DVI and HDMI connections

HDMI (shown right) is the latest standard and delivers digital audio, video, and data in a single cable. Sometimes you'll get a full-size HDMI like the one used on the Toshiba laptop in the previous slide, but in many cases you'll find a Mini- or Micro-HDMI output that may require an inexpensive cable.

A DVI connection (shown left) is almost as ubiquitous as VGA. It is a digital video connection, although it has some analog legacy characteristics that allow it to be adapted for use with VGA in a pinch. It can also be adapted for HDMI, as shown with this inexpensive cable.

Does HDMI provide better video quality than VGA or DVI? Not necessarily. According to CNET's Eric Franklin, so long as both the monitor and the computer it's connected to are reasonably modern, the image quality over VGA or DVI is virtually indistinguishable from HDMI.

If you have the option, though, we'd recommend going with HDMI as the best-case solution for PCs. It offers the most compact connection and delivers the broadest range of data (audio, video, and data).