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The State of Video Connections

Posted by kdawson on from the so-many-plugs dept.

mikemuch writes "Joel Durham provides a nice rundown on what's happening in video interfaces as we leave VGA behind and move through the DVI flavors, visit HDMI along the way, and look forward to UDI and DisplayPort."

14 of 235 comments (clear)

  1. Evolution by HomelessInLaJolla · · Score: 3, Insightful

    On one side updating the video connector may be a necessary advancement to accomodate higher bandwidth video modes. On the other side we can only hope that system vendors don't begin bundling their desktops with their monitors and inhibiting cross-pollination by strictly enforcing IP on their video adapter design.

    I would hate to see the day when I use one display device for Linux and need an entirely different device to be compatible with proprietary DRM/TC/HD output or have to buy a third party descrambler type box--because we all know what a racket those were. It'd be like early 80s cable TV wars all over again.

    --
    the NPG electrode was replaced with carbon blac
  2. Piss off! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What's with these never ending fscking changes? Obsolescence built in, incompatible formats, changing far too frequently. Bullshit DRM "features" in each new revision.

    Please stop this crap! Just give us simple digital connectors and let the boxes talk to each other. How about something plain and simple 10Gb Ethernet?

    1. Re:Piss off! by fyngyrz · · Score: 3, Insightful

      How about just analog RGB and quit pretending we need digital connections at all?

      You want high bandwidth? Analog RGB can do it. You want deep color? Analog RGB can do it. You want to avoid DRM? Analog RGB is perfect for that. You want easy to record? Analog RGB -> Analog recording media *or* digital(ized) media. You want easy to connect? Analog RGB. You want easy to switch between signal sources? Analog RGB. You want easy to buffer and redistribute? Analog RGB. You want auto-mode detection? We fool engineers have been sneaking digital mode data into sync signals for decades. You want easy to process? Convert to digital, process, convert back. Trivial, inexpensive, uses off-the-shelf hardware. All the benefits, none of the disadvantages (cough DRM cough hack expensive cables hack choke expensive connectors choke.) You want easy, reasonable compression? Luma and two chroma channels. Oh wait - that's one of the methods called "component" and we've already got it. And we're replacing it because... well, it isn't because of lack of resolution or depth... oh yeah. DRM. It isn't good for DRM.

      On the other hand, you want to give the media companies control over what you can do? Well then by all means support some lame-ass digital standard. They love that shite. And when you get all googly-eyed over HDMI and other all-digital transports.... they love you man, they love you.

      As a public service, let me remind you that both your eyes and your ears are analog, and both your eyes and your ears have very limited dynamic range from the smallest to the largest signal they can resolve at the same time. These are hints worth noting and they have very important implications when it comes to the requirements of perception and fidelity.

      --
      I've fallen off your lawn, and I can't get up.
    2. Re:Piss off! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Digital is the reason I LOSE THE ENTIRE PICTURE(whole screeen jams/tears/artifacts) when watching cable rather than a slight glitch or artifact.

    3. Re:Piss off! by mrchaotica · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Yes, especially since we're talking about ADA, not DAD.

      I hate to break it to you, but newer displays (i.e., LCD and everything else that's not CRT) are inherently digital. So yes, we are talking about DAD conversion.

      --

      "[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz

    4. Re:Piss off! by SpeedBump0619 · · Score: 1, Insightful

      *Sigh*

      First, its 1920x1080. You lost most of your credibility there.

      Second, it isn't about can we or can't we manage to create analog signals. Its about cost. Very high speed DACs are expensive, as are the ADCs required on the other end. Assuming you get good connections between components an analog connection will *never* outperform a digital connection. So you are paying extra money for something that is by definition lower quality.

      Third, it is easier to engineer around the potential consumer problems with digital signals than it is to engineer around the potential problems with analog signals. How many consumers are going to bundle their AC power line right next to their signal lines? How about the noise generator that is your stereo system (lots of EMI there)? This stuff screws up every analog signal I've ever worked with. No significant effect on digital signals.

      I'll grant that it is easier for manufacturers to encrypt a digital signal. It doesn't really matter though, because most people don't care. They just want a system that works out of the box, and that system will be digital.

