6 Basic Facts About DVI Cables

In the world of the future, we might not all have a fridge with self-assessing capabilities and an internet connection to order your milk to be home-delivered before it runs out… but it seems increasingly likely that many of us will connect our computers to our televisions to receive content over the internet, but viewed on our television. DVI will likely be one of the first technologies used for connecting your computer too your HDTV – today we introduce you to DVI cable technology and how it could be bringing the future to your loungeroom!

What is DVI?

DVI stands for Digital Video Interface, although some people list it as Digital Visual Interface. It was one of the first all digital methods of transferring a video signal, so allowed digital-capable devices to receive a much less lossy (compressed or reduced) form of video, compared to analog VGA cables. It wasn’t until the advent of digital televisions that using DVI on anything pother than computer monitors became widespread, and we started needing DVI cables for the television, and DVI to VGA converters.

What are DVI cables used for?

DVI was used everywhere that HDMI was, before HDMI became the new standard in digital cabling. If you have a television or other piece of AV equipment from that short period, it may need DVI cables. They are also commonly used for computer monitors.

DVI has single and dual links

As you might expect, DVI cables that have dual links can provide increased picture quality. The ‘dual link’ specification for DVI cables refers to the TMDS transmitter (transition minimized differential signaling). If you have a dual link DVI cable, there will be two 165Hz transmitters; single link cables have one.

What a DVI cable/plug looks like

A DVI cable/plug has nineteen pins, and frequently has little screws on the side to help keep it steady in its plug. This is what the end of a DVI cable looks like:

DVI is compatible with VGA with a converter

VGA is an analog signal type, but is compatible with DVI. There are three types of DVI cables – DVI-D, DVI-A, and DVI-I. At the end of each acronym, the ‘D’ stands for digital, the ‘A’ for analog, and the ‘I’ for integrated. You can get a DVI to VGA converter so that you can use DVI and other analog items together- however you will always be constrained by the signal quality of the analog appliance.

HDCP is used with DVI

HDCP stands for High-definition Digital Content Protection, a technology which aims to help eliminate movie and music piracy. HDCP is an integral part of HDMI, and DVI connected items can also be HDCP compliant. If you use HDMI cables anywhere in your home theater setup, any single non-HDCP compliant appliance will cut out the signal.