Are you confused between VGA or HDMI? Do you want to know, VGA vs HDMI: which is better? Don’t worry we are here to solve this problem. Just keep reading below and by the end, you will be able to finalize, which is the best option for you? We will do a complete comparison on both the VGA and HDMI.
Overview
As we are moving towards fast technological growth, so our need for high-quality data transmission is also increasing It can be seen in the VGA vs HDMI comparison, where we moved from analog to digital transmission.
Though comparing VGA vs HDMI may sound like comparing apple vs orange. But for the sake of our readers and the users likely to buy either of them, we are here with our comparison.
VGA cable is around us since 1987, quite a long period, isn’t it?
But, since the HDMI has first introduced back in 2003, things have changed drastically since then. If you go to market now and wanna buy a laptop, desktop, game console, or even a TV you will hardly see a VGA port in it.
So it’s VGA vs HDMI which is better?
Don’t worry we are going to answer all these questions in this article. We are going to do a VGA vs HDMI comparison for better clarity. Just keep reading the article below.
Read: How to get HDMI input on a Laptop?
VGA vs HDMI which is Better?
It will not be good if we just announce the HDMI winner of this comparison right away. Though it was the HDMI which is better still the vintage VGA has its own place till yet.
One of the main differences between both the VGA and HDMI cables is how to process the data. VGA uses Analogue signals to transfer data from input to output device. While HDMI uses Digital signals. Digital signals transfer data more consistently than on Analog.
Also, the analog signal can’t be encrypted which makes the VGA cable un-secure to send data over the VGA. However, HDMI cable uses HDCP (High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection) to secure and encrypt the Digital signals while transferring the data.
Another reason is the audio support on both the cables, in which HDMI is the clear winner. VGA only supports Video transmission while for audio you need a plugin separate cable or converter for the audio. On the other hand, HDMI cable supports both audio and video, gaining a winning point for HDMI.
Though both the VGA and HDMI support 1080p at 1920×1200 pixels resolution, for higher resolution than that is not supported by the VGA. Also, HDMI can also support 8 audio channels at the same time in one cable.
VGA is also very sensitive and should be kept in good condition. A bad cable will not give you good quality. Also, you can easily lose analog signals if it comes near an electromagnetic field. Or there can be a cross signal from other VGA cables too. Though HDMI cables also lose signal while in electromagnetic fields, you have options but some good highly insulated HDMIs to save the signals too.
A VGA cable comes with a 15 pins VGA head. These pins are very delicate and can easily bend or break. If any one of these pins got damaged then you have to order a new one. In HDMI there are no visible pins.
In VGA you need to screw it up with your device to keep it in place but there is no issue with the HDMI Cable. It’s perfectly designed to slot into the system.
Using VGA can also be difficult if your output is far from the input. As the longer, the VGA cable the more disturbance and data loss will be there. HDMI gives you full HD support till 25 inches. And can extend farther using fiber optic HDMI cables or using extra equipment.
Looking above all points we can say that HDMI is a clear winner over the VGA. However, there are some drawbacks also to using HDMI Cable. It would be wiser that you should also give them a look below.
Read: What is an HDMI Splitter and How Does it Work?
Drawbacks of using HDMI Cable
- HDMI cable is still a new technology and is in its development stages. You only have one standard i.e. HDMI 2.0 that supports resolutions higher than 1920×1200 pixels. Lower than that there will be a very negligence difference you can feel with VGA cables. And if you have an older HDMI version than 2.0 then it will not work with newer HDMI compatible devices.
- Though HDCP is an essential and important feature over the VGA, this also becomes a problem when you have to output on various screens from one input source. They must all confirm the HDCP connection to connect or it will disable all the connected screens.
- There is not very good support provided to professionals working on creating audio, video content. Professional AV setups required separate video and audio output. For that, you will need to add an additional switch to send both audio and video to their respective receivers.
- EDID (Extended Display Identification Data), that’s what makes HDMI a little complicated. These are the Data information stored in the Sender device which consists of the Audio and Video compatibility data. And that’s what the problem is. In HDMI the receiver and HDMI need to be in sync with these tables or else your system will show nothing.
These are some drawbacks you can face using an HDMI cable. This will only hurt you if you are a professional or use digital signage for your business. For your Games, Movies, Songs, and home theatres, and all other small uses HDMI is way better than the VGA.
Conclusion
In this article, we have compared VGA vs HDMI. We have discussed the work analogy of both the VGA and HDMI Cable. One works on Analog signals and the other on Digital Signals. Though analog is faster to process if we talk about video than Digital Signals work best.
Later we have also seen how HDMI is able to decrypt the data in transmission using HDCP, while it’s impossible to encrypt analog signal in VGA. And can also lose easily if the VGA cable is not in proper good condition.
One of the major that cost VGA technology to extinct from the technology world is not having audio support. You need to use separate audio input to transmit the audio data.
Though the VGA is an old technology still it has a presence in the professional industry. Though on the consumer side it has almost vanished and you hardly will see any consumer device comes with a VGA port nowadays.
Also, HDMI is also in its developing stage and still has more to go. There is a lot needed to be done to support a vast professional area working on creating video content.
Hence apparently HDMI is the answer to the question asked in the beginning VGA vs HDMI which is better?
To make it simple for you to go for VGA vs HDMI we have to keep everything simple and jargon-free. In case you have any doubt, you can comment down it below in our comment section. We will be happy to clear your doubts.
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