Dvi Cables
TychoCelchuuu
Anememone Join Date: 2002-03-23 Member: 345Members
Anememone Join Date: 2002-03-23 Member: 345Members
in Off-Topic
<div class="IPBDescription">Worth The Cash?</div> So I just upgraded from a 15 inch CRT that's older than me to a 19 inch LCD. It's like a freaking Louisiana Purchase but with monitor space. The LCD came with the regular ol' analog cable. Nothing wrong there. I wanted to get a DVI because I heard they're better, but everyone was sold out. More than that, though, they were $80 BUCKS! Do I want to buy one of these when they get back in stock? Will I see any difference at all? Testimonials are preferred to rampant speculation, as always. E-cookie to the first person to reply with the name of the starship that Biggs Darklighter and a number of other Rebel pilots stole when they defected from the Empire.
Comments
That is the big question, almost all computer video cards are analog video only, not digital. The only digital DVI cable you will find is for HD signals. (Satellite or HD reciever for cable/over the air).
If you do have one that happens to be digital, you will notice at least 100% increase in clarity and sharpness of various images.
It is a DVI hun, but that DVI is not digital it is analog, which means it will not do you any better then your current SVGA which is present on your card as well.
There are two different types of DVI, (in addition to HDMI) for high definition connections.
You have the analog version as I suspected, so do not buy a DVI cable unless you either a) Upgrade your video card to actually display High definition pictures, or b) you buy a HD reciever for your TV and you can turn your monitor into a HD picture, although I highly doubt it was built for 16:9 viewing ratio.
Edit:
Tycho, just get the DVI cable (80 USD, are you really serious?) if you have an LCD. I don't know what Cyndane is talking about, a DVI slot will give out digital information.
Edit2:
Oh, Cyndane's talking about DVI-A and DVI-D.
DVI-D is the true digital signal. DVI-A is analog converted into digital information.
Older cards (GeForce 2 GTS to GeForce 3 titanium) used the DVI-A specification.
I think every NV38/R320 and up video cards use the DVI-D hardware specification. You might want to check, though.
Edit3:
Here's a good guide. If your slot looks like DVI-D or DVI-I, you're good to go.
<img src='http://www.datapro.net/images/dvi-config.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
You win an e-cookie!
Rapier7's reply (and those after it) confirm the research I did on my own with the tool that is Google (but you can never trust it fully!). Once again, Cyndane is wrong <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
It's okay, we still like you Cyndane. I'll shop around for a cheaper DVI cable online then.
As usual.
As usual. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
/me adds one to his tally
I'm gonna need another wall soon...
There is no such thing as a DVI plug that doesn't do digital. There IS however a DVI plug that doesn't have a RAMDAC attached so it can't output analog signals. My old radeon 8500 had such a port. I hooked up a DVI-VGA adapter to it and was disappointed to discover that my analog CRT didn't work off it. However on my new radeon 9800xt there is a RAMDAC on the DVI port so it can output an analog signal to my second CRT via my DVI-VGA adapter.
--Scythe--
I'm bumping this because I don't like Cyndane, so it's all the more likely she'll read it.
I'm bumping this because I don't like Cyndane, so it's all the more likely she'll read it. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
How sweet <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Finding DVI cables for cheap is easy. The only problem is the guys on eBay don't really list what kind they are. Maybe I'll buy from Newegg or something. I wonder if they sell cables?
Oooh. Shiny.
Seems like the best place to buy from, eh? Can't imagine why I'd go anywhere else.
Edit:
Tycho, just get the DVI cable (80 USD, are you really serious?) if you have an LCD. I don't know what Cyndane is talking about, a DVI slot will give out digital information.
Edit2:
Oh, Cyndane's talking about DVI-A and DVI-D.
DVI-D is the true digital signal. DVI-A is analog converted into digital information.
Older cards (GeForce 2 GTS to GeForce 3 titanium) used the DVI-A specification.
