VGA (D-Sub) - what is this interface, types, features, pros and cons of the connector. Monitor interfaces - types of connectors D-sub connector and what can be connected to it

31. 01.2019

Blog of Dmitry Vassiyarov.

D-sub connector and what can be connected to it

I am glad to welcome you, my friends.

I decided to expand the collection of my articles concerning contact interfaces used in computers and other equipment. Those interested in this topic always ask the question: D-sub connector, what is it? It is really worthy of your attention, since it has been the most widespread for a long time, and is still successfully used in some devices.

The history of the name of this connector is very original. If the designations we are familiar with, USB, HDMI, are an abbreviation of the English definition, then in the case of D-sub everything is different.

Its full name is “D-subminiature”, where D is a simplified designation of the shape of the connector itself, which from a geometric point of view is a trapezoid with rounded corners and, naturally, resembles this letter. “Subminiature” – “very miniature”. At one time, without false modesty, this was the most accurate description of the dimensions of the innovative connector.

For the first time, experts saw the Di-Sub pin connector in 1952 in the products of the American company ITT Cannon, part of the international corporation ITT. ITT Corporation worked closely with the US Defense Department. And its development was created with the prospect of use in military equipment.

Ideal connector design

ITT Cannon specialists coped brilliantly with the task of reducing the number of wires and connections, as well as minimizing the area occupied by connectors, because their universal brainchild, the D-sub connector in different versions, has existed for more than half a century and is still in demand in some devices. Let's take a look at it:

  • The base of the connector is an insulating plate made of plastic (polystyrene, sometimes reinforced with fiberglass). It serves as a mount and separator for contacts.
  • Along its perimeter there is the same galvanized (or tinned) steel plate, reminiscent of the letter D. This is an important structural element that performs three functions at once:
  • It is the basis for reliable fastening of the plug in the socket;
  • Protects (screens) transmitted signals from possible electromagnetic interference;
  • Its form determines the mutual orientation of the corresponding contacts and makes it impossible incorrect connection;
  • In the classic version, the contacts are thin pins (and, accordingly, tubes in the socket) made of nickel-plated bronze. The most critical connectors use gold plating. The contacts are arranged in two or three rows at an equal distance from each other with normal or increased density. The number of contacts is strictly fixed and determined by the data transfer protocol and the power system. There are D-sub with 9, 15, 25, 37, 50 and more contacts.

  • In some connector modifications, thin pins can be supplemented with reinforced contacts to transmit a coaxial signal or powerful power supply. They are used, for example, to transmit high-quality images with RGB division analog signal.

The housing is an equally important part of this connector.

  • As such, it is present only on the fork and can be solid or dismountable (with screws or latches for quick assembly). Made from durable plastic or metal (steel, aluminum). A special feature of the D-sub plug body is the presence of two mounting screws that attract it to the socket and prevent accidental disconnection of the contacts. Their tightening from the fork side can be done with a special tool or manually, due to the grooved notches on the head of the screws.

This connector, like any other, is divided into two parts. The plug (plug) contains pin contacts and an outer (encompassing) screen.

This part connected to the external cable is also called “plug”, “male” or “male connector”.

The socket has internal screen and contacts made in the form of tube sockets. This element is also called “mother”, “socket” or “female connector”. English versions of designating wording are used in labeling.

Attaching the cable to the contacts

One of the design features of the D-sub connector is the variety of ways to connect to the cable:

  • Soldering, according to experienced specialists, is, although labor-intensive, but also the most reliable installation method. To facilitate this procedure, the back side of the contacts is made in the form of a semi-cylindrical or flat surface;

  • Removable crimp contacts allow you to speed up the connection process. After this operation is completed, they are placed back into their slots on the insulator;
  • In the case of using a cable cable, you should give preference to connectors with a device for pinning contact surfaces;

  • The fastest to install is D-sub with a self-clamping device. You will need to arrange the wires into contact cells and secure them with a special insert.

The fastening structures provide cable outlets in different directions (straight or at an angle).

