Display Ports HDMI, DisplayPort, DVI, VGA
In this article, we’re going to talk about the different video adapter ports. Nowadays these ports are typically found in computers, monitors, TVs, and various video equipment.
VGA Ports
DVI Port
DVI port which stands for digital visual interface. The DVI port has succeeded the VGA port. It was developed in 1999 and it was designed to provide uncompressed, high-quality video to LCD monitors.
Nowadays there are three different versions of a DVI standard.
- DVI-A where the ‘A’ stands for analog. And is used to send only analog signals.
- DVI-D where the ‘D’ stands for a digital. This is used to send only digital signals.
- DVI-I is where the ‘I’ stands per integrated. This is used to send both analog and digital signals.
Now on the ports that can send digital signals, which would be the DVI-D and DVI-I. There are two different types of the DVI standard. There is a single link and a dual link.
Now the difference is that a dual link has six extra pins and these pins are what allow for a higher resolution than a single link.
Dual-link DVI doubles the video bandwidth which has a max resolution of 2560 x 1600, whereas single-link DVI has a max resolution of 1920 x 1200. DVI end adapter mostly has a white colour.
HDMI Ports
HDMI stands for a high-definition multimedia interface. HDMI ports are mostly used in electronic types of equipment such as TVs, monitors, laptops, and mobile devices. It is the most used video standard now a today. It was developed in 2002 and designed for transmitting uncompressed video and audio digital data through a single cable. HDMI is one of the best standards for high definition in consumer electronics delivering crystal-clear video as well as audio.
But in 2009, HDMI 1.4 was released, and it added another channel to HDMI for data which has the capability of network communication. Connected devices that use this feature will give HDMI the ability to send and receive data at 100 mbits/s Ethernet. In addition to video and audio on a single cable, the HDMI cable will have another ability of Ethernet networking. With HDMI 1.4, it also added support for 4K video at 30 Hertz.
In 2017, HDMI 2.1 was released which added support for a higher resolution and refresh rates, with support for 4K video at 120 hertz and 8K video at 60 hertz. It can also support a max resolution of 10K for commercial audio-visual systems and specialty usages.
Display Port
The DisplayPort (D port) came in 2006 and it was developed by VESA, which stands for the Video Electronics Standards Association. The DisplayPort was primarily designed to be used for video. But in addition to video, it can also be used to carry USB and audio data as well. It’s a high-performance interface that is meant to replace the older VGA and DVI interfaces.
It can also connect by using adapters to the older DVI, VGA, and HDMI ports. One of the main advantages that it has over HDMI, is that it has multi-monitor capabilities. The DisplayPort allows you to use multiple monitors by connecting them in a daisy-chain configuration.
So, if you want to use three monitors on your computer, you will connect a cable from the display port on your computer and the other end to the first monitor. Then the first monitor would connect directly to the second monitor and the second monitor would connect to the third monitor
Thunderbolt
The last port we’re going to talk about is Thunderbolt. The Thunderbolt is a high-speed technology interface that outputs one serial signal from a combination of PCI Express and DisplayPort. Thunderbolt is not just for connecting video, but it’s also used for attaching other external peripherals as well. In fact, it can daisy-chain up to six devices. Thunderbolt was released in 2011 and was mainly used in Apple products.
