Macbook Pro & Mini Dispalyport Does NOT Support 10 bit Color Monitors

Question

I am extremely concerned regarding Apple's Mini Displayport. Mini Displayport has been out for a year now, and is the video out port with the maximum signal output on Macbook Pro's. Apple's Mini Displayport still does not offer the compatibility and performance, that is possible with the standard Displayport implantation on Windows.
Case in point two monitors from NEC and Eizo, the NEC PA214W and the Eizo CG223W:
http://www.eizo.com/global/products/coloredge/cg223w/index.html
http://www.necdisplay.com/Products/Product/?product=5a6621b9-e9c4-4f02-8542-e625 1364bf7c
All current Macbook Pro's with Mini Displayport are unable to support the 10 bit color that these monitors are capable of. This is unacceptable, and an example of Apple leading customers to believe that Mini Displayport, offers the same capabillities and performance as Displayport.
It is my understanding that on paper MBP's with the NVidia 9400/9600 are capable of outputting a 10 bit signal. They just do not at this point in time, unlike all PC notebooks with Displayport. Mini Displayport has been sold by Apple as being every bit as capable only smaller than Displayport. The truth is it is not.
Apple notebooks can not currently produce the same level of quality on these monitors as Windows notebooks with Displayport that have also been on the market for a year now.
http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/newsarchive/19.htm#10-bitips

Answer 1

Displayport:
http://www.displayport.org/consumer/
http://www.displayport.org/consumer/?q=content/faq
"Performance for a display interface is really bandwidth. So Displayport offers up to 10.8 Gigabits per second. That bandwidth can be allocated for greater color depth (more colors per pixel, i.e.. 30 bit color monitors), it can be allocated to resolution, i.e.. WQXGA , or refresh rate."
Note: The bandwidth has increased to 21.6 Gbps with the announcement of Displayport v1.2.
It appears to me that aside from the top of the line (Windows PC) notebooks, that the only systems that will currently be able to achieve 30 bit color with these monitors are going to be desktop systems with Displayport/Mini Displayport and the necessary GPU and Operating System. This is an example of the difficulty in getting accurate information when it comes to what a system can and can not do. Rod correctly pointed out that I was mistaken in saying that "all" PC notebooks with Displayport are capable of achieving 10 bit per channel output, some do not. As BSteely, Lewis, and Rod have discussed Mini Displayport is not what is responsible for the fact that Macbook Pros can not currently output 10 bit per channel signal. Displayport exists and allows for this capability, and I stand by my opinion that currently Macbook Pros with Mini Displayport do not implement the full Displayport spec, in particular the ability to output 10 bit per channel signal to 30 bit color monitors. On the PC side it is the "workstation" class notebooks that have had and continue to have this capability. There may be others, but in reviewing Dell, HP, and Lenovo I am only finding it in the Precision, W series, and Elitebook models. The latest T Series Thinkpads with Quadro GPU's may work as well. At this point, I am not going to research each and every model to determine exactly which notebook models and configurations will work, except to say none of them are Macbook Pros. The lesson here should be get multiple confirmations regarding your system's configuration and your intentions in its use. I was mistaken in my understanding that the MBP 17 with Mini Displayport would support the Displayport spec as it relates to 30 bit color monitors. I have stated what I think is wrong about that, but that is the way it is for now. Apple is not the only company to hype a technology, only to offer a limited implementation of it. "Vista Capable" comes to mind.
http://www.informationweek.com/news/windows/operatingsystems/showArticle.jhtml?a rticleID=212100567
This post will hopefully alert others to this limitation. To end on a positive note, in my experience the last six months with my Macbook Pro, Apple has demonstrated it can resolve issues quickly and effectively, and I have been extremely pleased to the extent that they have worked with me to address the few significant issues that have come up, including a system replacement in quick order. This may or may not be something they will be able to address with the current Macbook Pros or even the next generation. We will see.