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The DVI Interface Is Going Down, Leaves Room for HDMI

HDMI will have to face the DisplayPort deathmatch

Jan 30, 2008 08:37 GMT  ·  By
DisplayPort, VGA and DVI - left to right
   DisplayPort, VGA and DVI - left to right

The Digital Visual Interface (DVI) standard has been around for a while, but it is expected to disappear because of the increased competition from rival standards. The the DVI connector has begun its steep decline in 2008, and analyst firm In-STat predicts that the DVI interface will decline from 112 million device shipments in 2007 to just 3 million DVI-enabled devices that will ship in 2011.

According to the same sources, the old standard is slowly "killed" by more and more video devices that have built-in support for HDMI, that will power 143 million devices this year. "HDMI's success continues to be enormous, especially in the Consumer Electronics (CE) segment," said Brian O'Rourke, an In-Stat analyst. "Close to 90 percent of digital television (DTV) shipments in 2007 are expected to include HDMI. In addition, HDMI penetration of large markets such as set top boxes continues to increase."

HDMI is not the only distress factor for the DVI connectors on the market. The DisplayPort standard is based on a micro-packet architecture, that is capable of delivering higher data rates for multiple-monitor environments using a single signal cable. The DisplayPort is HDMI's archrival, as it integrates 8-channel 24-bit audio signals on the same cable, while providing extra connections for I/O panel and microphone devices.

The main difference between DisplayPort (backed by Video Electronics Standards Association - VESA ) and HDMI is the fact that the latter is to be found especially in consumer electronics devices, such as TV-sets and set-top boxes, while the former is designed for the personal computing sector. However, according to In-Stat, more PC manufacturers and vendors (such as Toshiba, Sony and HP - which are also its backers) released a rich offering of HDMI-enabled computing systems.

Technology seems to move too quickly again. It is quite unbelievable that the DVI interface is condemned to disappear, while the vast majority of us are still using the older VGA analogue connectors. Pretty irrational, huh?