THUNDERBOLT 2: Ready For 4k Video News

When thunderbolt was first introduced, we were convinced by an analyst that the spec’s future was bright. Even though PC OEMs were resistant to the super- powerful-but-pricey peripheral interface, it seemed like with Apple and Intel’s support, Tbolt could not fail. Today, we’re not so sure where it’s headed. Resistance remains among OEMs and PC hardware vendors, and with USB 3.1 on the horizon, it seems likely that Thunderbolt will be another FireWire. Thunderbolt 2 increases the bandwidth from 10Gb/s in each of its two channels to a single 20Gb/s channel. You’re probably wondering how that’s so different. Previously, any given peripheral was limited to a single channel, i.e. 10Gb/s. So with video at 4K requiring slightly more than 10Gb/s, a Thunderbolt channel couldn’t handle it. Now, Tbolt 2 is capable of streaming uncompressed 4K video. More importantly: Intel has finally agreed to allow vendors to pump external video into Tbolt, so you can finally expect to see Thunderbolt and Thunderbolt 2 on systems with only discrete graphics controllers. You know, like the people who run Xeons and actually need that kind of high- speed external interface.