Using VGA or DVI for LED-based monitors?
 

I am going to get the ViewSonic IPS panel that LS recommended for video work and color accuracy. Question is, is it better to use DVI or VGA with this type of monitor? Seem like a basic question but want to explore avenues so I can make the right decision.

Since I have two capture boxes now (and a third for backup), I would need to get a DVI based switch if I wanted to go that route. Only thing is, the AIW 8500DV card has DVI output, while the 9600 Pro only has VGA, which could be rectified with an adapter. I know there were some differences with DVI vs. VGA besides the pin count.

Though I have an older 4:3 VS monitor currently in use, I may plan to remove that and just use the IPS exclusively for all SD video capture which will be just one monitor. May see about getting a second IPS monitor for my HD-based machine setup as well.

LS mentioned a good switch he's using (the Starview DVI KVMs, which I think are Startech--correct me if I am wrong). They are more expensive from what I have seen but should be solid for reliable switching.

LED is the backlight; the pixels themselves are LCD.

Indeed, they are completely different technologies with VGA being analog and DVI being digital. The simple DVI-VGA port adapter that allows DVI cards to connect via VGA won't work in reverse.* It only works with video cards that can output analog video over a DVI connector (DVI-I and DVI-A). Converting from VGA to DVI-D requires active electronics.

VGA on an LCD involves a DAC at the video card end and an ADC at the monitor end. D-A-D will involve some losses that a D-D-D path will avoid.

But unless your KVM allows one source as VGA and the other as DVI, it sounds like you'll have to use VGA for both.

(* If your monitor has a DVI-I input, the adapter would allow you to send analog video over a DVI cable instead of a VGA cable, but there is no advantage over using the monitor's VGA input.)

[So much alphabet soup in this post...]

VGA is subject to RFI noise. Why? It's analog. The end.

In my old location, I had almost no issue with noise over VGA. In my new location, VGA had major interference patterns. It's all about the power you're getting, ambient RF in your area, and (to a lesser extent) the devices in use. All but one of my devices was clearly fine, since it works fine for years.

DVI has no such issues. It's digital.

Is Starview the same as StarTech? No idea. Do not assume this. Verify it.

Notes:
- The audio on the Starview KVM was terrible. It had noise. I have multiple speakers for my system anyway, so I can continue hearing audio as I switch. It was not needed.
- The keyboard would sometimes stick for the shift key if held down too long, and you'd have to simply switch the KVM to another system and back again.

You cannot make VGA into DVI. The adapter does not work the way that you're thinking.

Mmmm... soup... :)