Digital video connectors are important as they are used to deliver the highest quality video signal. With televisions, HDMI is the most common connector. But if you want to connect a computer to your TV or you’ve got a new computer monitor, the options tend to be HDMI, DVI, and DisplayPort. Each connection has its pros and cons, so it’s difficult to decide which one is the best connection to use. Hence in this article, we have put forward a short brief on these ports to help you understand which one is better to use.
The HDMI stands for High Definition Multimedia Interface. It has 19 pins and is commonly seen in three sizes. Most HDMI connectors use friction to keep the plug inserted into the socket and can handle a single video and audio stream, so it can drive only one display at a time. The most recent update of the HDMI specification is version 2.1, and it supports a range of higher video resolutions and refresh rates including 4K at 120 Hertz and 8K at 60 Hertz all the way up to 10K.
On the other hand, DVI stands for Digital Visual Interface and offers a distinctly sharper, better picture than VGA. It’s a unique connector because it can carry both digital and analog signals. It can also easily convert to other standards like HDMI and VGA. The DVI port can stream up to 1920×1200 HD video, or with dual-link DVI connectors you can support up to 2560×1600 pixels.
Finally, DisplayPort connectors have 20 pins and are available in two sizes: DisplayPort and Mini DisplayPort. It has a locking mechanism that prevents it from being disconnected accidentally. DisplayPort interface can support up to four monitors at 1920×1200 resolution each, or two monitors at 2560×1600 resolution. It also supports AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync which helps reduce screen tearing while gaming. The most recent version published by VESA is 1.4 which supports 4K HDR at 120 Hertz all the way upto 8K HDR at 60Hz and the upcoming DisplayPort 2.0’s specification allows for resolutions up to an amazing 16K along with higher refresh rates.
To sum things up, although DVI is still a common connection, it’s becoming dated. So, if you want to output a very high resolution with audio you’ll need to use HDMI or DisplayPort instead. HDMI was primarily designed for consumer-electronics applications and for those applications it is better than DisplayPort.
On the contrary, DisplayPort is the ultimate display interface for computers, and in some senses, it complements rather than replaces HDMI. The fact that it supports multiple displays and its ability to connect to nearly any other type of monitor gives it greater flexibility than HDMI.
