Does A DVI Splitter Cable Work?
The DVI splitter cable is great concept when it works. The problem is that it often doesn’t work. Dvi splitter cables are designed to allow you to connect your computer or other device with a DVI port to two distinct displays. These can be anything from two desktop monitors, to two projectors or televisions.
The typical DVI splitter cable splits a male DVI D connector into two DVI D female ends. We’ll talk about the distinction between the different DVI types (DVI I splitter cable and DVI D splitter cable) at another point. Briefly it refers to the difference between being able to send to digital and analog devices.
Before you rush out to try and use a DVI video splitter cable, make sure you understand what you are getting yourself into. As stated above, if used correctly and with the right specifications, the DVI y-splitter works great. It is definitely worth noting that this type of cable is not intended to provide you with two distinct workspaces and cannot extend your desktop so you have more room to work.
This cable is strictly used to split the same output onto two similar devices. The image will be the same for both, so you are not really increasing your desktop real estate any. A large part of what I just mentioned will usually make a big difference into whether the cable works for you or not. You generally must output your display to two very similar displays for the cable to work.
Further, your device (usually your computer) will need to have a card that supports dual DVI, a feature that can be tricky to figure out. This does not mean that your video card has two DVI ports, but that the single DVI port on your video card can support dual monitors. This single port sends out dual signals to the two monitors. Most often, the DVI splitter cable defines a primary and secondary end to the cable, although this may not be physically apparent. You may need to experiment with the cable end to determine if there is a primary branch of the Y.
Another difficulty that can occur with this type of passive DVI splitter cable is that the signal often needs to be boosted by an amplifier. As stated, this type of splitter is passive because it does not need power to operate. Sometimes the addition of a signal booster is enough to push the signal cleanly to both displays.
The real beauty of the DVI splitter cable is that the price is exceptionally small for the cable. If you can figure out how to make it work for your purposes, you will save quite a bit of money. This alone often makes it worth experimenting with the splitter cable to see if it will work for you.
Look for a quality cable with gold connectors. Gold connectors generally provide maximum corrosion resistance and give you the best chance of error-free data transfers. This is important for a clean streak free image, and the highest quality image you can send.
The real advantage to the DVI splitter cable is that when it work, it works great (and the price is definitely right). The disadvantage of the device is that all of the variables seldom line up to allow this splitter to work properly.
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