DVI to HDMI HDMI Video displays and sources are becoming more and more common. DVI/HDMI and Component Video are all video standards which support a variety of resolutions, but which deliver the signal from the source to the display in very different ways. DVI and HDMI signals aren't subject to error correction; once information is lost, it's lost for good. DVI usually starts crapping out around 16 ft.  DVI,launched in 1999, is a purely digital interface that transmits visual data from a source device to a display. DVI and HDMI are a fully digital system. DVI-A can easily be identified by the 4 pins surrounding the longest pin on the connector. DVI is an old format, and is secondary to HDMI. DVI only carries video (no audio) over a single cable. DVI and hdmi are both binary, and hdmi was based off the specs from dvi, while component is anolog. DVI and HDMI are actually very similar when you take away the physical connector differences.