Hdmi Dvi

HDMI and DVI: What You Need To Know

Many of us are buying new technology lately and we see a lot of new acronyms like HDMI and DVI.  Most of us do not know what these terms mean.  In this article, I will explain, in layman’s terms, the meaning of HDMI and DVI, why these terms are important, and what the difference is between the two.

Let us begin by taking a look at the activities of my friend John recently.  John is your typical layman who likes to tinker and set things up for himself.  With the excitement of a child, John recently purchased a new LCD TV and a Blu-ray player.  John was also excited because he intended to hook up his new laptop computer to the LCD TV and use it as a very large computer monitor.

Well, John took one look at the back of the new LCD TV and immediately picked up the phone:  “Richard, what are all of these funny looking inputs on the back of my LCD TV?”, he asked.

John’s response is typical of those who are purchasing the best LCD TVs today and other new technical equipment.  Though most of us are familiar with the RCA inputs (these are the ones that you probably have used to connect your VCR to your television or used as stereo connections) and some of you are probably familiar with the VGA Input that you see (this is what you would commonly use to hook up Your Computer monitor and can also be found on the back of your computer), there may also be one or two foreign looking inputs:  DVI and HDMI.

DVI stands for Digital Video Interface and was originally designed to overcome some limitations with VGA.  DVI transmits all signals digitally and works much better with today’s LCD devices than VGA.  As people switched from CRT monitors (the old bulky ones) attached to their computers to LCD Monitors (the thin, sleek ones), many people began connecting their monitors with a DVI cable because the video rendered itself better with DVI than with VGA.

However, DVI provided no sound, only video.  Thus, you would never connect a new Blu-ray player with DVI because it would have no sound, unless you like silent movies I suppose.

Thus, just as DVI replaced VGA, HDMI came along to replace DVI.  HDMI stands for High Definition Multimedia Interface and contains 19 wires all wrapped in a single cable.  But none of that is important.  What is important to you is that HDMI transfers both video and audio and is extremely fast.  It is the connection used for all new technologies coming out.  And beware, if you ask a vendor, “What is the Best Hdmi Cable?”, he will try to sell you something expensive in the neighborhood of $100.  Don’t do it–HDMI cables can be had for $15 or below.

Thus, you will want to connect all Blu-ray players via HDMI.  Like John, many people also want to connect their computers to their new LCD TV sets.  For this, HDMI would be optimal, but most computers (not all) do not have an HDMI output.  If you have one, use it.  If you have no HDMI, use DVI, which many computers have.  If both HDMI and DVI are not available on your computer, then you are left with a VGA connection from your computer to your LCD TV.

In summary, the main difference between DVI and HDMI is that HDMI is faster and transfers both video and audio.  Plus, the cable is less clunky.  If you have HDMI options on both ends, always choose HDMI above the others!

About the Author

For more on this topic, visit the HDMI vs DVI and Connect PC to TV pages which contain supporting graphics, videos, and illustrations. The author, Richard Tyler, is a technologist, writer, and generally curious bloke!

How to connect DVI to HDMI

Dynex Mini DVI to VGA Adapter for Apple Notebooks $3.49 This device is perfect for converting your apple notebooks to video projectors for presentations to teams and groups. It allows you to have the option of using a VGA monitor as a larger viewing area than the oringal lap top screen provides….

Giuseppe di Stefano: La Voce del Cuore [DVD Video] $22.99 25ft HDMI Male to DVI Male Premium Gold Series cable. Supports all HDTV resolutions including 1080p. Lifetime warranty….

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$10.73 shipped–$10.17 shipped–High Speed HDMI to DVI Cable for PS3 (Black) $10.73 This cable is compatible with PS3.

$10.76 shipped–$9.83 shipped–1.5m HDMI to HDMI Digital Audio/Video Cable Version 1.4 (Black) $10.76 Fully support 1920*1080P HD resolution. the maximum transmission speed of 10.2Gbps. Support all high resolution DVI monitors.

$114.57 shipped–$108.78 shipped–GT250 1024MB/512MB 256bit DDR3 VGA/DVI/HDMI PCI-E Graphic Card (Black) $114.57 Chipset inside. Mount the graphic card to the PCI-E slot. Built-in fan for cooling the computer. Interface: PCI Express. GPU: GT250. Memory type: DDR3. Memory: 512MB. Max.1024MB.

$12.72 shipped–$12.72 shipped–3in1 Mini DisplayPort to HDMI/DVI/DISPLAYPORT Adapter Cable (White) $12.72 This is 3in1 Mini DisplayPort adapter.

$12.91 shipped–$11.8 shipped–3 m 19P HDMI to DVI (24+1) Cable (Black) $12.91 This 3 m 19P HDMI to DVI (24+1) cable is great for stable signal transmission. High quality 24K gold plated connectors and supports 1600×1200 resolution.