DVI, or Digital Video Interface Technology came about in 1999 as a result of the
formation of the
Digital Display Working
Group
(DDWG) a year prior. Their original mission was to create a standard digital
video interface for communication between a Personal Computer and a
VGA monitor. Recently, however, the consumer electronics industry
began implementing DVD players, set-top boxes, televisions, and LCD/plasma monitors
with DVI technology.
DVI-I,
having the capacity to carry both digital and analog signals, can be used to connect
an analog output to an analog input, or a digital output to a digital input only.
Take note that a DVI-I cable
can not connect a digital output
to an analog input or vice versa. A DVI-I plug will accept any type of DVI
cable, DVI-I,
DVI-D, or
DVI-A,
but you must make sure that your source and display are both using the same format
for it to work. Also, DVI-I, as with DVI-D, comes with either a single or
a dual
TMDS link.
Single
TMDS link DVI cables can support resolutions
and timings that use a video clock rate of about 25-165 MHz. A dual link DVI-I
cable, on the other hand, will handle up to 330 MHz and is backwards compatible
with single link. Thus if you are unsure which type you need, the dual link
will work where the single link may not. In order to determine your required
bandwidth just multiply your desired resolution by your desired refresh rate (ie.
1600x1200 x 70 = 134 MHz).