Do I need DVI?

[Enendar24]

I'm looking at building a new Core 2 Duo box and I was going to get maybe a 19-21 inch monitor. Does getting a monitor with dvi really make a big difference or not?

 

[Killercop]

Not a very big difference in fact.. Though DVI is better than VGA, it isn't a huge difference. But take DVI if you can.

 

[Killercop]

I won't say the difference is neglible.

At www.ps3portal.com find the "Home" button over the PS3. On my VGA screen, I can't see any JPEG crisp which the compression make. But I sure can on my friend's DVI screen, which clearly shows the crisp.

It doesn't mean, that VGA is blurred, but when it comes to small colour code and ultra sharpness, DVI makes a difference.

 

[Killercop]

You're welcome.

 

[mesarectifier]

It's probably a better screen, then.

DVI isn't really 'better'. I suppose that it's easier to cram into small spaces on laptops and TVs (mini-DVI)???

 

[Killercop]

Oh, I have just been told that he runs with a VGA adaptor and VGA cable... So it can't be that... :lol:

 

[second_derivative]

As i understand, the big difference between DVI and VGA is that one is digital and the other is analog. The reason VGA is analog is because CRTs required analog signals to drive them, so video cards which are entirely digital were made with a converter to output the signals in analog form. LCDs on the other hand are digital by the nature of their pixel matrix. So your LCD monitor is doing a conversion from analog back to digital if you are using the D-Sub input. Using DVI in this case eliminates the conversion back and forth. So the question is really "Are you planning on using a CRT or LCD for the next several years and do you want to use for unnecessary outdated technology?" BTW most good DVI cards come with a DVI-VGA adapter.

 

[megame255]

I myself bought a 19" Samsung LCD about a month ago and wondered the same thing. What made me wonder was that the monitor had VGA and DVI imputs but came with only a VGA cable and I wasn't sure that It'd be worth the extra $15 to buy a DVI cable separately. However, after getting a DVI cable and comparing the quality on both analog and digital(thinking if there's little or no difference I'll just return the cable) I ended up deciding the cable was well worth it.
In short, if you're going to spend the money anyhow, might as make sure the monitor has DVI imo.

 

[grant_77]

No DVI and Analog are virtually the same except for one thing.....

Digital Rights Management.

Basically software companies can program newer operating systems and software to not allow right protected content to play on DVI connected monitors. They actually use your monitor cord to dissallow you to play a movie that may not be copyrighted properly.

I would stick with analog if you could. We shouldn't encourage microsoft and other software companies to force us to buy hardware that may not allow us our freedom to use our computers for what we deem necessary. Just like sony and their spyware on their music cds.

Read this article...

http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1871

The most relevant part of the article.

"HDCP (High Definition Copy Protection) is a new method of encrypting the digital (DVI) signal between the origin of the signal (receiver) and the display device. The standard was developed for the home theatre market first, for the purpose of ensuring that digital HD content could not be successfully captured and copied between the HD receiver and the television set that displays the signal."

 

[Datablitz]

I'm sorry my friend but your info snipet is at the least irrelevant and at most misleading.... following that the article goes on to say:

This fact has caused an outcry in the media and the computing community, since HDCP-enabled monitors will apparently be required to view High-Definition DVDs and other encoded content. This outcry is not necessarily justified, missing the facts that a) there's no guaranteeing that HDCP is going to take off as a standard for high-definition copy protection, and b) if it does, it's not just going to be Microsoft boxes that require HDCP monitors and TVs for full HD-DVD playback, it's going to be every new DVD player and cable/satellite receiver....

I would imagine VGA(analog) monitors are not HDCP or even HD capable...

Anyways there are a few reasons for choosing DVI over VGA:
1. Digital to digital signal instead of digital to analog to digital (via DACs). This means lower power consumption and lower latency and responce. You can see the big difference in responce when changing between resolutions.
2. No need to ever resize/move/adjust geometry on the screen. Digital signal is automaticaly scaled on your screen.
3. Crisper image and better colour fidelity (If your screen and your eye is good enough to discern)

 

[Mobius]

As a "PC Repair Senior Specialist " you should be ashamed of yourself. DVI is superior to VGA and is quite noticeable on any video card/Monitor combination which supports both.

It is EASY to see the difference, provided you didn't buy crap parts in the first place.

DON'T GO VGA!

 

[HoldenMcGroin]

As a "PC Repair Senior Specialist " you should be ashamed of yourself. DVI is superior to VGA and is quite noticeable on any video card/Monitor combination which supports both.

It is EASY to see the difference, provided you didn't buy crap parts in the first place.

DON'T GO VGA!

What if Enendar24 can't tell the difference? Then it really wouldn't matter what monitor was bought, as long as it connects to his video card. The best advice for Enendar24 is to go to a computer store and see the difference in person, if possible.

 

[Robovski]

If I was buying a monitor now, I'd want DVI, but it's not a deal breaker if the monitor doesn't have it. DVI is a bit like SATA, it's the comming/here now standard and while you can get an adapter easily (they come with many cards) and cheaply (£10 on amazon.co.uk - of all places - when I last looked), they are annoying. There are some minor performance advantages to DVI as mantioned above, but rally the monitor screen itself will be a bigger influence on what you see than the connector cable.

 

[FLA94FD]

As a "PC Repair Senior Specialist " you should be ashamed of yourself. DVI is superior to VGA and is quite noticeable on any video card/Monitor combination which supports both.

It is EASY to see the difference, provided you didn't buy crap parts in the first place.

DON'T GO VGA!

As someone who doesn't apparently know much about the subject you should stop spreading your BS. I'm using both at the same time on two high end LCD panels you can't tell which one is using DVI. Both are razor sharp and calibrated for doing digital photography.