Learning to unravel unusual markings

Now that we've learned about diversity D-sub connectors, I suggest we talk about their labeling. And here we are faced with confusion. The fact is that ITT Cannon proposed letter designations for different sizes corresponding to a certain number of contacts.

But their number is already indicated in the designation. Writing extra letters is not entirely reasonable. Although many, out of habit, often indicate “B” (corresponding to 25 contacts). So you may well encounter a DB9S or DB50M. Don’t pay attention to “B”, but take a closer look at the last letter. Remember the previous conversation about plugs and sockets. So this is in in this case"socket" and "male connector" respectively.

The marking also contains the letter “W” with a number indicating the presence of additional reinforced contacts, and the combination “HD” indicates a high density of plugs and sockets.

Continuing the conversation about D-sub designations, it is worth noting that the companies involved in their production offer their own options for marking the method of fastening the wires and the location of the cable. And yet, if you find “MIL” in the name of the connector, this will indicate its high quality and reliability meeting US Department of Defense standards.

What is D-sub for?

Parameters for using Di-Sub connectors are cable lines with a current of up to 5 amperes, with an insulation resistance of 1000 MΩ and contact resistance of 30 MΩ. This is information for specialists, but we are interested in what D-sub is used for.

This connector was created based on telecommunications needs, and implied the use of the RS-232 protocol to connect the modem to a computer. This interface ensured high reliability in serial signal transmission. This is why the PC serial port got its name. Although it had a low throughput, it was unpretentious in operation and was simply programmed for different purposes.

Thanks to this, almost all devices connected to computing and network devices(before the USB era) used a D-sub connector.

Their list is quite large, but here are just some well-known examples:

Do you need examples? The older generation probably remembers a computer like the ZX Spectrum? So it had an expansion port into which you could plug in all sorts of cool things, like a printer or a joystick.

But of course, the most common use of this connector to this day is the transmission of video signals to TVs, projectors and monitors. It is of course being replaced by digital. But where there is only a DB15HD socket, you can still get a picture with HD resolution.

Having touched on the topic of connecting to different devices, it should be said that in some cases it is necessary to use adapters between D-sub with a different number of contacts. There are also adapter options between DVI and VGA version of “Di-Sub”.

This, friends, is the legendary D-sub connector. Now you have learned a lot about him and have probably gained respect for this fighting “old man”. And I finish my story and wish everyone the best. See you again on my blog.

What is VGA, is there a difference with D-Sub?

VGA (D-Sub) is one of the most popular connectors in the history of digital technology. This standard is used in electronic devices, which appeared on sale thirty years ago to this day. Although this connector can no longer be called progressive, it is still easy to find in various monitors, video cards and other electronic devices.

D-Sub (D-subminiature) is a fifteen-pin analog connector. Typically, it is used to connect a computer or laptop to a monitor.

VGA (Video Graphics Array) uses progressive video transmission. When the brightness level changes, the voltage decreases or increases at the same time. Moreover, the signal voltage can vary from 0.7 to 1 V. If we consider CRT monitors, which most often contain VGA connectors, then the intensity of the beam created by the electron gun changes in them. As a result of such actions, the brightness of the display changes.

As for the difference between VGA and D-Sub, there is simply no difference, because we are talking about the same DE15 connector. This is a 15-pin connector, where each channel is responsible for specific functions. It is worth noting that in its appearance, VGA really resembles the letter “D”. Hence the name - D-Sub.

What can be connected via a VGA connector?

Today, VGA is no longer considered a common connector for technology. But over the years of its existence, a variety of devices have received such a standard. For example, this interface is present in certain models of LCD and plasma TVs. It was often installed in DVD players. But the VGA connector is especially common in monitors with cathode ray tubes. Almost all CRT monitors were equipped with just such an interface for connecting to signal sources. Even early LCD models had this standard, which was gradually replaced by DVI and HDMI.

History of the VGA interface

The VGA connector was announced in 1987 by the world famous company IBM. It was specially designed for high-quality video signal transmission to screens using cathode ray tubes. Therefore, all current computers at that time worked with monitors that were equipped with this interface. It should be noted that until this moment there were DE-9 connectors, which were often used to connect joysticks to game consoles and PCs. At the same time, VGA (DE-15) no longer received 9, but 15 contacts at once. This made it possible to enjoy color images that were displayed on CRT monitors.

