DVI

The DVI (digital visual interface) or digital video interface is a connection system for transmitting
video signals in digital format. Its mission is to replace the old analog system used by VGA CRT monitors
(Cathode Ray Tube) and provide the new device displays, LCD monitors, video screens LCD / plasma
and digital projectors to connect personal computers to obtain maximum image quality they can offer
these digital devices.

Internal detail of a male DVI connector.

2.1. DVI Connector Types

The DVI (Digital Visual Interface) is designed for transmitting digital video signals, but to maintain
compatibility with the analog system has been equipped with additional whiskers. Depending on your
application, the connector may have more or less pins. Can be found only analog connectors (DVI-A),
only digital data channel or dual channel data (DVI-D) and the combination of both analog and
digital (DVI-I). The following figures show the pinout of the different DVI connectors female.

DVI-A Analog (Analog)

Digital DVI-D single link (Digital Single Link)

Digital DVI-D Dual Link (Digital Dual Link)

DVI-I Digital and Analog single bond (Digital & Analog Single Link)

DVI-D Digital and Analog Dual Link (Digital & Analog Dual Link)

2.2. DVI Connector Pinout

DVI Connector Pinouts

The DVI connector is divided mainly into three areas:

TMDS. (Transition Minimized Differential Signaling) or Transition Minimized Differential

Signal similar to communication systems balanced. Marked on the figure by the brown color has
four twisted pair cables one for each primary color video red, green and blue. Each two pairs have
a mass of specific protection marked in dark brown. The video signal is synchronized with a pair

of twisted wires in light brown line has its own mass. With a video link can transmit highdefinition HDTV signal (1920 1080) at 60 Hz (139 MHz) for better definitions and better
refresh the DVI connector includes a second link in combination with the former provides
resolutions higher than HDTV HDTV (1920 1080) at 85 Hz (2 126 MHz) or WQXGA (2560
1600) at 60 Hz (2 135 MHz), among others.

Pug & Play. Marked in blue has a number of lines that highlight the DDC (Display Data
Channel), serial connection with pin I2C Bus SDA (data) and SCL (clock). Are used to detect and
display settings when connecting to a computer.

Analog. Analog system, marked in green features a pin (pin) for each RGB primary color red,
green and blue analog sync with the digital connector makes it compatible with the analog system,
reaching a bandwidth of 400 MHz

Pin (pin) DVI connector.

Pin
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
C1
C2
C3
C4
C5

Signal
Data 2 Data 2 +
Mass data 2 / 4
Data 4 Data 4 +
SCL
SDA
Analog vertical sync
Data 1 Data 1 +
Mass data 1 / 3
Data 3 Data 3 +
+5 V
Mass
Hot plug detection
Data 0 Data 0 +
Mass data 0 / 5
Data 5 Data 5 +
Mass of watch
Clock +
Clock Red analog
Green analog
Blue analog
Analog horizontal sync
Ground (analog)

Description
TMDS Digital Link 1 Link TMDS 1 digital +
Mass protection
TMDS Digital Link 2 Link TMDS 2 digital +
DDC Clock
DDC Data
TMDS Digital Link 1 Link TMDS 1 digital +
Mass protection
TMDS Digital Link 2 Link TMDS 2 digital +
Energy for monitor standby
Return to 14 and analog sync
TMDS Digital Link 1 - and digital sync
Link TMDS 1 digital + and digital sync
Mass protection
TMDS Digital Link 2 Link TMDS 2 digital +
Mass protection
TMDS Digital clock + (Links 1 and 2)
Digital TMDSReloj - (Links 1 and 2)

Return for analog signals

EDID isn't the only thing that graphics cards look at.
Avid Media Composer insists on re-starting when it sees a change of monitor. I always assumed that it was done via
Windows detecting a new EDID profile but it turns out that if you unplug and re-plug the same monitor (i.e. EXACTLY the
same EDID data - even s/n) then the same happens and so something deeper is at work.

Look at pin-16; Hot Plug Detect. Basically it is held low by the graphics card but pulled high when a monitor connects - this
generates an interrupt in Windows which forces the card to do an EDID refresh - request a new profile and possible re-do the
HDCP handshaking if needed. The interrupt is also seen by Avid and used to force a re-start of Media Composer.

Now then, Amulet (our favorite KVM-over-IP technology) spoofs - all of this; it caches the EDID profile until a
new client connects and when that happens it asserts the Hot Plug Detect pin as if a monitor had been connected essentially spoofing what happens in the real world. There are various registry tweaks to for the graphics driver to ignore pin16 but they work variably - change driver and suddenly pin-16 is being listened to again.
When I figure out a solution I'll update this post. Meantime the customer's dream of starting off a layback or capture and then
handing it off to another client is still on hold....

