 Hello everybody! Everybody knows that it takes a cable of some sort to send a signal from any electronic device to another device with a screen like a monitor or a TV set. In today's video, I'll tell you about the most popular video interfaces and explore the pros and cons in detail. In our channel and blog, you will find solutions to any problem from installing an operating system or configuring it to fix impossible bugs and errors or optimizing mobile gadgets. Our specialists will answer any questions you ask in your comments under the videos or articles. The first and the oldest one is VGA, also known as DSUB. VGA or DSUB is one of the most popular connection ports in the history of digital technology. This connection standard was first introduced for electronic appliances about 30 years ago and it is still in use, even though it can hardly be considered a modern one. You can still find it in many monitor and graphics card models, as well as other electronic devices. But then, what is VGA and does it differ from DSUB? DSUB is a common name for a family of connectors that contain two or more parallel rows of plugs and sockets, and they usually have a characteristic D-shaped metal shield, hence the name. The connection interface, commonly known as VGA, is actually one of the DSUB connection ports, namely the DE-15, which uses a 15-pin plug and socket set in the E-type high-density pattern. These days, VGA is no longer the most widely used interface for electronics, but over the decades it was fitted to all kinds of devices. For example, it can still be found in certain models of LCD and plasma televisions, and it was often chosen for DVD players. But most often, you could see a VGA port in CRT, monitors which stands for Casper RayTube. Almost all monitors of that type can be equipped with this particular interface. Even earlier LCD monitors still had a VGA port, but it was gradually replaced by DVI and HDMI. Let's talk about pros and cons of VGA. Main advantages A huge number of compatible devices produced over the three decades of its existence. A wide range of various adapters An ideal choice for CRT monitors and situations when an analog signal has to be transmitted. The only analog interface capable of transmitting video in high resolution is this one. Main disadvantages Well, it cannot transmit video and audio signal at the same time, only video signal is transmitted. The officially guaranteed maximum resolution is 2080 x 1024. There are possible quality issues when transmitting a picture to full HD monitors. If poor quality cables are used, flickering or other issues may appear. Finally, it's not the best choice for connecting modern electronics. Now, let's talk about another popular interface known as DVI. Back in 1999, they began to gradually replace the DE-15 or VGA port with its digital equivalent DVI, also known as digital-visual interface. DVI was designed to ensure quality transmission of video images to various digital devices. Typically, those were projectors, monitors and TVs. As a user, you may encounter several kinds of DVI ports, including as follows. DVI-A, where A stands for analog, for analog signal only. DVI-I, where I stands for integrated, for both analog and digital signal. Digital transmission can operate in a dual mode. DVI-D, where D stands for digital, for digital signal only, single or dual mode. Talking of compatibility, graphics cards that only have an analog DVI-A port don't support monitors compatible with the digital DVI-D standard. Since such monitors don't have an analog interface and their cables can't work with digital signal, it will be impossible to receive video images even if an adapter is used. This situation can be compared with attempts to connect a modern TV to a VGA port on an old computer. However, special converters can transform DVI-A analog signal into DVI-D digital signal. A graphics card with a DVI-I port can be connected to a DVI-D monitor if we use a cable with two DVI-D connectors. And vice versa, a monitor supporting DVI-D can receive signal through a DVI-D cable. You can transmit signal from DVI-I and DVI-A to VGA if a passive adapter is used. But it's impossible to use such converters with modern graphics cards which have a DVI-D port. One more video interface is HDMI. HDMI is the current standard for transmitting high-quality video and audio signals between such devices as TVs, monitors, projectors, computers, laptops, video game consoles and many others. The HDMI port allows for a digital DVI connection of several devices with the use of appropriate cables. The main difference between HDMI and DVI is that HDMI is a small port, and it also supports transmission of multi-channel digital audio signals. In fact, HDMI came to replace analog connection standards such as card, VGA, YPB, PR, RCA and S-video. There are several types of HDMI cables used to connect various devices to TVs, monitors and other equipment. Here are the main HDMI variations. HDMI Type-A The most widespread HDMI cable type. It has 19 pins and is used to connect various devices like TVs, projectors, home cinemas etc. HDMI Type-B This HDMI cable type carries 29 pins and is used for high resolutions and multi-channel sound. It is less widespread than Type-A and is mostly found in professional audio and video systems. HDMI Type-C Also known as mini-HDMI This cable type is smaller in size than Type-A and is mostly used to connect smaller gadgets like cameras, smartphones and tablets. HDMI Type-D Also known as micro-HDMI This HDMI cable connect is even smaller and is meant for audio-video connectivity in small and portable devices like phones, tablets and some camera modules when they are linked to other video devices. Besides, there are also HDMI cables version 2.1 that support higher bandwidth and transmit high-resolution signals including 4K and 8K video. It is important to remember that compatibility between different HDMI cable types may vary. Different types of HDMI connectors can be mutually compatible and you can connect them to each other with various adapters. For example, if you have a device with HDMI Type-C, mini-HDMI and you want to connect it to a TV which has HDMI Type-A, you can use an adapter or a special HDMI Type-C to HDMI Type-A cable. In the same way, you can use a corresponding adapter to connect a device with HDMI Type-D, micro-HDMI to a TV with HDMI Type-A. However, don't forget that sometimes using adapters may impose certain limitations on functions, resolution or certain features which are only available as long as original HDMI cables of a proper time are used. That is why I recommend using compatible HDMI cables of the type natively supported by your devices so that you always get the best possible quality of images and sound. All HDMI versions are compatible with DVI as long as you have an adapter. However, DVI will only transmit video, but no sound. Talking of pros and cons of HDMI, here are the advantages. An ability to transmit