dpeth — DisplayPort over Ethernet

dpeth is a custom protocol and tool suite for transmitting DisplayPort video frames over a standard Ethernet cable. It is designed for scenarios where a conventional DisplayPort video source is unavailable or impractical — allowing a machine to receive and display video frames sourced and transported entirely over the network.

How It Works

The protocol works with two endpoints:

• source — captures or generates DisplayPort frames and transmits them as UDP/TCP packets over Ethernet.
• display — receives the incoming frame data from the network and reconstructs the video output for display.

The shared core (dpeth.c) handles frame packetization, sequencing, and the protocol logic that sits between the transport layer (UDP/TCP) and the DisplayPort frame format.

Use Case

Standard DisplayPort requires a direct physical video source. dpeth is useful when:

• The video source is remote and no direct DP connection is possible.
• You want to route display output through an existing Ethernet infrastructure.
• You need to decouple the video source machine from the display machine over a local network.

Project Structure

dpeth/
├── include/        # Header files (protocol definitions, structs)
├── src/
│   ├── dpeth.c     # Core protocol logic (framing, packetization)
│   ├── udp.c       # UDP transport layer
│   ├── tcp.c       # TCP transport layer
│   ├── source.c    # Frame source / sender
│   └── display.c   # Frame receiver / display
├── bin/            # Compiled binaries (generated)
├── Makefile
└── LICENSE

Requirements

• GCC
• Linux (raw socket support recommended)
• make
• Dependencies: libm, libpthread

Building

# Build both binaries
make all

# Or build individually
make source
make display

# Clean
make clean

Usage

Start the display endpoint first:

./bin/display

Then start the source endpoint:

./bin/source

License

MIT