Ddisp

Ddisp, short for Distributed Display Protocol, is an open standard designed to coordinate framebuffer updates across multiple display nodes in real-time visualization setups. It defines a compact, extensible message model that enables tile assignment, metadata exchange, and synchronized refresh across video walls, multi-projector arrays, and edge-rendering clusters. The protocol emphasizes low latency, deterministic timing, and scalability for high-resolution compositions.

Ddisp originated in 2016 as a collaboration among university labs and industry partners seeking a lightweight alternative to large, vendor-locked video wall solutions. A public draft appeared in 2017 on a collaborative repository, with ongoing community-driven development and informal governance rather than a formal standards body.

Core ideas include a small set of message types (TILE_ASSIGN, UPDATE, SYNC, HEARTBEAT, SHUTDOWN) and a frame-oriented delivery model. Transport leans on UDP with optional reliable layers or UDP multicast for updates and unicast for control. Frames are numbered; each tile carries a local time reference derived from a shared clock (PTP or a built-in clock) to ensure frame-accurate rendering. Ddisp supports per-tile metadata, color space negotiation, and optional compression.

A typical deployment includes a central scheduler that assigns frames to tiles and a per-tile Ddisp client responsible for receiving updates and driving the local display. In fully distributed configurations, tiles negotiate responsibility with minimal central coordination. The protocol includes fault-tolerance features, such as tile reallocation and safe shutdown.

Used in digital signage networks, control rooms, immersive environments, and research labs, Ddisp interoperates with OpenGL or Vulkan rendering pipelines and fits into existing visualization stacks by providing synchronized framing across devices.