Travel A/V adapter: 3-in-1 DisplayPort to VGA DVI or HDMI converter

Digital Visual Interface (DVI) is a video display interface that can contain different types of signaling, based on the application. DVI cables and ports are created using different connector types to identify what application they are intended to be used in. The connector types are identified by the number of pins on the DVI connector. DVI comes in the following five different connector types: 

• DVI-A (17 pin).
• DVI-D Single Link (19 pin).
• DVI-D Dual Link (25 pin).
• DVI-I Single Link (23 pin).
• DVI-I Dual Link (29 pin).

Single and Dual link DVI indicate the maximum resolution capabilities of the video source or video destination. The maximum resolutions are Single Link (1920 x 1080 @ 60Hz) and Dual Link (2560 x 1600 @ 60Hz).

Note: The maximum resolution of your video source and video destination are ultimately determined by the technical specifications of the devices. The connector type is not a definitive indicator of the maximum resolution.

DVI-A carries only analog (for example, VGA) with no digital component. DVI-D carries only digital video (for example, HDMI) with no analog component. DVI-I combines DVI-A and DVI-D connections to include both analog and digital components. A DVI-I port may be on either your video source or display, but whether or not a display carries either or both analog and digital sources depends on the technical specifications of your device.

When you convert video from a source that uses DisplayPort or Mini DisplayPort to DVI or HDMI (for example, a computer to a monitor), you will need to consider the difference between passive and active adapters.

If the source supports dual-mode DisplayPort (also known as DP++), then you can use a passive adapter because the source can perform the conversion. If the source does not support DP++, then you need to use an active converter, which includes additional chips to perform the conversion.

Thunderbolt ports support DP++ natively. To run multiple monitors from the same computer, refer to the Active Adapters section below.

Passive Adapters

Passive adapters are less expensive since they do not need to include additional chips. A quick way to check whether you can use a passive adapter is to see if the DisplayPort or Mini DisplayPort source has the DP++ symbol above it. The symbol is a D with a P inside of it, with two + signs to the left, one on top of the other.

Active Adapters

Active adapters use additional chips to make the conversion inside the adapter, regardless of whether the source supports DP++. This means that active adapters are more expensive than passive adapters.

If you want to use multiple monitors with the same computer, you should use an active adapter because some video cards cannot run the maximum number of monitors while using DP++. This is especially true if the computer has more than one DisplayPort or Mini DisplayPort connection. Check with your video card manufacturer to confirm which type of adapter you need for the setup that you would like to run.

Note: You should use passive adapters with StarTech.com MST hubs, except when you are converting from DisplayPort to VGA, since that type of conversion requires active adapters.  For more information on using adapters with StarTech.com MST hubs, refer to the following FAQ: http://www.startech.com/faq/mst_hubs_passive_vs_active_adapters.

Surface Dock

If you experience issues when you connect passive video signal adapters to the Surface Dock, Microsoft recommends that you use active video signal converters instead. StarTech.com offers an active video signal converter for DVI monitors (MDP2DVIS) and for HDMI monitors (MDP2HD4KS).

Note: This issue does not apply to the Surface Pro 3 Docking Station.

When you troubleshoot issues with a video adapter, there are some quick tests that you can complete to rule out potential problems. You can test to make sure that the following components are working correctly and are not the source of the issue:

• Video cables

• Video adapter

• Video source (such as a DVD player or computer)

• Video destination (such as a monitor or projector)

To test your setup components, try the following:

• Use the cable, video adapter, video source, and video destination in another setup to see if the problem is with the components or the setup.

• Use a different cable, video adapter, video source, and video destination in your setup to see if the problem persists. Ideally, you should test a component that you know works in another setup.

When you test your cables, it is recommended that you do the following:

• Test each cable individually.

• Use short cables when you are testing.

When you test the video source and video destination, it is recommended that you do the following:

• Remove the video adapter from your setup and test to make sure that the video source and video destination work together without the video adapter.

• Test to make sure that the video source and video destination work together at the resolution that you want to use.

Note: In order for your setup to work properly, the video source, adapter, and destination all need to support the resolution that you are using.

If a DisplayPort converter with audio is not passing sound from the source to the destination, complete the following:

1. Make sure that the DisplayPort connection on the video card is the default audio playback device.
2. Make sure that the video card has the DisplayPort audio codec installed. If not, visit the video card manufacturer's website to find out how to update the video card driver.