- Mini-DVI
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Mini-DVI
The Mini-DVI plug on a 12-inch PowerBook G4Type Digital and analog computer video connector Production history Designer Apple Inc. Manufacturer Apple Inc. Superseded Mini-VGA Superseded by Mini DisplayPort (October 2008) General specifications External yes Video signal As DVI Pins 32 Pin out A female mini-DVI socket Pin 1 Dat2_P Data 2 + Pin 2 Dat2_N Data 2 - Pin 3 Dat1_P Data 1 + Pin 4 Dat1_N Data 1 - Pin 5 Dat0_P Data 0 + Pin 6 Dat0_N Data 0 - Pin 7 CLK_P Clock + Pin 8 CLK_N Clock - Pin 9 DGND Pin 10 DGND Pin 11 DGND Pin 12 DGND Pin 13 DGND Pin 14 DGND Pin 15 DGND Pin 16 DGND Pin 17 +5 V Pin 18 DCC_DAT Pin 19 spare Pin 20 BLUE Analogue blue Pin 21 not installed Pin 22 GREEN Analogue green Pin 23 not installed Pin 24 RED Analogue red Pin 25 Detect Pin 26 DCC_CLK Pin 27 spare Pin 28 DGND Pin 29 HSYNC Horizontal sync Pin 30 DGND Pin 31 VSYNC Vertical sync Pin 32 DGND The Mini-Dvi connector is used on certain Apple computers as a digital alternative to the Mini-VGA connector. Its size is between the full-sized DVI and the tiny Micro-DVI. It is found on the 12-inch PowerBook G4 (except the original 12-inch 867 MHz PowerBook G4, it used Mini-VGA), Intel-based iMac, the MacBook Intel-based laptop, the Intel-based Xserve, and the 2009 Mac mini.
In October 2008, Apple announced the company was phasing Mini-DVI out in favor of Mini DisplayPort.
Mini-DVI connectors on Apple hardware are capable of carrying DVI, VGA, or TV signals through the use of adapters, detected with EDID (Extended display identification data) via DDC. This connector is often used in place of a DVI connector in order to save physical space on devices. Mini-DVI does not support dual-link connections and hence cannot support resolutions higher than 1920x1200 @60 Hz.
There are various types of Mini-DVI adapter:
- Apple Mini-DVI to VGA Adapter Apple part# (M9320G/A)
- Apple Mini-DVI to Video Adapter Apple part# (M9319G/A)
- Apple Mini-DVI to DVI Adapter (DVI-D) Apple part# (M9321G/B)
A non-OEM Mini-DVI to HDMI Adapter is also available on certain online stores such as eBay and Amazon, and from some retail stores, but not from Apple.
The physical connector is similar to Mini-VGA, but is differentiated by having four rows of pins arranged in two vertically-stacked slots rather than the two rows of pins in the Mini-VGA.
Connecting to a DVI-I connector requires a Mini-DVI to DVI-D cable plus a DVI-D to DVI-I adapter.
Contents
Criticisms
- Apple's Mini-DVI to DVI-D cable does not carry the analog signal coming from the mini-DVI port on the Apple computer. This means that it is not possible to use this cable with an inexpensive DVI-to-VGA adapter for VGA output; Apple's mini-DVI to VGA cable must be used instead. This could be avoided if Apple provided a mini-DVI to DVI-I cable. The purpose of DVI-I is to ensure universal compatibility.[1][2]
- The Apple mini-DVI to DVI-D cable's package shows a DVI-I figure instead of DVI-D and does not specify that it comes with only DVI-D.
Compatibility
As Mini-DVI is pin-compatible with DVI, it supports both DVI and VGA through adapters. However, since Apple has moved on to Mini Displayport, there has been a scarcity of available options for users looking to connect to Displayport displays, such as Apple's own Cinema Display.
See also
External links
References
Audio and video connectors Single conductor audio Analog audio Digital audio Video Audio and Video Visual charts Categories:- Digital display connectors
- Video cards
- Apple Inc. hardware
- Computer graphics stubs
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