additional standards related to computer video displays. Widely used VESA standards include DisplayHDR, DisplayPort, and Flat Display Mounting Interface.

Standards

• Feature connector (VFC), obsolete connector that was often present on older videocards, used as an 8-bit video bus to other devices
• VESA Advanced Feature Connector (VAFC), newer version of the VFC that widens the bus to either a 16-bit or 32-bit bus
• VESA Local Bus (VLB), once used as a fast video bus (akin to the more recent Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP))
• VESA BIOS Extensions (VBE), used for enabling standard support for advanced video modes
• Display Data Channel (DDC), a data link protocol which a host device can use to control an attached display and communicate EDID, DPMS, MCCS and similar messages
• Extended Display Identification Data (EDID), a data format for display identification data
• Monitor Control Command Set (MCCS), a message protocol for controlling display parameters such as brightness, contrast, display orientation from the host device
• DisplayID, display identification data format, which is a replacement for E-EDID
• VESA Display Power Management Signaling (DPMS), which can be used to invoke power saving modes in monitors
• Digital Packet Video Link (DPVL), a display link standard that can be used to update only portions of the screen
• VESA Stereo, a standard 3-pin connector for synchronization of stereoscopic images with LC shutter glasses
• Flat Display Mounting Interface (FDMI)
• Generalized Timing Formula (GTF), video timing standard
• Coordinated Video Timings (CVT), a replacement for GTF
• VESA Video Interface Port (VIP), a digital video interface standard
• DisplayPort (DP), a digital display interface standard
• VESA Enhanced Video Connector, an obsolete standard for reducing the number of cables around computers
• DisplayHDR, a standard to simplify HDR specifications for the display industry and consumers

History

At the time DisplayPort was announced, VESA was criticized for developing the specification in secret and having a track record of developing unsuccessful digital interface standards, including Plug & Display and Digital Flat Panel.

Members

The following major companies are members of VESA.