DisplayPort - timvideos/litex-buildenv GitHub Wiki
The DisplayPort AUX lines are bidirectional and according to Xilinx compatible with the LVDS levels. However, on the Spartan-6 and Virtex-6 devices when using the LVDS standard you aren't able to bidirectional signals. The work around is to connect a pair of pins together and setting one as a LVDS input and one as a LVDS output (and using tri-state logic).
From the LogiCORE IP DisplayPort v3.2 Product Guide on page 110;
The core has been designed as unidirectional LVDS_25, requiring two pin pairs. The output AUX signal is 3-state controlled. The board should be designed to combine these signals external to the FPGA.
(BTW v3.2 is the last version of this LogiCORE to support Spartan-6 devices.)
The DISPLAY_PORT I/O standard on the Spartan-6 allows you to do the bidirectional nature only use one set of I/O pins instead of the two sets of pins needed when using the LVDS standard.
Again from the LogiCORE IP DisplayPort v3.2 Product Guide on page 111;
Spartan-6 FPGAs offer an I/O standard explicitly for DisplayPort (called Display_Port). This is a bidirectional standard. The user can, but is not required to, combine the unidirectional pins and use this standard.
The other thing that I discovered is that the LVDS_33 "IOSTANDARD" and LVDS_25 "IOSTANDARD" are not real I/O standards but just a way to tell the Spartan-6 fabric to bias the pins to produce electrically identical output. This means that any signal which is compatible with the LVDS standard (and according to Xilinx - that is DisplayPort) should be compatible with any pin set to LVDS_25 and LVDS_33.
From Spartan-6 FPGA SelectIO Resources User Guide (UG381 (v1.6) February 14, 2014) on page 28;
LVDS_33—Low Voltage Differential Signal
LVDS_33 is used to drive TIA/EIA644 LVDS levels in a bank powered with 3.3V VCCO. Electrically the same as LVDS_25. LVDS inputs require a parallel termination resistor, either through the use of a discrete resistor on the PCB, or the use of the DIFF_TERM attribute to enable internal termination. LVDS inputs can be placed on any I/O bank, while LVDS outputs are only available on I/O banks 0 and 2.
And from the Spartan-6 FPGA Data Sheet: DC and Switching Characteristics on page 11, the "Table 10: Differential I/O Standard DC Input and Output Levels" also seems to indicate this too.
The only thing we need to be careful of, both the RX and TX DisplayPort AUX channels require a LVDS output and a LVDS input and that LVDS outputs can only be placed on banks 0 and 2 (LVDS inputs can be placed anywhere).
Do note that the GTP transceiver still needs to be drive by the 2.5V supply and set to LVDS_25 standard.
Asked to find out more information at http://forums.xilinx.com/t5/Connectivity/Correct-electrical-connection-for-unidirectional-LVDS-signals/m-p/570403#M7709