DVI

Updated: 04/12/2021 by Computer Hope
digital visual interface

Short for digital visual interface, DVI is a video display interface. It was developed as an industry standard for transmitting digital video content to display devices at resolutions as high as 2560 x 1600. Common devices that utilize the DVI connection are computer monitors and projectors. DVI can even be used with some TVs, although HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is more common as only some DVI cables can transmit audio signals. The DVI connector (shown below) may have one of three names depending on the signals it supports: DVI-A (analog only), DVI-D (digital only), or DVI-I (digital and analog).

DVI or VGA?

If your monitor and GPU (graphics processing unit) support DVI and VGA (video graphics adapter), we suggest using a DVI cable. With DVI (digital), the picture quality is always at least equal to VGA (analog) and possibly better.

Does DVI require software or drivers?

No. If your devices support DVI, no additional software or drivers are needed. However, realize that a computer video card requires drivers and is one of the computer's most updated hardware devices.

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