DVI - technical definition

(1) (Digital Video Interactive) An earlier compression technique that provided up to 72 minutes of full-screen video on a CD-ROM. Acquired by Intel in 1988 from RCA's Sarnoff Research labs, Princeton, NJ, DVI never caught on.

(2) (DeVice Independent) The primary TeX output format. DVI files are not dependent on a particular type of hardware. See TeX.

(3) (Digital Visual Interface) A standard interface to a digital display system. DVI sockets are found on flat panel monitors and TVs, DVD players, data projectors and cable TV set-top boxes. Using TMDS signaling, DVI was introduced in 1999 and within a short time superseded the other emerging digital interfaces. DVI supports High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection, which enforces digital rights management (see HDCP).

Eliminate the Analog
There are countless computers in existence with analog display adapters, but flat panel monitors are digital. Converting to analog in the computer and back to digital in the monitor degrades the result. Images are not as sharp as digital to digital. The same is true for digital cable and flat panel TVs, but the difference is more noticeable on computers because people stare at small, static text characters and icons only a couple feet from their eyes.

During the transition phase to all-digital interfaces, many flat panel monitors come with both VGA and DVI inputs, and newer display adapters include both VGA and DVI outputs.

The DVI-I Socket Accepts Both
The DVI-Integrated (DVI-I) socket on the monitor accommodates both signals. It can accept an analog VGA signal from the computer using a DVD-A plug or a digital DVI signal using a DVD-D plug.

Single and Dual Link
Single link DVI uses a 165 MHz transmitter to provide resolutions up to 1920x1080 at 60Hz. For higher resolutions, starting with 1920x1080 at 85Hz and upwards to 2048x1536 and 2560x1600 pixels, dual link DVI is required (two transmitters). For more information, visit the Digital Display Working Group (www.ddwg.org). See HDMI, UDI, flat panel display, TMDS and LVDS.