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DisplayLink

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DisplayLink Corp.
Company typePrivate
IndustrySemiconductors
Founded2003
FounderDr. Quentin Stafford-Fraser
Martin King
Headquarters
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Hamid Farzaneh
(CEO), (President)
ProductsNetwork Display technology
Number of employees
100 (2008)
WebsiteDisplayLink.com

DisplayLink (formerly Newnham Research) is a semiconductor and software startup company. DisplayLink Network Display technology is designed to connect computers and displays using USB and Wireless USB, allowing multiple displays to be easily connected to a single PC.

DiplayLink's primary customers are LCD monitor manufacturers (Samsung, LG, ASUS), notebook OEMs (Toshiba, Sony, Lenovo), and projector manufacturers (InFocus). To date, DisplayLink has raised $51 million in financing from venture capital organizations Atlas Venture, Balderton Capital, DAG Ventures and DFJ Esprit.[1]

Company History

DisplayLink was founded in 2003 as Newnham Research by Dr. Quentin Stafford-Fraser and Martin King.[2] The Newnham Research team invented the NIVO (Network In, Video Out) designed for low cost thin client computing over Ethernet networks. The company referred to these thin-client computers as Network Displays.

In 2006, Newnham Research launched its first commercially-available product in partnership with the Kensington Computer Products Group: a USB 2.0 universal laptop docking station designed for the retail market.[3]

Technology

The DisplayLink technology is composed of Virtual Graphics Card (VGC) software on a PC and a high performance Hardware Rendering Engine (HRE) embedded or connected to a display device.

The DisplayLink Virtual Graphics Card software is based on a proprietary adaptive graphics technology. The VGC software runs on a Windows or Mac OS host PC and takes information from the graphics adapter and compresses the changes to the display from the last update and sends it over any standard network including USB, Wireless USB, Ethernet, and Wi-Fi. After receiving the data, the HRE then transforms it back into pixels to be displayed on the monitor.

DisplayLink's DL-120 and DL-160 semiconductors power USB network display devices including monitors, USB graphics adapters, universal notebook docks and projectors. These Hardware Rendering Engine (HRE) devices are embedded into display products to allow them to connect via USB 2.0 to a PC. This solution combines the graphics quality of a VGA or DVI cable with the ease of a USB device. These chips have also been used to demonstrate DisplayLink connected displays over wireless USB, Ethernet, and Wi-Fi interfaces.

http://www.ndiyo.org/systems


The company changed its name to DisplayLink in November of 2006[4].

DisplayLink operates world-wide with offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Taiwan[5].

References

  1. ^ "DisplayLink Fact Sheet" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-10-08. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  2. ^ "About DisplayLink (DisplayLink Website)". Retrieved 2008-10-08. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  3. ^ "DisplayLink launches high-speed USB graphics technology for multi-monitor computing applications". Retrieved 2008-10-08. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  4. ^ "Newnham Technology/Research Changes Name to DisplayLink". Retrieved 2008-10-08. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  5. ^ "List of DisplayLink DisplayLink Offices". Retrieved 2008-10-08. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)