Your brand new HDTV has arrived!  It’s out of the box and sitting in your living room, waiting for you to hook it up and start enjoying the fabulous picture.  The first thing that you need to do is get familiar with all of the new fangled cables.

DVI is a popular form of video interface technology.  But there are a lot of products you need to get to know.  What these products do is maximize the quality of flat panel monitors and other modern video graphics equipment, so let's get to it.

WHAT IS DVI ?

DVI stands for (D)igital (V)ideo (I)nterface.  It is a popular form of video interface technology.  What these products do is maximize the quality of flat panel monitors and other modern video graphics equipment.  It is designed as a replacement for the P&D (Plug & Display) standard, and it is a step up from the digital-only DFP format for those older flat panel units.

DVI to cable is becoming increasingly popular with video card manufacturers, and most cards these days include both a VGA and a DVI output port, and that helps a lot.

In addition to being used as the standard computer interface, the DVI hdmi cable standard was, for a short while, the digital transfer method of choice for HDTV, EDTV, Plasma Display, and other ultra-high-end video displays for TV, movies, and DVDs.  Even a few top-end DVD players have featured DVI cable outputs in addition to the high-quality analog component Video.  The digital market is now swinging towards the HDMI to DVI D cable interface for high-definition media delivery, and now DVI is being again constrained to the
computer market.

There are three types of DVI connections: DVI-Digital, DVI-Analog, and DVI-Integrated (Digital & Analog)

DVI-D - True Digital Video

DVI-D Single DVI cables are used for direct digital connections between source video (namely, video cards) and digital LCD (or rare CRT) monitors.  This provides a faster and higher-quality image than with standard analog, due to the nature of the digital format.  All video cards initially produce a digital video signal, which is converted to an analog signal at the VGA output.  The analog signal travels to the monitor and is re-converted back into a digital signal.  DVI-D eliminates the analog conversion process and improves the overall connection between the source and display, and neat trick.

DVI-A - High-Res Analog
DVI-A cables are used to carry a DVI signal to an analog display, such as a CRT monitor or a down market LCD.  The most common use of DVI-A is connecting to a Video Graphic Array (VGA) device, since DVI-A and VGA carry the same signal.  There is some quality loss issues involved in the digital to analog conversion, however; which is why a digital signal is recommended whenever possible.

DVI-I - The Best of Both Worlds
Dual DVI cables (DVI-I) are integrated cables which are capable of transmitting either a digital-to-digital signal or an analog-to-analog signal.  This makes it a more versatile cable of course, as they are usable in either digital or analog situations.

Like any other format, DVI digital and analog formats are non-interchangeable. This means that a DVI-D cable will not work on an analog system, nor a DVI-A on a digital system. To connect an analog source to a digital display, you'll need a VGA to DVI-D electronic convertor; to connect a digital output to an analog monitor, you'll need to use a DVI-D to VGA converter.




Know Your DVI Products:

Monster Cable HDMI To DVI
Monster Cable's HDMI-DVI adapter lets you connect your DVI equipped components to newer HDMI-equipped TVs or components by plugging a DVI cable into an HDMI terminal.

DVI Adapter Cable
This audio/video cable lets you connect select digital cameras with high-definition video output to a compatible HDTV.  This video connection gives you a cleaner, more detailed picture than you get with standard composite video.   Some come with gold-plated connectors for optimal signal transfer.

DVI Cable Splitte
The DVI cable splitter or "Y" cable provides a fast and easy way to simultaneously connect two monitors to a one computer.

LCD DVI Cable
This cable provides a highly reliable, purely digital connection between video devices (DVD players, HTDV monitors, DVI out Video Cards, etc.)

DVI cable 15 is a 15 foot long DVI cable (usually male-to-male or male dvi cable)

DVI RCA Cable    
This cable connects DVI device to a 3RCA component RCA plug

HDMI to cable
HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is a compact audio/video interface for transmitting uncompressed digital data.  HDMI 1.3a (HDMI 1.3) cables are engineered to maximize performance of your home theater components, delivering high-quality sound and video for the true home theater enthusiast.

Digital HDMI Cable
This product should support the HDMI 1.3 standard which is about as as good as it gets.

2 HDMI Cable
A 2 HDMI cable is two meters or about 6 foot of cable and supports, on a single cable, any TV or PC video format, including standard, enhanced, and high-definition video.

HDMI 1000 HD Cable
HDMI is a data superhighway for digital video and audio.  They are optimized for the next generation performance of HDTVs and game consoles that will require 1080p resolution with Deep Color technology.
    
1.3a or 1.3 b HDMI Cable
Suggested Applications: HDMI cable is suitable for use in HDTV, Home Theater, PlayStation 3, and business class projectors.  Supports multiple audio formats from stereo to multi-channel sound Transfer Digital Audio and Video signals at warp speed of 10.2 Gigabits per second.     

Starting in 2005, many high-end television sets were sold with at least one HDMI interface. Some experts advise that two HDMI interfaces will provide more flexibility, and for those who want to connect a game console, three might serve better. Multiple interfaces will become common on digital TVs as the industry incorporates HDMI interfaces into more and more components.
   

About The Author:

Do you need high-performance home theater cables? Check out BetterCables.com!

This article was written by J. Mark Soveign who writes for Wertheim Communications LLC as well as Mooker.Com Did you like this story? If so, vote for it on your favorite social bookmark site: