Secondary displays are a must for those of us who use laptops as a main computer, and since Apple is not a huge fan of VGA or DVI adapters, we have to grab an additional wire to connect them. At the Apple Store, these will easily set you back $30, and the quality of video can sometimes be less than ideal. Thankfully, the people at Moshi have created a product that wont necessarily be cheaper – costing up to $35 – but will definitely deliver superior image quality compared to Apple’s equivalent.
To be honest, I am nowhere close to a video expert and I am not sure of the technical differences between VGA and HDMI, but I do feel that using HDMI is clearer, and better to use in just about every way — or is that my inner self believing that after paying so much on a HDMI cable? Whatever the reason, It just seems better.
Now, due to curiosity, I did do some research on the real difference between VGA and HDMI and I stumbled upon an old Yahoo Answers page and according to a user there…
The term Video Graphics Array (VGA) refers either to an analog computer display standard, the 15-pin D-subminiature VGA connector, first marketed in 1987 by IBM, or the 640×480 resolution itself. While this resolution has been superseded in the computer market, it is becoming a popular resolution on mobile devices.
The High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) is a licensable audio/video connector interface for transmitting uncompressed, encrypted digital streams. HDMI connects DRM-enforcing digital audio/video sources, such as a set-top box, a Blu-ray Disc player, a PC running Windows Vista, a video game console, or an AV receiver, to a compatible digital audio device and/or video monitor, such as a digital television (DTV). HDMI began to appear in 2006 on prosumer HDTV camcorders and high-end digital still cameras.
In addition, I contacted the guys behind Moshi’s adapter and they told me the following:
By definition, HD supports a resolution of 1920×1080, while the VGA standard is 640×480. I’m not an engineer or even very technical, but my understanding is that the VGA has to translate the digital signal causing a loss of quality making the picture fuzzier as well. The HDMI does not need to translate the signal. It is a direct digital to digital connection, so there is no loss in quality.
Conclusion
Between the Yahoo Answers page, my personal opinion, and Moshi’s response, I believe that HDMI is the way to go, especially if you plan on using a large display. You do need to check if your television has an HDMI port. There are two models available, a $29 version which supports video only, and a $35 one that supports both video and audio (audio only works on newer Macs, see Moshi’s website for more info on that). To order, and to learn more on these adapters, you can visit Moshi’s website located here.
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Categories: Mac Accessories, The Feed, TheMacFeed Reviews:
