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Analog vs Digital Video Connections

compare analog vs digital video connections

DVI-I Connector

 

DVI-D Connector

DFP Connector

   
 

Comparing Analog vs Digital Video

Compare analog vs digital connectionsIn brief, analog video signals are in the form of waves while digital video signals are in the form of 1s and 0s. However, before either video format is displayed on your video display, video images first go through a series of stages: The creation stage (video recording or animation), the storage stage (on tape, DVD, or hard drive), and the display stage (appearance on a TV or monitor). A video image may travel through all stages as either analog or digital, or it may be converted from one to the other and back again. Such analog/digital or digital/analog conversions reduce the integrity of a video signal and degrade video quality and should be avoided when possible, however most conversions are unavoidable without the latest “expensive” video components. Because analog video is displayed via a series of scans and digital video is displayed via light and color intensity on fixed dots (pixels), conversions produce signal loss and errors. Ideally a video signal would be analog or digital from one end to the other. However, because digital signals can be copied, stored and transmitted more accurately than analog signals, the ideal video system would be digital from end to end.

 

Most computers create, store and transmit video signals digitally, but before sending these signals to a video display (a monitor) they are usually converted to analog signals and signal loss occurs in the conversion. Once digital video display devices hit the market, two conversions took place, one from digital to analog (within the computer) and another from analog back to digital (within the video display). These two conversions create a lot of signal loss that degrades video quality. However, with the recent popularity of digital video ports on computers (digital video interface adapter cards) and digital display devices such as projectors, LCDs and plasma displays, a migration toward end-to-end digital video has begun. Ideally, conversions between analog and digital video signals should be avoided when possible.

 

All video signals start out as either analog or digital but usually end up as analog signals on a display device because most display devices are analog. This is because digital display devices are still new and very expensive. When it comes to cabling for maximum video quality, adapting or converting between any of the video display formats (listed below) should be avoided when possible. As an example, even though your computer might have both composite video (one RCA jack) and s-video (one 4-pin jack) and your video display has only composite video (one RCA jack), it would be better to connect the two composite video jacks than to “adapt” the s-video jack to a composite video jack on your display device.

Below is a list of video cable types with a brief description:

Composite Video – (Analog) All video signals are transmitted through a single 75-ohm coaxial cable terminated with RCA, BNC or RF (F-type) connectors. Brightness (Y) and color (C) signals are combined into one composite signal. Combining and then separating video signals leads to some signals loss. Note that “composite” video is often confused with “component” video (see below) because both commonly use a three RCA connector cable, however where “composite” video uses yellow, red and white RCAs (yellow for video and red and white for audio) “component” video uses three RCAs (usually red, green and blue) that are dedicated to video alone.

S-Video – (Analog) All video signals are transmitted through two miniature 75-ohm coaxial cables that are usually joined into a single cable and terminated with 4-pin connectors. S-video improves video quality beyond composite video (above) because the separate brightness and color signals are kept separate rather than combined into the composite signal, and this reduces encoding and decoding and therefore signal loss. However, the color signal must be further decoded and demodulated into two other components to separate the RGB (red-green-blue) signals. S-video provides better video quality than composite video unless s-video is adapted to composite video.

Component Video (Y/Pb/Pr) – (Analog) Often confused with RGB video (below). All video signals are transmitted through three 75-ohm coaxial cables that are terminated with RCA, BNC or RF connectors. Component video subtracts the brightness signal from the sub-components of the chrominance signals (the blue signal and the red signal). Notice that blue and red will produce green to achieve a completed RGB (red, green, blue) signal. Component video is often described as Y/B-Y/R-Y or as Y/Pb/Pr and ports are usually marked as such. The term "digital component video" is often used to describe component video, however this is actually an "analog" display. Component video provides a better quality picture than s-video.

RGB Video – (Analog) Often confused with component video (above). All video signals are transmitted on three, four or five 75-ohm coaxial cables with either RCA or BNC connectors. RGB video is often confused with component video (above). Within RGB cables, there are three sub types, depending on the number of connections:

  • RGB or RGSB - Includes three separate connections: Red, Blue, and Green+Synchronization. *Often confused with component video.*
  • RGBS - Includes four separate connections: Red, Blue, Green, and Synchronization.
  • RGBHV - Includes five separate connections: Red, Blue, Green, Horizontal Synchronization, and Vertical Synchronization.
  • VGA/SVGA/XGA - Includes one 15-pin connector (some with three rows of pins and some with two rows of pins).

Digital Video – (Digital) With the recent introduction of plasma displays, LCDs, digital computer video interface cards, and digital projectors, digital video cables are growing in popularity. Digital video cables generally use three connector types: DVI (Digital Video Interface), DFP (Digital Flat Panel), and P&D (Plug & Display) or EVC:

  • DVI – DVI cables come in three types: DVI-A cables which carry only analog signals, DVI-D cables which carry only digital signals, and DVI-I cables which can carry either digital or analog signals (so that analog devices can be mixed with digital devices).
  • DFP – DFP cables carry only digital signals and cannot be connected to analog devices. This means that you must change a computer’s video port to a digital video port by installing a digital video interface adapter card in your computer.
  • P&D (Plug & Display) or EVC – P&D cables are also called EVC cables and can carry digital or analog signals.

Also See: NTI Cable Table for all different types of cable connections and specs.

 

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