What are the various types of connectors monitors use?
HDMI: This type of connector is very common, often used with devices other than PC, like game consoles, televisions, “cable” boxes, and projectors. Often laptops and docks also have an HDMI port. It can include both video and sound
DVI: this is an older standard, it is for video only and was very common if the past
DisplayPort (DP): This is a very high-end connector it allows for 4K video, it is still used in either Display Port or Mini display port connectors
VGA: is an old standard, it was common in items like computers, laptops and projectors, but is not used very often anymore
USB-C: this was also known as USB Type C, to differentiate it from the USB A connector.
USB-C can connect to both hosts and devices it replaces HDMI and Display Port, and includes sound as well
Thunderbolt: This is the newest standard, it comes in Versions, 1 – 2 -3 and the latest 4. It allows for connections to peripherals, like Monitors as well as other devices. Thunderbolt 1 and 2 use the Mini DisplayPort connection, whereas Thunderbolt 3 and 4 use USB-C. See more about Thunderbolt at the end of this list
AV (RCA):
Was an older standard that was quite common to connect video games and DVD players and VCRs to televisions. It consisted of red and white plugs for right and left sound, and then a yellow plug for video, some projectors still have RCA, but it is seldom used anymore
NDI: is a standard that lets you send video over an ethernet cable, this works well for systems like digital signage because extremely long cables from the source of video to the device are not feasible
SDI: Is a standard for long-distance – Up to 300 feet, the picture information is carried on coaxial cable (the type of wire that used to be used for most cable television boxes, and to connect VCRs and DVD players to a television), or fiber optic cable.
What are the different kinds of Thunderbolt connections and how do they differ?
Thunderbolt connections utilize both PCI Express and DisplayPort signals as well as power in the same cable. As time passed versions of Thunderbolt became available in newer advanced standards. The earliest versions of Thunderbolt 1 and 2 used the same connector as the mini display port. More advanced than their predecessors Thunderbolt 3 and 4 use the USB-C connector. Thunderbolt 3 provides 15 available watts of power, as well as the capability of displaying on a – 4K monitor. Thunderbolt 4 in comparison can support 2 – 4K displays, and Thunderbolt 4 can carry twice as much data as Thunderbolt 3 did.
Can monitors have more than one connectivity type?
Monitors can have more than one type of connectivity standard, this makes them useful in more types of situations, and less likely to become obsolete. For monitors that do not have the same input as the output of the desktop and laptop adapters can be used to make a compatible connection.
If my computer does not have the proper ports to connect to more than one monitor, how else can I do this?
Sometimes the connection from the computer or laptop is accomplished via a USB port.
Special adapters or docks also have video connectors in them that allow for multiple monitors to be connected to the same desktop or laptop.
What are pixels?
Pixel is a term for "picture element". It is one dot on a screen that can be set to a colour. Pixels are normally set to either red, green, or blue, and the various combinations of those colours. The number of dots on the screen is dependent on the resolutions the monitor is set at depending on what the monitor is capable of.
What does a monitor having a dead pixel or stuck pixel mean?
Dead pixels occur when all three colours that make up the picture element are no longer functioning. This makes a black spot appear when anything is displayed on the monitor.
Stuck pixels happen when one of the colours of the pixel: red, green, or blue remains turned on at all times. This makes a small dot of the “wrong” colour always appear on the screen.
What is the difference between the standards of resolution for monitors?
Often, we see monitor resolutions that have a specific type such as 1080i, or 720P. There are two methods monitors create the image on the screen. In monitors that have the “i” suffix, the monitors are interlaced. That very quickly the monitor first creates the Odd lines of the display for viewing and then the even ones. This happens so quickly that the user doesn’t see the process happen. It does sometimes create the flickering we see in an older display. If you see “P” displayed as the monitor's attribute, it means the display is created using a progressive system. Each part of the display is created in order.
Here are some of the industry-standard resolutions and their attributes:
720p displays at 1280 x 720 and is known as HD or "HD Ready" resolution
1080p displays at 1920 x 1080 is known as FHD or "Full HD" resolution
1080i displays at the same resolution as 1080p however being interlaced the display type was meant to work only with older equipment like CRT monitors where the scan time was not as fast. This standard is still used sometimes when streaming video over the internet, and bandwidth is low
1440p also called QHD or Quad HD, displays at 2560 x 1440, it is used mostly in gaming monitors and high-end smartphones
4K sometimes called 2160p can also be referred to as UHD or Ultra UHD, displays 3840 x 2160. The designation 4K is used to refer to the width as being about 4,000 pixels wide, and it displays 4 times as many pixels as 1080p. It gets used for high-resolution monitors and televisions.
8K called either FHD or "Full HD” 4320p = 7680 x 4320. It has 16 times as many pixels as 1080p. Currently, 8K is very new and used in high-end televisions and very few computer monitors.