DVI transmits only video, yet I discovered a DVI to HDMI adapter handles both video and audio.
DVI transmits only video, yet I discovered a DVI to HDMI adapter handles both video and audio.
I found out that the DVI to HDMI adapter transmits both video and audio signals. My mini HDMI to HDMI adapter stopped working, so I switched to using DVI instead and tried connecting via wire or Bluetooth earbuds. To my surprise, I heard normal sound coming from the monitor. I was curious about why DVI was meant only for video and not audio. The adapter was purchased on eBay and isn’t a high-tech product.
Many GPUs send the same outputs to HDMI and DVI, and the audio packets use identical pins. If the monitor’s EDID indicates it is an HDMI device, audio may be transmitted. However, according to Appendix C of the HDMI 1.3a standard, if the E-EDID lacks a CEA Extension or an HDMI Vendor Specific Data Block with the correct IEEE ID (0x000C03), the source should treat it as a DVI device. If a DVI device is identified, the source must follow DVI rules, such as limiting features to video-only and excluding audio.
The graphics card linked to the monitor is the EVGA Geforce GT 740 FTW. It lacks a standard HDMI port. I employed a mini HDMI to HDMI adapter and subsequently a DVI-D to HDMI converter. Does using a DVI-I to HDMI adapter perform the same role? Which connection type is superior, DVI-D or DVI-I?
Both DVI-D and HDMI adhere to the CEA-861 standard, making them quite similar. However, HDMI additionally supports higher speeds such as 340MHz and 600MHz for enhanced resolutions and refresh rates. This allows GPUs to drive both port types from a single output on the chip, though sometimes only one can be used at a time. A passive pin-adapter is needed to switch between them. The GPU and monitor agree on the highest compatible mode.
DVI-I essentially adds four extra pins to DVI-D to handle analog VGA signals, a feature HDMI lacks. Consequently, converting from DVI to HDMI requires only these four pins and can be used with either device. You might still connect a VGA monitor via a DVI-I passive adapter that uses just the four pins.
The latest Maxwell series (GTX 750, 950, 960) from NVIDIA was the final generation to include DVI-I and analog VGA support.