In the 90s of the last century, many equipment manufacturers also began to apply this standard. TVs and DVD players with VGA on board began to be produced. D-Sub maintained its popularity until it became widespread digital standard DVI. Moreover, the official presentation of DVI took place in 1999. But it began to gradually oust the morally and physically outdated VGA interface from the market only in the 2000s, when digital technologies and corresponding content turned out to be in demand and accessible among users. Moreover, in 2015 year AMD, Intel and many others largest corporations decided to completely abandon the use of the VGA standard in their new products.

Types of D-Sub output

The VGA interface has used 15 pins since its launch. A line-by-line signal with an unstable voltage amplitude is transmitted through them. At the same time, today it is known that there are two types of this connector, which are almost no different from each other:

  • Standard VGA. This interface is used in many video cards and monitors, as well as some DVD players and TVs.
  • Mini-VGA. This connector can be found in laptops and certain portable devices. In respect of appearance it looks more like a USB port. But in terms of its capabilities it is no different from a standard connector.

Technical characteristics, features and pinout of VGA Connector

As noted, VGA (D-Sub) was designed for convenient analog signal transmission. There are 15 contacts used here, each of which performs a specific function.


You need to understand that there is a “Male” connecting cable and “Mother” plug connections.

Therefore, the protruding connections must be connected to the internal VGA holes. As for the contacts themselves, they are lined up in three horizontal stripes of 5 pieces each. Thanks to this, it is possible to transmit an analog signal “split” into blue, red and green colors.

Maximum VGA resolution (d sub)

VGA technology is officially capable of transmitting a video signal in a resolution of 1280 by 1024 pixels, but no more. In reality, the resolution can reach 1920x1080 (Full HD) and in some cases even 2048x1536. Until a certain time, this was quite enough to enjoy high-quality image. But the higher the resolution of the transmitted signal, the greater the chance of getting unexpected defects in the form of blurred pictures and other things. Therefore, experts recommend using more advanced interfaces for FHD monitors.

Pros and cons of the VGA interface

Main advantages :

  1. A huge number of devices released over 30 years.
  2. Large selection of different adapters.
  3. Ideal for CRT monitors and analog signal transmission.
  4. The only analog interface that can transmit high-definition video.

Disadvantages of the connector :

  1. There is no possibility for simultaneous transmission of video and audio signals (only video is transmitted).
  2. The officially declared maximum resolution is 1280 x 1024. Problems may arise when displaying images on FHD displays.
  3. When using a low-quality cable, interference occurs.
  4. Not very suitable for connecting digital devices.

Types of converters and converters for VGA

If you have, for example, an old video card with a VGA connector, but you decide to buy a new monitor with digital interfaces, then you can’t just connect them. In such cases, you need to additionally change the source of the video signal, or purchase a special converter. In the latter case, there is no need to buy expensive components. It is enough to find (buy) a VGA to HDMI or DVI signal converter so that the new monitor can delight you with a clear and colorful picture without the need to change the video card.

Today you can find a huge number of all kinds of adapters on the market. With their help, you can convert a signal from VGA to DVI, Display Port, HDMI, and so on. Many converters are equipped with a USB cable, through which it is possible to transmit not only video, but also audio. Backward compatibility is not excluded at all, when a signal from a digital standard is transmitted to a monitor with a VGA interface.

Relevance of VGA today, which is better vga or hdmi?

In today's reality, when digital content dominates, there is no point in counting on the capabilities of D-Sub (VGA). Just look at various devices and components that have been produced by manufacturers recently. And we will find that among the interfaces there will be HDMI, Display Port or DVI. They provide high-quality display of high-definition images (Full HD and 4K). On the other hand, VGA is still with us. Over the years, companies have released an incredible number of devices that support this standard. Therefore, it is too early to completely discount it. But it’s hardly worth hoping for a miracle. It should be understood that even with the use of adapters, it is impossible to achieve complete synchronization between analog and digital interfaces. Defects will probably appear somewhere, or the image will not “reveal” to its fullest extent.


