Last week I wrote about not being able to get my VGA to Component cable on my DVD player working with my new LCD monitor. Alright. There’s many different types of VGA connectors. Makes sense. mmm. The LCD has a DVI-I port which is compatible with DVI-D and DVI-A cables. Bought a new DVI-I cable cuz I thought it was gonna work this time around. Whadyu know? It’s not. WTF dude. Seriously.
Before I end this short post, I want to summarize my findings below.
LCD or CRT Computer Monitors are…
NOT compatible with signals coming from an analog output because it only has digital video inputs. Even if the cables fit right-in the ports, it ain’t gonna happen with your DVD player or other devices unless there is some form of a digital signal passing from that external device to your LCD.
Examples of cables that output analog signals: Component (RGB), DVI-I/DVI-A, VGA
Examples of cables that output digital signals: DVI-D, VGA
TV Tuners cards (computer add-ons or stand-alone devices) can take analog broadcasts and push it to your LCD as digital.
DVD Player —(Analog)–> TV Tuner —(Digital)–> LCD
So if you plan on using TV Tuners to watch tv/cable or dvds on your LCD or CRT computer monitors, remember that even though the signal between the tuner and your monitor is digital, it is coming from an analog source and so the digital image can’t be better than it’s source. DVDs can be played in digital high definition ONLY if you hook your computer directly to your monitor and play the movie through your computer.
VGA is analog
DVI-A is analog
DVI-D is digital
DVI-I can carry analog and/or digital
DVI-A is just VGA in another form factor
Computer monitors can take DVI-D and/or VGA
What you have is a DVI-something to component, not the same as component to VGA or DVI-D.
Most monitors at the time of your writing support analog input (VGA/DVI-A)
Hey Anonymouse.
I sorta agree with you on most of what you said.
Sure “computer” monitors can take in analog signals from VGA but if they have a DVI port, it’s most likely set-up as a digital-only input port as in the case of my LCD or other LCDs I’ve noticed. From my understanding, having 1 VGA and 1 DVI-I port will make any LCD monitor too expensive. Companies would rather have 1 VGA and 1 DVI-D port.
DVI-I connectors/ports look just like DVI-A connectors/ports because of the additional 4 pins and also cuz they are supposed to be able to accommodate both Analog and Digital variants of DVI. Unfortunately in my case, the makers of the Soyo 24″ LCD were too lazy and cheap to connect the 4 additional holes for pins on the DVI-I port thereby turning it into a digital-only port aka DVI-D
My DVI-A cable is collecting dust now.
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