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Definition: DVI


(1) (Digital Video Interactive) A compression technique that stored 72 minutes of full-screen video on a CD-ROM. Acquired by Intel in 1988 from RCA's Sarnoff Research Labs, DVI never caught on.

(2) (DeVice Independent) The primary TeX output format. DVI files are not dependent on a particular type of hardware. See TeX.

(3) (Digital Visual Interface) A digital interface between a computer and monitor, introduced in 1999. DVI was widely used prior to the DisplayPort interface (see DisplayPort). DVI sockets were found on TVs, Blu-ray/DVD players, data projectors and cable and satellite TV boxes. For digital rights management (DRM), DVI supports High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (see HDCP). DVI uses TMDS signaling and was designed as a digital replacement for the analog VGA standard. See TMDS and VGA.

DVI-Integrated Accepts Analog and Digital
Flat panel monitors used to have both VGA and DVI inputs, or they had an integrated DVI-I port that accepted analog DVI-A or digital DVI-D connectors (see illustration below).

Single Link and Dual Link
DVI Single Link (DVI SL) uses one 165 MHz transmitter for screen resolutions up to 1920x1080 at 60 Hz. For 2560x1600 resolution, DVI Dual Link (DVI DL) employs two transmitters. See HDMI-DVI compatibility, UDI and flat panel display.




DVI Connectors
Using twisted pins on a 45 degree angle, DVI Single Link handles resolutions up to 1920x1080 at 60 Hz. DVI Dual Link adapters are required for monitors up to 2560x1600. See screen resolution.






Analog and Digital Outputs
Display adapters with both analog VGA and digital DVI outputs eased the migration from analog CRTs to digital flat panel displays. (Image courtesy of NVIDIA Corporation.)