D-sub(D-subminiature) is a popular line of electrical connectors in computer technology. When it appeared on the market, the “subminiature” connector fully justified its name. However, today, it can hardly be called such; rather, on the contrary, it is one of the most massive computer signal connectors.

Description

The D-sub interface includes two (or more) parallel rows of pins and sockets. As a rule, they are surrounded by a metal shield shaped like the Latin letter D. It mechanically connects the connector to the plug and also shields the interface from electromagnetic interference. The connector is like this unique shape very convenient because it eliminates incorrect connection. The side of the connector that contains the contacts is called male connector ("dad"), another containing nests - female connector ("Mother"). The socket shield fits inside the plug shield. If shielded cables are used, the connector shields are connected to the cable shields. This ensures continuous shielding of the entire connection.

D-sub connectors were created by ITT Cannon, a division of ITT Corporation. The date of creation of the connector is distant 1952. The designation system adopted within the company indicates that the symbol “D” designates the entire series of D-sub connectors; the second letter is used to indicate the size of the connector, which depends on the number of standard pins located inside the D-shaped shield (A = 15, B = 25, C = 37, D = 50, E = 9); then the number of actually used contacts is located, and with it the letter that characterizes the “gender” of the connector: M - “male”, F - “female”, P - plug/male, S - socket/female. For example, DB25M needs to be deciphered as follows: a D-sub connector with a screen, and the actual number of contacts is 25. The contacts in the connector are spaced at a distance of 2.77 mm, the rows are spaced at a distance of 2.84 mm.

Cannon also produces D-sub connectors with connections that have larger connectors than conventional pins. These connectors can be used for both high voltage and coaxial connections. They take the place of several standard contacts at once.

Name confusion

Due to the widespread use of DB-25 connectors for parallel and serial ports, most users, not realizing that “B” denotes screen size, began to call the D-sub connector itself differently: DB. Although, according to the rules, designations like “DA”, “DC”, or “DE” should have been used. The same applies to the DB9 connector, which they started calling ordinary 9-pin connectors, although they should have called them DE9. This has led to the fact that DE9 connectors are now often sold on the market as DB9. By DB9 they often mean a 9-pin connector with screen size E.

Currently, there are special D-sub connectors that have a standard screen size, but at the same time have large quantity pins, and the names use the same nomenclature.

There are connectors with even higher pin densities, called “double density”: DE19, DA31, DB52, DC79 and DD100. All connectors have four rows of contacts.

In addition, there is another family of connectors that are often confused with D-sub, although this family is not included in this standard. These connectors are called, for example, HD50 and HD68. They also have a D-shaped connector, but this connector is almost twice as thin as the DB25. Such connectors are usually used in SCSI connections.

D-sub connectors are described in DIN 41652.

Application

D-sub connectors are very popular in the field of data transmission via the RS-232 serial interface, despite the fact that the standard does not require its use for these purposes. Initially, RS-232 used DB25, but due to the fact that many applications used only part of the pins, it became possible to implement 9-pin DE9 connectors for these purposes.

In PCs, 9- and 25-pin connectors are used for:

  • serial port (RS-232);
  • parallel (IEEE 1284) printer port.

The IEEE 1284 standard uses a DB-25 connector on the PC side, called "IEEE 1284-A", and on the printer side, it uses an "IEEE 1284-B" connector (borrowed from Centronics).

The DE9 plug on the back of an IBM PC typically has an RS-232 connector. It was first used in PCs in 1984. There was also usually a 9-socket socket, which served as a video card output to a monochrome, CGA, or EGA monitor. Despite the fact that all interfaces used a single connector, only a certain type of monitor was used with the video card, since connecting a monitor of a different type could result in the monitor burning out.

More modern video cards, standard VGA, used the DE15 connector, it had 15 contacts arranged in 3 rows. This connector is also known as HD15, where HD = High Density.

Today, the D-sub designation in video card descriptions is used only for DE15 connectors.