I think every NV38/R320 and up video cards use the DVI-D hardware specification. You might want to check, though. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
As usual, since you needed to do research I was correct. As your second edit proves. Thanks for confirming exactly what I said first.
You said practically no video cards have a digital port, and practically every video card made since 2002 has DVI-D.
What an arrogant ****. YOU didn't help at all, you just forced us to prove you wrong. The manner you type in, it's as if you're a friggin' insider expert at Silicon Valley yet you don't know squat about what you're talking about.
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->
That is the big question, almost all computer video cards are analog video only, not digital. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->It is a DVI hun, but that DVI is not digital it is analog<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
A 9600? That's well within the R320 architecture. Don't talk about things you don't understand.
In addition, not to knock on Tycho's LCD I'm sure its quite nice, but it isn't set up for HD signals as native HD is in 16:9 not 3:4. Unless he did buy a widescreen LCD which would be pretty neat if he did.
I don't like how you attempt to talk down but fail when you realize I simply stated the truth as it works. (If his video card came with a DVI to VGA adapter that is a sure fire way to see if it is analog or digital, as YOU CAN NOT CONVERT digital DVI to analog). Which would make his DVI analog. VGA = analog)
I suggest you actually find out what you are talking about before talking down to someone who did know quite a bit more then you as you didn't even know DVI was available as analog. <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
*Edit*
Just for fun... since you are so "knowledgable" with HD technology.
True HD requires four cables, red, green, blue, yellow and white. Which are in the form of coaxial cables RG6/59. ;-) (Which LCD can currently support but are very expensive as are the plasmas)
I find people who work at the radio shacks I go to know less then an ant. But Cyndane is also good with words (most of the time) to the point were she can convey a lie to seem like truth
Edit:
DVI to VGA? A RAMDAC chip? That's for analog. It's present on all video cards.
When you get a frame to be displayed on your monitor, first it goes into your frame buffer as digital information. It then gets passed to the RAMDAC which converts it into analog and then it leaves your video card via your VGA cable. It's worse on a flat screen because they use a digital interface, so now it goes from digital to analog and then back to digital, with image quality loss along each step of the way.
What do you think DVI does? Any information coming out of your DVI port is strictly digital. For flat screens, it makes no sense having a digital signal converted to analog only to be converted back to digital again.
Any video card that has a VGA connector has a RAMDAC, simply because CRTs are analog.
Any video card that has a DVI connector will NOT use the RAMDAC because flat screen LCDs are digital. It makes no sense to go from digital to analog and back to digital.
You're wrong.
I don't think I've ever steered you before.
In hindsight, that looks very wrong.
Edit:
Oh, and Tycho, just know this:
A VGA to an LCD (which is digital) will do the following:
Digital signal from the video card goes into the RAMDAC, which will convert it into an analog signal. This results in IQ loss. Furthermore, when it reaches the LCD, it gets converted back to digital, which compounds the problem.
Just go with the digital signal, it's much clearer on an LCD.
Oh yes, one more little jab, you are just as bad as the old men, who came into RS, that toss around technical terms but have absolutely no idea what they are talking about.
Even when proven wrong as tycho shall do when he posts that there is no difference between his vga cable and the dvi, thanks to his monitor not supporting true HD.
<!--emo&::asrifle::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/asrifle.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='asrifle.gif' /><!--endemo-->
seriously, did I miss the request for flaming after two people try to help, all the while neither providing documentation for their claims?
<a href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVI' target='_blank'>DVI via Wiki</a>
<a href='http://www.ati.com/products/radeon9600/radeon9600pro/specs.html' target='_blank'>tech specs from ATI on the 9600 pro</a>
there, draw your own conclusions Tycho
Edit: Maybe I'll buy <a href='http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5790641978&category=32837&rd=1' target='_blank'>this </a>sucker. I have to swivel my monitor around and see if I need a male or female plug back there, though. And I can't do that while I'm posting. So I think I'll post now, then swivel.
Edit the 2nd: Yeah, male-male is what I need. Hooray for eBay.