DisplayPort is often considered to be the superior display interface. After all, it offers display daisy-chaining, more bandwidth than HDMI, and doesn't have nearly the same cable confusion. PC users have readily adopted the newer display standard in the last 5–10 years, but if you really want to be pedantic about it, HDMI is technically superior to DP in one key area — Ethernet support. Yes, in case you didn't know, your HDMI cable can carry Ethernet along with video and audio signals. The feature has existed for years, but it never gained widespread adoption. DisplayPort, on the other hand, is focused on PCs rather than TVs, hence it doesn't have an equivalent feature.

HDMI cables have supported Ethernet since 2009

It's always been there, but no one really needed it

With the introduction of the HDMI Ethernet Channel (HEC) to HDMI 1.4 in 2009, the ubiquitous display standard has been capable of carrying networking data as well. HDMI 1.4 didn't just introduce the Audio Return Channel (ARC) and 4K support, but also aimed to further simplify home theater setups with HEC. You do need a specific type of HDMI cable that mentions "HDMI with Ethernet," since not all HDMI 1.4+ cables have the necessary twisted pairs for the Ethernet channel.

HEC sounds like a neat feature, but it never caught on. Manufacturers didn't implement support for it on consumer devices (outside a handful of TVs), and it died a silent death. The reason is that Wi-Fi on devices like TVs and A/V receivers was already commonplace by the time HEC was introduced. Even the Wi-Fi speeds had eclipsed the 100Mbps Ethernet support on HDMI 1.4 (and even later standards). Besides, TVs, consoles, and other devices already had Ethernet ports, so the HEC feature became redundant. It then became a question of manufacturing costs, since implementing a mostly needless feature on devices that would never use it seemed pointless.

This chicken-and-egg situation meant that HEC never materialized in any real way, and ended up as a mostly theoretical advantage of the HDMI standard.

HDMI ARC flourished while HEC was forgotten

It was never meant to be

HDMI ARC was introduced at the same time as HEC, but one became widely used while the other went extinct sooner than anyone knew it existed. HEC could have flourished if it had arrived at the right time, but what it did was too little too late. The appeal of ARC was simplification and solving a genuine problem, since a single HDMI cable could handle both display and audio signals. It could now replace older audio standards like optical, and support audio formats like Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1. Later, enhanced ARC (eARC) boosted the audio bandwidth that HDMI could carry, enabling lossless Dolby Atmos and DTS:X signals to be sent with higher efficiency. It became one of the key features on TVs alongside HDMI-CEC. You just need to plug in your audio device to the right HDMI port on your TV, one commonly labeled "ARC" or "eARC."

DisplayPort serves a different kind of user

Bundled Ethernet was never needed on PCs

DisplayPort lacks Ethernet support, but it was always meant for a different setup. HDMI was meant to replace older video and audio standards on TVs and other A/V devices, whereas DP was focused on high-bandwidth transmission on PCs. It's a standard that supports the highest refresh rates at the highest resolutions, alongside features like Multi-Stream Transport (MST) to enable multiple video signals over a single cable.

HDMI was designed for home entertainment and networking, and while it does support many of DisplayPort's features for modern PCs, DP is still the interface tailor-made for high-end gaming and workstations. DisplayPort has unique features not present on HDMI, such as USB-C support (via DisplayPort Alt Mode) and a physical locking mechanism. DisplayPort 2.1 is the gold standard for PC enthusiasts, whereas HDMI 2.1 is highly sought after on TVs and consoles. The average user can pick either standard on their PC, though, with little real-world impact.

The existence of a feature doesn't guarantee adoption

HDMI Ethernet Channel (HEC) sounded great on paper, but it was solving a problem that didn't exist, at least not when the feature actually arrived on the scene. Wi-Fi was already ubiquitous on consumer devices, and Ethernet availability wasn't a challenge either. Manufacturers saw no reason to implement support for HEC on devices, and the feature simply died an unceremonious death. DisplayPort never had Ethernet support, but it was great at one thing: offering high-bandwidth transmission for gaming and workstation use. DP and HDMI are two similar standards aimed at different markets, and each has its strengths and weaknesses.