By the late '70s and throughout the '80s, non-screw-type DE9 connectors were everywhere used for connecting control devices. The connector became a de facto standard after it was used in the Atari 2600 game console, as well as in the Atari line of 8-bit computers. In addition, these computer connectors are used by the following systems: Atari, Commodore, Amstrad, SEGA.

Many uninterruptible power supplies are equipped with a DE9F connector, which performs the functions of exchanging signals with a computer - in order, for example, to report the battery charge level. Most of these devices are not used standard interface serial port, but its own wiring, which different manufacturers varies. Some companies deliberately use non-standard wiring to compete: to force the user to use their proprietary cable.

In addition, the following connectors are also used in D-sub technology:

  • 15-pin DA15 (two rows: 7 and 8 pins) - used to connect a color monitor in early Mac computers, as well as to connect to network cards;
  • 37-pin DC37 (two rows: 18 and 19 pins);
  • 50-pin DD50 (two rows of 17 and one row of 16 pins).

Probably every user of a personal computer or laptop has encountered issues with connecting a monitor or TV to it, as well as the quality of the resulting image. And if earlier getting a high-quality picture on the screen was quite problematic, today this problem does not exist at all. Of course, if your device has a DVI connector. This is what we will talk about, and also consider other existing interfaces for displaying images on the screen.

Types of connectors for displaying images on a computer monitor or screen

Until recently, everything personal computers had an exclusively analog connection to the monitor. To transfer images to it, a VGA (Video Graphics Adapter) interface with a D-Sub 15 connector was used. Experienced users still remember the blue plug and 15-pin socket. But, besides this, video cards also had other connectors designed to display images on a TV screen or other video device:

  • RCA (Radio Corporation of America) - in our opinion, “tulip”. An analog connector designed to connect a video card to a TV, video player or VCR using a coaxial cable. Has the worst transmission characteristics and low resolution.
  • S-Video (S-VHS) is a type of analog connector for transmitting a video signal to a TV, VCR or projector, dividing the data into three channels responsible for a separate base color. The quality of signal transmission is slightly better than “tulip”.
  • Component connector - output to three separate “tulips”, used to output images to the projector.

All of these connectors were widely used until the late 1990s. Of course, there was no question of quality, since both televisions and monitors at that time had very low resolution. Now we can’t even imagine how it was possible to play computer games looking at a television screen with a cathode ray tube.

With the advent of the new century, thanks to the introduction of digital technologies in the development of video devices, RCA, S-VHS and component output began to be used less and less. The VGA interface lasted a little longer.

A little history

The operating principle of a conventional video card was that the digital image output from it had to be converted into an analog signal using a RAMDAC device - a digital-to-analog converter. Naturally, such conversion already deteriorated the image quality at the initial stage.

With the advent of digital screens, it became necessary to convert the analog signal at the output. Now monitors have also begun to be equipped with a special converter, which again could not but affect the image quality.

And here, in 1999, DVI appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, the latest digital video interface, thanks to which we can today enjoy the perfect picture on the screen.

The development of this interface device was carried out by a whole group of companies, which included Silicon Image, Digital Display Working Group and even Intel. The developers came to the conclusion that there is no need to convert a digital signal to analog, and then vice versa. It is enough to create a single interface, and the image in its original form will be displayed on the screen. And without the slightest loss of quality.

What is DVI

DVI stands for Digital Visual Interface. The essence of its work is that a special TMDS encoding protocol, also developed by Silicon Image, is used to transmit data. The method of transmitting a signal through a digital video interface is based on the sequential sending of information previously implemented by the protocol, with constant backward compatibility with analog VGA channel.

The DVI specification allows for a single TMDS connection to operate at up to 165 MHz and a transfer rate of 1.65 Gbps. This makes it possible to obtain an output image with a resolution of 1920x1080 with a maximum frequency of 60 Hz. But here it is possible to simultaneously use a second TMDS connection with the same frequency, which allows you to achieve a throughput of 2 Gbit/s.

Having such indicators, DVI left far behind other developments in this direction and began to be used on all digital devices without exception.

DVI for the average user

Without delving into the jungle of electronics, a digital video interface is just a special encoding device that has a corresponding connector on the video card. But how do you know that a computer or laptop has a digital output?