Requirements for Hotplug-Detect (HPD)

HPD is a Monitor to Computer signal. < .4V monitor side, .8V computer side, is to be interpreted as no
EDID/DDC compliant display present. > 2.4V Monitor side, 2.0V computer side, is to mean an EDID/DDC
capable display is present. Monitor controls the level. 5V signaling levels are appropriate.
The spec didn't specify fully what action software should take to the hotplug event (HPD switching levels,
indicating the plug or unplug of a compliant monitor), but did to the extent that if a compliant monitor comes
online, the signal should be activated, and if it goes offline, the signal must be terminated within 1 minute. It didn't
say, but this would appear to refer to the digital signal.
Both of the monitors I have handy here ground both VGA pins 4 and 11. With pin 12 open, that would be
interpreted on the original VGA spec as Color monitor that can display 1024x768.
for VGA adapter purposes, DVI-16-HPD should be grounded, as the whole purpose is to use the analog signal
from the DVI-I, not the digital signal.

Fixed the DVI / pin-16 hotplug dilemma

As with a lot of mod'ing or (dare I say it!) bodging solutions you need to find a nice connector or pre-made cable to base your
fix on. If you look back at the problem we've been having with Media Composers switched across different Amulet heads then
you'll recall it wasn't an EDID issue, rather one of Windows detecting a monitor change; Amulet does the right thing, it's Avid
that's the problem.
The fix is easy; you need to tie pin-16 (hot plug detect) to Vcc (+5v on pin 14) via a 1K resistor;

The best mod'able pre-made cable that is suitable is one of these from Lindy. Now I just need to knock up a dozen for the
customer!
Posted by Phil Crawley at 11:48
Labels: avid, dvi

12 comments:

mg src="//lh3.googleusercontent.com/-L9Uj3ggFgTY/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAAAA/7pSIw1u5xd4/s35-c/photo.jpg"
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ain said...
I also have a problem with screen detection on dvi, my view isn't going through a extron matrix. It only goes through when i
reset my screen. Do you thing your fix will work?
10:46 am

<img src="//3.bp.blogspot.com/_jaGBW-KP8dc/SaIDQs2UPgI/AAAAAAAAAAM/FDvjWhninC8/S45-s35/me-work.jpg"
width="35" height="35" class="photo" alt="">
Phil Crawley said...
Well it'll either be DVI detection - in which case the Lindy DVI-spoofers will do the job. If it's a hot-plug detection issue then
pin-16 is the solution. It'll cost you less than 50 to buy the bits and try both.
9:42 am

<img src="//lh3.googleusercontent.com/-L9Uj3ggFgTY/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAAAA/7pSIw1u5xd4/s35c/photo.jpg" width="35" height="35" class="photo" alt="">

Wim Brain said...
I tried the 1K solution and it works perfect. I haven't place him in the connector, because its a complete closed one, but i did
it on the cable, now i have to fix the shield :( But thanks for the solution.
4:33 pm

<img src="//3.bp.blogspot.com/_jaGBW-KP8dc/SaIDQs2UPgI/AAAAAAAAAAM/FDvjWhninC8/S45s35/me-work.jpg" width="35" height="35" class="photo" alt="">

Phil Crawley said...
Brilliant
http://www.lindy.co.uk/05m-premium-gold-dvi-d-dual-link-cable/37037.html
Is the part we used; we had to get ten Avids working and possibly another fifty! In any quantity those cables are not the
listed price - around 12 each and they are easy to re-work.

4:48 pm

praternatural said...
Hi Phil, I am an EE student working in Atlanta, Georgia and I'm a fan of your podcast.
I've encountered the dreaded DVI/HDMI hotplug detect problem in my work and got wind of your DVI Spoofer featured on
the EEV Blog Mailbag episode. Do you have any more information on your DVI Spoofer such as how much you're selling
them for and where I can get some?
3:26 pm

<img src="//3.bp.blogspot.com/_jaGBWKP8dc/SaIDQs2UPgI/AAAAAAAAAAM/FDvjWhninC8/S45-s35/me-work.jpg" width="35"

height="35" class="photo" alt="">
Phil Crawley said...
Well it turns out the company who got them made for me in their "one-hung-low" factory in China are selling them as well!
http://www.lindy.co.uk/cables-adapters-c1/audio-video-c107/dvi-c110/dvi-d-male-to-dvi-i-female-adapter-with-1k-resisitorfor-hot-plugging-p7914
If that URL is mangled the part number from Lindy UK is 41082
4:11 pm