audio and video signals with a single cable. Easy and convenient to use. You can use it to connect various devices, and it has high throughput. Talking of disadvantages, it has almost none. However, it's important to consider cable length and thickness if you want to avoid quality issues. To achieve best results and high quality images, keep this in mind. The signal quality can be affected by burst quality and the length of the cable you are using. A longer cable is supposed to have a thicker copper wiring inside and should also have a larger diameter. For example, a 10-meter cable is 8 mm thick and its 15 and 20-meter versions should be 9 and 10 mm thick, respectively. The signal will be transmitted without losses if your cable complying with the above-set standards and has improved insulation. DisplayPort is one of the newest interfaces developed for high-quality connection between video and audio equipment. Most often, you find it where computers are wired to home cinemas and all kinds of displays. With DisplayPort, you can transmit digital content from your sources to third-party equipment in the highest resolution available, up to 8K. These days, people often need DisplayPort to connect their computers to modern monitors. This way, computers can be connected to home cinemas as well. Besides, this interface also lets you connect various video devices and sound systems. In addition to graphic content, audio signals can also be sent to third-party products. There are two kinds of DisplayPort. Full-sized DisplayPort DP is the interface often used in computers, laptops and TVs. This kind is the most widespread nowadays. Mini DisplayPort or Mini DP is the smaller version of this interface. It can be found in portable devices like tablets, netbooks, etc. In terms of characteristics, it is equal to the full-sized one. DisplayPort has the following advantages. Connectors are easy to use and reliable. They have very low electromagnetic interference level. They offer reliable data encryption and flexible distribution of available bandwidths between audio and video. They support displays with maximum resolution. They have an ability to transmit signal to several monitors at the same time. And they offer a high-speed auxiliary channel. DisplayPort has some disadvantages as well. At extreme resolutions and high refresh rates, DisplayPort has a shorter maximum cable length than HDMI. The range of supported devices is quite narrow yet. Just like other interfaces, DisplayPort can achieve compatibility with other ports through the use of adapters. Here are some examples of how to link it with other interfaces. HDMI There are adapters or combined cables that allow users to connect devices with DisplayPort to devices with HDMI. It becomes especially useful when you want to connect a computer or laptop with DisplayPort to a television or monitor equipped with HDMI. There are also adapters to help you connect devices with HDMI to monitors or projectors that have a DVI interface. It is convenient when you have an old monitor or projector with DVI and you want to link it to a DisplayPort equipped device. Although DisplayPort is not directly compatible with VGA, you can find adapters allowing you to connect DisplayPort hardware to monitors or projectors having a VGA port. Keep in mind that you will need a converter to transmit the analog VGA signal since DisplayPort works with digital signal only. Everyone talks about USB Type-C these days, so why should we ignore this topic? Manufacturers call it the new standard for connections and data transfer. Let's find out if it can live up to our expectations. USB Type-C is a modern and versatile connection standard with many peculiarities, including as follows. Reverse compatibility USB Type-C is reverse compatible, which means that you can use adapters to link your device to other equipment, having such interfaces like USB-A, HDMI, DisplayPort, VGA and others. This makes USB Type-C a multi-purpose and convenient interface for linking all kinds of hardware. There are adapters from USB Type-C to all other known connection interfaces. You can even find entire hubs, which help you connect virtually any device to your PC, even if it has an RG45 network port. USB Type-C supports high data transfer rates while allowing users to move files between their devices really fast. In addition, USB Type-C can be used to charge various gadgets, including smartphones, laptops, tablets and other devices, which makes the charging process easier and lets you use a single cable for several devices. USB Type-C supports high-power chargers, which lets you charge supporting devices much quicker. This is especially convenient for laptops and other high-performance equipment that requires high power for both charging and using them. USB Type-C can support various data and signal transfer protocols, such as Thunderbolt, HDMI, DisplayPort, Audio and others. This allows people to use USB Type-C to connect to various devices and send both audio or video signals as well as data. If we don't go deeper into technical aspects but consider Type-C from an ordinary customer's point of view, then USB Type-C is a truly revolutionary interface. However, we're going to experience all of its advantages to the full when it becomes more widespread and available on more devices than nowadays. If your computer or laptop only has a VGA port, the easiest way to go is to connect it to a TV or monitor that has a VGA port as well. In other cases, you'll need a converter from VGA to DVI or to HDMI. It's useful to know that converters work in one direction only, that is, they can only convert signal either from VGA to DVI or HDMI or vice versa. If your computer or laptop has a DVI port, which is quite rare nowadays, you should find out what kind of DVI port it is – DVI-A, DVI-D or DVI-I, because it is important to choose an adapter or converter depending on the specific port you have. For example, if you have DVI-A, it is compatible with analog interfaces and the only option you get is VGA. DVI-D or DVI-E can be connected to HDMI with an adapter, which can be found quite often in electronics shops. But if your device has an HDMI port, you'll be able to connect it directly from HDMI to HDMI or use adapters or converters to connect it to other types of ports. This option seems to be the easiest, since there are plenty of adapters and converters for HDMI. Theoretically, the same applies to display port, but as long as it remains not so widespread, it would be more difficult to find an adapter. As to USB Type-C, any other interface can be connected to it, if you have a proper hub. So today we have explored the wide variety of connection types, corresponding ports and how compatible these can be with each other. We have considered pros and cons of both older and newer interface ports. Hopefully, this video was useful. Hit the Like button and subscribe to Hetman Software channel. Good luck and see you again in our next video.