    5. Re:Piss off! by poot_rootbeer · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I have full HD over component. My system looks beautiful. Ergo, analog doesn't give you a poor image, there's nothing inherent in it that prevents a good picture.

      Well, you sure told us with your lone anecdotal data point.

      Computer display data starts out in the digital domain. An LCD panel requires digital signals to generate an image. There's NO GOOD REASON to convert that signal from digital to analog to digital in between -- there WILL be degradation, however slight.

  3. What's happening... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    VGA isn't going anywhere until we replace all our KVM rack switches and who needs HD for a TTY?

    1. Re:What's happening... by Lumpy · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Yup. and guess what. good old VGA does HDTV just fine. I do 1280X1024 all day long on a VGA connection. so that is far higher than the HDTV 720p. I am sure I can do 1080p over VGA, just haven't found a video card or LCD that can handle it yet that did not cost 3 arms 2 legs and a kidney.

      Honestly engineers and marketing guys talk all day long about how good X or Y is, and it all comes down to "how can we shove our DRM into the new standard and fool customers into buying it."

      My friend though I was nuts buying a pair of 21" LCD's that had only VGA on them. they look fantastic, play FPS great and work just fine with my 7300GT card.

      VGA will disappear as soon as RS232 disappears. which by what I see in the integration market, is many many years from now IF electronics makers get off their asses, which is highly unlikely from what I have seen.

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    2. Re:What's happening... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      In other words, what the hell is wrong with VGA!

      there is no way to shove DRM into it. THAT is what is wrong with it and what the manufacturers are interested in changing for. No other reason makes any sense.

  4. Stop the madness! by MobyDisk · · Score: 3, Insightful

    UDI? If another connection comes out, the back of my TV set will look like the interior of a Borg Cube.

    By the time I got DVI on my DVD player and HTPC, I found my TV had HDMI. Now, I'm told "...it's unlikely that HDMI will become more than a footnote in the epic story of PC display technology..." Well that's just great. Yet another adapter that costs $50 at my local outlet for .45 cents + shipping on ebay. And the excuse that this is "just for PCs" doesn't help since my PC's hook to my TV's (and I'm not alone any more, this is happening more often.)

    Many devices today still don't support the existing connections properly, so I have little faith that new connections will improve things. Many TV's have DVI inputs but still overscan. DVDs are still encoded with interlacing. HDCP has connectivity issues like the PS3 debacle. I know people who still tell me that their s-video connection is state of the art. And while most new TVs are using composite cables, that is STILL analog and YUV based instead of digital. The industry is not ready for new connectors.

    For an example of connectivity done right, look at USB 2. USB 1, USB 1.1, and USB 2 all use the same connection. The devices negotiate the appropriate speed. Ethernet does this too. Unless there is very very good reason, please don't change the physical connections. Increase the bandwidth in a backward-compatible way if necessary.

  5. Re:HDCP: it still sucks by Jah-Wren+Ryel · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Unfortunately, HDCP implementation sucks. Standard procedure for the problems almost everyone has with HDCP-enabled cable boxes is to *reboot the box*. Apparently, in the exchange of encryption keys a handshake sometimes gets dropped, and nobody has a firmware solution.

    No, the implementations of HDCP TOTALLY RAWK!

    This way, people who would normally never care enough about DRM and copy prevention to even notice are getting a big steaming cup of wake-up. Anyone who has to put up with HDCP handshake failures on a regular basis will come to utterly loathe HDCP and that's just one step away from utterly loathing all DRM. It might just be enough to kill it before it grows, I say kill it before it grows!

    Of course, even it worked right, HDCP would still suck.

    Amen!

    --
    When information is power, privacy is freedom.
  6. Glasses - real live HD by Heisman · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I got an HD-DVD player for Christmas. My first reaction was, "wow, this is really no better at all." A couple of weeks later, I got home from a long day of 3D modeling at work and decided to watch a movie. My eyes were so strained that I dusted off my old glasses that I haven't used since college and don't really need every day. I got to the HD-DVD logo and was blown away. Watching movies has almost completely changed for me. I would agree that many people can't tell the difference, but that doesn't mean that there isn't one.

  7. Re:article text to avoid annoying 6 pages by sxpert · · Score: 2, Insightful

    because it doesn't specify the useless DRM shit ?