<img src="//3.bp.blogspot.com/_jaGBWKP8dc/SaIDQs2UPgI/AAAAAAAAAAM/FDvjWhninC8/S45-s35/me-work.jpg"
width="35" height="35" class="photo" alt="">
Phil Crawley said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
4:11 pm

Ryo said...
I know this is old thread and I got here from the Intel support forums which it is still going on about this problem today!
If you're still monitoring this, I was wondering if I can install the resistor inside the monitor instead of the cable? I would
assume technically it is the same thing but you may have thought of something that I have no knowledge of if I did it this
way.
Any info would be greatly appreciated.
5:45 am

Ryo said...
Hi,
I made a comment earlier about doing this on the monitor side. Well, I went ahead and did it anyway because I was sick
and tired of my display going out.
Just let you know it works perfectly so far. I used a 1.2k resistor instead because I didn't have 1k on hand. I figured more
couldn't hurt.
In any case, just wanted to say thanks.
7:58 am

<img src="//3.bp.blogspot.com/_jaGBWKP8dc/SaIDQs2UPgI/AAAAAAAAAAM/FDvjWhninC8/S45s35/me-work.jpg" width="35" height="35" class="photo"

alt="">
Phil Crawley said...
From my point of view modifying the monitor is a danger; but having a back-back adaptor or a short cable is the answer. If
it's your own display then fair enough but I have to provide customers with a solution that won't confuse them!
10:44 am

Peter Mauro said...

Hi Phil,
I tried your fix , also using a 1.2 K resistor , it did not work.
I have to reload the Intel Graphics 4000 driver every time I start up from power down , sleep or hibernate.
Then my ASUS monitor is detected, and the DVI input works fine.
Have you found any other fix?
Peter
1:08 pm

<img
src="//3.bp.blogspot.com/_jaGBWKP8dc/SaIDQs2UPgI/AAAAAAAAAAM/FD
vjWhninC8/S45-s35/me-work.jpg"
width="35" height="35" class="photo"
alt="">
Phil Crawley said...
Well in the end I got sick of making cables for this (a lot of my customers need this to make a particular piece of software
behave itself) and so I had a Chinese factory make me 500 DVI male-female adaptors that tie pin-16. BUT, remember - this
modification stops the graphics card being able to detect a change of monitor, it does nothing to the EDID profile. For that
I've found these to be useful;
http://www.lindy.co.uk/audio-video-c2/matrix-switches-splitters-c166/edid-ddc-adapter-for-dvi-displays-p6699
2:11 pm

HDMI Connections

With a simple adapter, you can

PHOTO COURTESY

There are lots of methods you can use to connect home-theater components. For example:

Component video carries analog video signals separated into two channels for color and a third for
luminance. Component video cables use RCA connectors.
S-video transmits analog signals using one cable and a four-pin connector.
DVI, or digital visual interface, is a 29-pin connection commonly used with computer monitors. Unlike
composite video and s-video, it carries digital signals.

Many HDTV early adopters rely on DVI, since it hit the market before HDMI did. Since DVI and HDMI both use the
TMDS protocol, they're compatible. All you need to connect an HDMI cable to a DVI port is a passive adapter.
The DVI and HDMI connectors have some other similarities. Both use a grid of pins to transmit signals from the
cable to the device. While DVI has a 29-pin connector, HDMI's type A connector has 19 pins. A DVI connector
also uses a pair of built-in screws to anchor it to the device. HDMI plugs don't have this extra support, and some
users have expressed concern that this puts unnecessary strain on the device's circuitry. There's also a miniature
version of the HDMI connector for use on smaller devices like digital camcorders as well as a 29-pin type B
connector, although most consumer devices use type A.
From the HDMI connector's pins, signals travel through twisted pairs of copper cable. Three audio and video
channels travel through two pins each, for a total of six pins. The TMDS clock, which allows devices to
synchronize the incoming data, travels through one pair of pins. Each of these four total pairs has a shield -another wire that protects it from interference from its neighbors. The TMDS channels, the clock and the shields
make up the bulk of the cable pairs inside the HDMI cable.

The other signals that travel through the HDMI cable need only one pin. One such channel is the consumer
electronics channel (CEC). If your devices support it, this channel allows them to send instructions to one
another. For example, an HD-DVD player could automatically turn on a home-theater receiver and an HDTV when
it started playing a disk. The hot plug detect channel, which uses one pin, senses when you plug in or unplug a
device, re-initializing the HDMI link if necessary. The one-pin display data channel (DDC) carries device
information and the HDCP encryption information discussed in the previous section. Other channels carry
encryption data and electricity to power communication between devices.
The cables themselves come in two categories. Category 1 has a speed of 74.25 MHz. Category 2 has a speeded
of 340 MHz. Most consumer cables are the faster category 2 variety.