DVI
DVI, which stand for Digital Visual Interface is an all digital connection standard developed by Digital Display Working Group. DVI is used to transmit uncompressed digital video from source to display. It connects computers to digital monitors such as flat panels and DLP projectors while a consumer electronics version, not necessarily compatible with the PC version, is used as a connection standard for HDTV tuners and displays. The advantage of DVI is that only one DVI cable transfers the red-blue-green video signal. Secondly, the transfer speed of DVI vs VGA as well as the quality of picture is higher and much better. Therefore, the DVI format is ideal for HDTV, DLP, Plasma, and LCD televisions.
DVI is one of the most popular forms of video interface that optimizes the quality of flat panel LCD monitors and modern video graphics cards. DVI cables are becoming increasingly popular with video card manufacturers, and most cards nowadays include both a VGA and a DVI output port.
Apart from being the standard computer interface, DVI is also the preferred digital transfer method of choice for HDTV, EDTV, Plasma Display, and other ultra-high-end video displays for TV, movies, and DVDs. However, the digital market is now swinging towards the latest HDMI for high-definition media delivery. HDMI, which stands for High Definition Multimedia Interface is the state of art digital connection that supports uncompressed, all-digital video and audio in a single connection. While fundamentally, HDMI is the same as DVI as regards video outputs, the main difference between DVI and HDMI is that the latter also carries audio signal as well as video in the same cable. So the main advantage of shifting from using DVI to HDMI cables is that you get both audio and video signals through one single cable.
All the latest DVD players are equipped with HDMI connectors, but most people still have DVI monitors only. However, one can easily view digital video by using an HDMI to DVI cable which enables a digital connection between DVI HDTV display devices and HDMI digital video sources. Similarly, you might want to use a DVI to VGA adapter in case you use a VGA compatible display device. However, there is a marked difference in video quality when you downgrade from a DVI to a VGA connection.
You can also use number of smart gadgets easily available in the market to get the best use of your DVI enabled video sources. One of the most common of these is the DVI Video Splitter. The DVI splitter lets you view the same signal from a PC or DVD player on two or more DVI enabled screens at the same time. The DVI KVM switch is a boon for computer geeks since it lets the user control two computers with a single mouse and keyboard. Another common device is the DVI HDMI switcher, which is nowadays a necessary component of any latest home theater system setup.
