It is very common to find a lot of digital video cables connecting to your LCD monitors or desktops. DVI is among them. Others include HDMI and VGA. After trying to connect DVI to HDMI cable on your screen, you will notice that there is no sound coming out but only images. This is not something to worry about. In this article, we look at why DVI to HDMI sound is not working on TV.
What is DVI?
DVI stands for Digital Visual Interface and is a video display interface. Its main purpose since its inception is to transmit digital content of video to other display devices such as TVs, monitors or projector screens. It employs image resolutions that are as high as 2560* 1600 or as low as 1920* 1200 pixels. You should note that DVI is more analogue when you compare it to HDMI but is not very different from VGA.
Furthermore, DVI does not carry sound but only images. If you want to listen to audio, you may need to connect some other audio cable. It is able to support both analog and digital video. The maximum number of pins that a DVI cable or port has is 24. In case you find out that yours has less pins, then the image resolution is likely to be lower. However, DVI is not compatible with HDCP encryption which means that you will not be able to enjoy playback from any HD content.
DVI supports three signals namely:
- DVI-A (Analog)
DVI-A connectors usually have 17 pins and are only able to transmit analog signals. These ones are quite rare although their cables are compatible with both DVI-I and DVI-A connectors.
- DVI-D (Digital)
DVI-D connectors are responsible for carrying digital video signals. Besides, there are two types; Single link compose of 19 pins while dual-link connectors boast of 25 pins. If you have a digital monitor, it will contain a DVI-D connector. On the other hand, if your monitor is compatible with digital and analog signals, it will have a DVI-D and VGA connector.
- DVI-I (Analog & Digital)
It comprises single link connectors having 23 pins and the double link connectors having 29 pins. Similarly, these connectors are not able to convert digital and analog signals but can receive both signals but not simultaneously. DVI- I connectors are compatible with all the available DVI cables.
DVI to HDMI sound not working on TV
A DVI to HDMI connection ensures that you enjoy high quality images and video content on your screen. Your PC may have a DVI-OUT while you only see HDMI IN on the monitor or TV, a DVI to HDMI cable comes in handy at this point so as to link the video. Remember, there will be no sound because DVI does not carry sound so you will have to get a separate audio cable.
As you notice, it is normal for there not to be sound when connecting DVI-HDMI on your television. The reason for this is because DVI is only meant for video signals. The DVI jack on your monitor is not able to output audio therefore making the HDMI connection on your TV not to receive any audio and there will be no sound.
If you have a DVI- HDMI cable, it will only display pictures on your TV’s screen but no sound comes out of the speakers. In such a case scenario, you will need to get an audio cable and establish a connection from your source device’s audio OUT to the audio IN jack of your TV and there will be sound.
Alternatively, there are other ways in which your DVI is able to produce sound without using an audio cable depending on the type of DVI port you have. An analog signal will need you to have an active adapter whereas a digital signal will require a physical adapter.
Creating Audio from DVI
Despite the fact that DVI does not carry audio, there are manufacturers who found a way to go past these restrictions. Surprisingly, there is a way in which DVI can transmit both audio and video signals.
To get you started, you have to determine what connector your device has. Is it DVI-I single link, DVI-I dual link, DVI-D single link, DVI-D dual link or DVI-A? DVI-A and DVI-I only carry analog signals while DVI-D uses digital signals thus making it to be the most common. Using a physical adapter on the DVI-D may produce sound with the help of HDMI of course.
- DVI-D to HDMI cable
DVI-D to HDMI cable is able to transmit sound depending on your device’s potential. With this cable, there will be no need for converters hence convenient. Converters need more cables and external power to be effective. This method only works if your PC supports modern graphics cards but if not, there will be no audio.
- DVI to HDMI Converter/ Adapter
You can use a DVI-D to HDMI physical adapter or converter to carry over sound. Nevertheless, if your DVI version is different from DVI-D, an active adapter is your ultimate solution. In case you have a DVI-I to HDMI active adapter, it will transmit audio from DVI to your display screen although the signal will not be good.
- DVI with AUX or RCA
Your PC has a DVI port and you want to plug it into your TV’s DVI port so as to carry audio from PC to TV. You will simply need a DVI cable and a male to male AUX cable to connect the two devices. Place one end of the AUX in to your TV and the other end to your PC and you are good to go. Among all other options, this is the simplest and most convenient of them all.
Conclusion
The fact that DVI to HDMI sound does not work on your TV is normal because DVI does not carry sound but video signals only. But with recent technology of graphics cards, you are able to make your DVI to transmit sound using DVI-D to HDMI cable and DVI-HDMI adapter or converter.