Everything is very simple. The connectors of video cards with a digital interface cannot be confused with others. They have a specific appearance and shape, different from other nests. In addition, the DVI connector is always white, which makes it stand out from the rest.

In order to connect a monitor, TV or projector to a video card, you simply plug in the plug of the desired wire and secure it using special hand-screwed bolts.

Resolution and scaling

However, neither digital coding nor special video card connectors have completely solved the problem of computer-monitor compatibility. A question arose about image scaling.

The fact is that all monitors, screens and televisions that already have a DVI connector are not capable of producing a higher output resolution than that provided by their design. Therefore, it often happened that the video card produced a high-quality picture, and the monitor showed it to us only in a quality limited by its capabilities.

The developers caught on in time and began equipping all modern digital panels with special scaling devices.

Now, when we connect the DVI connector on the monitor to the corresponding output on the video card, the device instantly self-adjusts, choosing the optimal operating mode. We usually don’t pay any attention to this process and don’t try to control it.

Video cards and DVI support

The first video cards of the NVIDIA GeForce2 GTS series already had built-in TMDS transmitters. They are still widely used today in Titanium cards, being integrated into rendering devices. The disadvantage of built-in transmitters is their low clock frequency, which does not allow achieving high resolution. In other words, TMDS do not make the most of their advertised 165 MHz bandwidth. Therefore, we can say with confidence that NVIDIA at the initial stage failed to adequately implement the DVI standard in its video cards.

When video adapters began to be equipped with an external TMDS, working in parallel with the built-in one, DVI interface was able to produce a resolution of 1920x1440, which exceeded all the expectations of the company's developers.

The Titanium GeForce GTX series had no problems at all. They effortlessly provide images with a resolution of 1600x1024.

ATI took a completely different path. All of its video cards that have DVI outputs also operate from integrated transmitters, but they are supplied complete with special DVI-VGA adapters that connect 5 analog DVI pins to VGA.

Maxtor specialists decided not to bother at all and came up with their own way out of the situation. The G550 series video cards are the only ones that have a dual DVI cable instead of two signal transmitters. This solution allowed the company to achieve a resolution of 1280x1024 pixels.

DVI connector: types

It's important to know that not all digital connectors are created equal. They have different specifications and designs. In ours with you Everyday life The most common types of DVI connectors are:

  • DVI-I SingleLink;
  • DVI-I DualLink;
  • DVI-D SingleLink;
  • DVI-D DualLink;
  • DVI-A.

DVI-I SingleLink connector

This connector is the most popular and in demand. It is used in all modern video cards and digital monitors. The letter I in the name means “integrated”. This DVI connector is special in its own way. The fact is that it has two combined transmission channels: digital and analog. In other words, this is a DVI+VGA connector. He has 24 digital outputs and 5 analog.

Considering that these channels are independent of each other and cannot be used simultaneously, the device independently chooses which one to work with.

By the way, the first such integrated interfaces had separate DVI and VGA connectors.

DVI-I DualLink connector

DVI-I DualLink is also capable of transmitting an analog signal, but, unlike SingleLink, it has two digital channels. Why is this necessary? Firstly, to improve throughput, and secondly, it all comes down to resolution again, which is directly proportional to image quality. This option allows you to expand it to 1920x1080.

DVI-D SingleLink connector

DVI-D SingleLink connectors do not have any analog channels. The letter D informs the user that this is a digital interface only. It has one transmission channel and is also limited to a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels.

DVI-D DualLink connector

This connector has two data channels. Their simultaneous use makes it possible to obtain 2560x1600 pixels at a frequency of only 60 Hz. In addition, this solution allows some modern video cards, such as nVidia 3D Vision, to reproduce three-dimensional images on a monitor screen with a resolution of 1920x1080 with a refresh rate of 120 Hz.

DVI-A connector

In some sources, the concept of DVI-A is sometimes found - a digital connector for transmitting exclusively an analog signal. In order not to mislead you, let us immediately indicate that in fact such an interface does not exist. DVI-A is just a special plug in cables and special adapters for connecting analog video devices to the DVI-I connector.

