Transportation of video data is primarily carried out using electronic cables. The technology has evolved from the days of using analog cables to now using digital cables for transporting data.
The evolution has made it possible to carry higher amounts of data while maintaining the quality, to give a more defined video presentation.
DVI vs HDMI
The difference between DVI and HDMI is that DVI is a 24 pin digital cable that can support HD video. HDMI on the other hand is a development over DVI. HDMI is a more compact digital cable that can support 1920X1200 HD video feed, along with 8 channel audio feed.
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DVI stands for Digital Video Interface. It is a digital cable primarily used in LCD monitors and old desktops. It is an improvement over the earlier VGA cables.
It uses a 24 pin connection design that can support a 1920X1200 HD video feed. But DVI does not support HDCP format, which restricts its usage.
HDMI is a fairly recent digital cable type and is a development over the DVI format of cables.
HDMI stands for High Definition Multimedia Interface and is predominantly used in newer TVs, laptops, computers, and video players.
HDMI has a compact design and it can support high definition video feed, along with 8 channel high-definition audio feed.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | DVI | HDMI |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | DVI stands for Digital Video Interface | HDMI stands for High Definition Multimedia Interface |
| Support | DVI supports 1920X1200 HD video | HDMI supports 1920X1200 HD video along with 8 channel audio |
| HDCP support | DVI does not support video encrypted with HDCP | HDMI supports videos encrypted by HDCP |
| Design | DVI has a larger head to support all the pins | HDMI cables are comparatively very compact |
| Usage | Used in older LCD monitors and TVs | Used in almost all new laptops, desktops, TVs, Video players |
What is DVI?
DVI stands for Digital Video Interface. It is a type of digital cable used to transport digital data from a processing unit to a display unit.
It is an improvement over the earlier VGA type of digital cable.
DVI uses a 24 pin head to transport the data. Thus the design of the cable is not compact.
The cable can support 1920X1200 pixel HD video feed, but when used with a dual-link DVI connector cable, it can support up to 2560X1600 pixel feed.
The cable was very popular in the late 90s early 2000s and was used primarily in TVs, laptops, and video players as a more efficient and better alternative to the less functional VGA cables.
The only drawback with DVI cables is that they cannot support video encrypted by the HDCP (High bandwidth Digital Content Protection) code.
This limits its usage as Full HD Blu-ray video content cannot be played using this cable.
To make the pinhead more compact, some versions of the cable contain fewer pins than the regular version of the cable. But this inhibits the ability of the cable to play videos of higher resolution.
Thus cables with fewer pins cannot play HD content compared to the regular version of the cable which is used in most video output systems.
What is HDMI?
HDMI is also a type of digital cable used to transport digital data from a processing unit to a display unit.
HDMI is an improvement over the VGA and DVI cables and it stands for High Definition Multimedia Interface.
The cable has a very head design and it takes up only half the space that DVI cable utilizes for connection.
It is also a more advanced type of digital cable, as it can support 1920X1200 HD video feed, along with 8 channel audio feed as it includes audio pins along with the video pins in the head.
The advantage of using HDMI over DVI is that HDMI can support videos encrypted with the HDCP protection code. This mainly includes the HD Blu-ray video content.
Along with HDCP support, later versions of HDMI such as HDMI 1.2, HDMI 2.0, and so on, also support video formats with higher resolutions, including 4K video data.
Along with high-definition support, they also provide higher refresh rates. this is crucial when playing video games with HD video content, as high refresh rates are desired in such situations.
Because of the compact design of the HDMI port, it is widely used in almost all newer video display systems, such as laptops, TVs, video players, and so on.
Main Differences Between DVI and HDMI
- DVI stands for Digital Video Interface, whereas HDMI stands for High Definition Multimedia Interface
- DVI supports 1920X1200 HD video support, whereas HDMI can support 1920X1200 HD video along with 8 channel audio
- DVI does not support video encrypted with HDCP code, but HDMI can support this format
- DVI has a larger head to support all the pins whereas HDMI is very compact
- DVI is mostly used in old LCD monitors and TVs, while HDMI is used in almost all modern display units
- https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/8872097/
- https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/4253107/
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Sandeep Bhandari holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Computers from Thapar University (2006). He has 20 years of experience in the technology field. He has a keen interest in various technical fields, including database systems, computer networks, and programming. You can read more about him on his bio page.
