HDMI vs DVI

HDMI vs DVI

It is often asked, what is the difference between HDMI vs DVI? The easy answer is HDMI includes video and sound. DVI only includes video. The definitions of these two acronyms pretty much tell this story, as HDMI stands for:

High Definition Multimedia Interface

DVI stands for:

Digital Video Interface

The "multimedia" in HDMI includes audio and visual, whereas DVI only includes video. Additionally, HDMI is by definition "high definition" graphics only, whereas DVI is anything involving digital graphics, which includes high definition as well as low definition graphics. DVI includes all images created via the display of pixels, or non analog video. So, though all HDMI is digital video, or DVI, not all DVI is HDMI. HDMI offers superior, higher resolution graphics displays. DVI includes the universe of digital video displays, high and low.

So, if you can choose between the two, choose HDMI over DVI. The only real reason to go for anything DVI is if you have a bunch of legacy equipment, like an old stereo system that still works great and sounds great, and you don't want to spend a bunch of money just to make everything go through one channel, as you must when dealing with an HDMI interface.

Here are a few more reasons, or reiterated reasons, to pick HDMI over DVI when contemplating the HDMI vs DVI question:

• HDMI is simpler than DVI. With HDMI, video and audio travel together as data from the same original source, through the same cables, and are ultimately converted to video and sound as final products.
• HDMI systems carry audio and visual data through the same HDMI cables. DVI systems use separate cables for video and audio.
• HDMI, by definition, is "High Definition" graphics. DVI includes any graphics, low or high. HDMI is a subset of DVI, but only with respect to the visual data.
• Newer equipment is HDMI. The newest and the best technology is generally geared to work with HDMI systems. E.g. things like movies and games store their audio and visual data on one source, like a Blu-Ray DVD, and this data is designed to travel through the most modern HDMI equipment.
• The cost of integrating new, HDMI focused equipment with old DVI equipment can be prohibitive. Integrating legacy equipment can be costly. So, sometimes throwing out all the old DVI stuff and buying new HDMI stuff can be the cheapest option, whereas engaging in a mixed legacy and modern equipment integration project can be extremely costly. So, do the math with all of your possible options, but don't forget to consider quality. Remember, by definition, HDMI is "high definition," which is not always the case with DVI, which includes the entire universe of digital video options, both low and high resolution.

In sum, when pondering the HDMI vs DVI question, the safest answer is that HDMI wins. Most modern technology is geared toward HDMI output. Legacy DVI equipment is often hard to integrate with HDMI equipment and the cost can often be higher than throwing all the old equipment out and replacing it with new. Additionally, when you rely on old DVI equipment and technology, you are often sacrificing quality.