First, consider how Luxtera's hybrid DisplayPort cables will function. The video output from a device will use LVDS, the same signaling standard used by HyperTransport and Serial ATA. There will be a converter chip--the CMOS photonics--in the cable connectors themselves, powered by the small amount of current allowed by the DisplayPort standard, that will transmit the signal over be a simple fiber optic cable.

This technology has three major ramifications for DisplayPort. First, the cable length problems of HDMI are simply gone. While standard copper DisplayPort cables could have similar difficulties with length, a hybrid cable from Luxtera can transmit a signal without any loss in quality up to two kilometers. Compare that with HDMI's range for a 720p/1080i signal for the vast majority of cables on the market--15 meters--and you begin to see just how disruptive this could be. Second, since support for hybrid devices like these is a part of the DisplayPort 1.1 standard, the cables will simply work in every device. Whether it's a video card, a TV, a high-definition output device or a camcorder, any device that supports the DisplayPort 1.1 standard is guaranteed to support one of these cables. Finally, since the interconnect uses fiber optic cable compared to copper wire, the hybrid cables will be one-tenth the size and weight of their copper counterparts.

Initially, these hybrid cables won't be as cheap as copper cables (at least, not at lengths that most consumers would care about), but hopefully they will decrease in price as they become more common. Still, this opens a lot of doors for A/V enthusiasts. For example, with this, it will be possible to have a high-definition media server in some back room of your house and output a full 1080p signal to your TV with zero loss in quality. Of course, the home is only one potential place where this could have a major impact; another area that Luxtera is targeting is the digital signage market, where having very small, very long cables capable of delivering high-definition signals would have a huge impact.

Finally, keep in mind that this isn't just for A/V cables. We've already mentioned 10Gbps Ethernet and beyond for supercomputing clusters, where hybrid devices are looking more and more attractive, but there's also the matter of inter-chip communication. Luxtera is looking to use CMOS photonics as a high-speed bus for future processors. Of course, that's some time out, but it seems clear that we are witnessing the birth of a new industry with a nearly unimaginable potential for growth.

Luxtera has stated that their first hybrid cables will be available in 2008, at about the same time when DisplayPort devices should become common. We're definitely looking forward to seeing the impact that hybrid devices will have on its adoption.