Digital connector: pinout

All of the connectors listed differ from each other in the location and number of contacts:

  • DVI-I SingleLink - has 18 pins for digital channel and 5 for analog;
  • DVI-I DualLink - 24 digital pins, 4 analog, 1 - ground;
  • DVI-D SingleLink - 18 digital, 1 - ground;
  • DVI-D DualLink - 24 digital, 1 - ground

The DVI-A connector also has its own unique pin arrangement. Its pinout consists of only 17 pins, including ground.

HDMI connector

A modern digital video interface also has other types of connecting communications. For example, the HDMI DVI connector is in no way inferior in popularity to the listed models. On the contrary, due to its compactness and the ability to transmit an audio signal along with digital video, it has become a mandatory accessory for all new TVs and monitors.

The abbreviation HDMI stands for High Definition Multimedia Interface, which means “a multimedia interface with high resolution" It appeared for the first time in 2003 and since then has not lost any of its relevance. Every year new modifications appear with improved resolution and throughput.

Today, for example, HDMI makes it possible to transmit video and audio signals without loss of quality over a cable up to 10 meters long. The throughput is up to 10.2 Gb/s. Just a few years ago this figure did not exceed 5 Gb/s.

Support and development this standard The world's leading companies producing radio electronics are engaged in this: Toshiba, Panasonic, Sony, Philips, etc. Almost all video devices today manufactured by these manufacturers must have at least one HDMI connector.

DP connector

DP (DisplayPort) is the newest connector to replace multimedia interface HDMI. Possessing high throughput, minimal loss of quality during data transmission and compactness, it was designed to completely replace the DVI standard. But it turned out that not everything is so simple. Majority modern monitors do not have the appropriate connectors, and changing their production system in a short time is an impossible task. In addition, not all manufacturers are particularly committed to this, which is why most video equipment is not equipped with the DisplayPort standard.

Mini connectors

Today, when computers are often replaced by more mobile devices: laptops, tablets and smartphones - using conventional connectors becomes not very convenient. Therefore, manufacturers such as Apple, for example, began to replace them with smaller analogues. First VGA became mini-VGA, then DVI became micro-DVI, and DisplayPort shrank to mini-DisplayPort.

DVI adapters

But what if, for example, you need to connect a laptop to an analog monitor or another device that has a DVI connector to a digital panel with HDMI or DisplayPort standard? Special adapters will help with this, which can be purchased today at any radio electronics store.

Let's look at their main types:

  • VGA - DVI;
  • DVI - VGA;
  • DVI - HDMI;
  • HDMI - DVI;
  • HDMI - DisplayPort;
  • DisplayPort - HDMI.

In addition to these basic adapters, there are also varieties of them that provide connection to other interfaces, such as USB.

Of course, with such a connection there is a loss of image quality, even between devices of the same type that support the DVI standard. An adapter connector, no matter how high-quality it is, cannot solve this problem.

How to connect a TV to a computer

Connecting a TV to a computer or laptop is not difficult, but you should determine which interface is equipped with both devices. Most modern television receivers have built-in connectors that support DVI. This can be either HDMI or DisplayPort. If a computer or laptop has the same connector as the TV, it is enough to use the cable that usually comes with the latter. If the wire was not included in the kit, you can freely buy it in the store.

The computer operating system will independently detect the connection of the second screen and offer one of the options for using it:

  • as the main monitor;
  • in clone mode (the image will be displayed on both screens);
  • as an additional monitor to the main one.

But do not forget that with such a connection, the image resolution will remain the same as provided for by the screen design.

Does cable length affect signal quality?

Not only the signal quality, but also the data transfer speed depends on the length of the cable connecting the device and the screen. Taking into account the modern characteristics of connecting wires for various digital interfaces, their length should not exceed the established parameters:

  • for VGA - no more than 3 m;
  • for HDMI - no more than 5 m;
  • for DVI - no more than 10 m;
  • for DisplayPort - no more than 10 m.

If you need to connect a computer or laptop to a screen located at a distance exceeding the recommended one, you must use a special amplifier - a repeater (signal repeater), which can also distribute the channel to several monitors.