You may have seen odd-shaped connectors on some of the projectors that are now showing up on the market. These odd-shaped connectors are the result of standards from the Digital Display Working Group (DDWG) and the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA). These connections allow images to be transmitted from the computer to the projector digitally! Have you ever experienced compatibility issues between your notebook and a projector? Have you ever seen those noisy images, when the signal doesn't sync up quite right? Direct-digital connections are designed to eliminate those issues and make connection and use a breeze.

The DDWG's standard for digital computer video is DVI, or Digital Visual Interface, and many projector manufacturers are jumping on the DVI bandwagon. VESA is promoting two other competing standards: Digital Flat Panel (DFP) and Plug & Display (P&D). Fortunately for us, all of these standards are loosely based on technology developed by Silicon Image (www.siimage.com), so they are somewhat similar.

With a direct digital connection, the computer sends the projector the video information digitally, but it also can send information from the projector back to the computer. This information can include the resolution and color capabilities of the projector, so that your computer knows how to configure itself. Also, since the image is digital, there are no adjustments necessary to 'optimize' your projector.

Sound simple? Well, the good and the bad of digital is that it either works or it doesn't. "Technology standards" are an oxymoron. The strange connector you may have seen on these projectors could have been a DFP connector...no, maybe a DVI-D connector, or a DVI-I connector, or even a P&D connector! These are all used on projectors! (To view images of each of these connectors, go to http://www.dvigear.com/dviaccessories.html.)

 

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