KVMs and Switch Boxes

In information technology, Universal Serial Bus (USB) is a serial bus standard to connect devices to a host computer. USB was designed to allow many peripherals to be connected using a single standardized interface socket and to improve plug and play capabilities by allowing hot swapping; that is, by allowing devices to be connected and disconnected without rebooting the computer or turning off the device. Other convenient features include providing power to low-consumption devices, eliminating the need for an external power supply; and allowing many devices to be used without requiring manufacturer-specific device drivers to be installed.

DVI, or Digital Video Interface Technology came about in 1999 as a result of the formation of the Digital Display Working Group (DDWG) a year prior. Their original mission was to create a standard digital video interface for communication between a Personal Computer and a VGA monitor. Recently, however, the consumer electronics industry began implementing DVD players, set-top boxes, televisions, and LCD/plasma monitors with DVI technology.

HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is a compact audio/video interface for transmitting uncompressed digital data. It represents a digital alternative to consumer analog standards such as Radio Frequency (RF) coaxial cable, composite video, S-Video, SCART, component video, D-Terminal, and VGA. HDMI connects digital audio/video sources such as set-top boxes, Blu-ray Disc players, personal computers (PCs), video game consoles, and AV receivers to compatible digital audio devices, computer monitors, and digital televisions. HDMI supports, on a single cable, any TV or PC video format, including standard, enhanced, and high-definition video, up to 8 channels of digital audio, and the Consumer Electronics Control signal. It is independent of the various digital television standards such as ATSC and DVB as these are encapsulations of compressed MPEG video streams (which can be decoded and output as an uncompressed video stream on HDMI). A Digital Visual Interface (DVI) signal is electrically compatible with an HDMI video signal; no signal conversion needs to take place when an adapter is used, and consequently no loss in video quality occurs.

DVI, or Digital Video Interface Technology came about in 1999 as a result of the formation of the Digital Display Working Group (DDWG) a year prior. Their original mission was to create a standard digital video interface for communication between a Personal Computer and a VGA monitor. Recently, however, the consumer electronics industry began implementing DVD players, set-top boxes, televisions, and LCD/plasma monitors with DVI technology.