Hi! My name is Manny and I'm the Product Manager for Cables, and AV Distribution Products at Monoprice. I have a pretty detailed response i want to reply to you with, but it won't fit via this channel of communication. I will be reaching out to you directly from my email address. [email protected]. But to quickly address your two main concerns, Yes, Pin 20 is being used, but only to power the Optical Transceivers in the connectors. This cable does not meet DP spec, there is currently no approved spec for Active Optical Cables. Reach out to me directly if you would like some help in troubleshooting the connections. Regards,