Choosing the right monitor cables

If connecting a second LCD monitor to a laptop, you will almost certainly be requiring an Analogue VGA cable. If a monitor to a PC, you may be able to use either Digital (DVI) or Analogue (VGA) cables depending on the video output card you have installed. Where possible you should try to use a Digital (DVI) cable for the chart letter display screen.

There are two options to connect a display screen to a computer. One is digital, using DVI cables, and the other is analogue, using SVGA cables. Which cable you choose will depend on the outputs on your computer and inputs on your screen. The types cannot be mixed, so if you have an analogue output (usual on laptops) you must use an SVGA cable to connect to the analogue input on the screen. If you have a digital video output, you must use a DVI cable to connect to the digital input on the screen.

DVI cable:

There are 3 types of DVI cable. DVI-A (carries analogue signals), DVI-D (carries digital signals), and DVI-I (integrated, which carries both).

Most LCD monitors that accept digital input will have use a DVI-D socket. This socket will only accept a DVI-D cable.

Most dual head video cards in a PC will have a DVI-I socket. This socket will accept any DVI cable type.

In most cases you will need a DVI-D cable. These work well at lengths up to 5 metres.

If you are keen for more detailed information, a useful guide to cables can be found at www.datapro.net/techinfo/dvi_cables.html

SVGA cable

Older dual head video cards and laptops may have a SVGA output.

Some LCD monitors accept both SVGA and DVI, but you will need to use an SVGA cable if you have an SVGA (analogue) output on your computer.

Be careful with longer SVGA cables, we have found during testing that ghosting occurs with some cables longer than 3 metres.