[ale] OT: DVI KVM Switches

[aaron]

On Sunday 08 January 2006 18:46, gharri2 wrote:
> Y'all were greatly helpful a couple of years ago, when I decided to get 
> a KVM switch, as is in evidence on the wiki. I now have gotten an LCD 
> monitor & a much better machine, so it seems a shame to run things 
> through analog.
> 
> Anybody have experience with & recommendations on a 2-port DVI
> KVM switch?
> 
> Grady Harris

No actual recommendation on a DVI-KVM switch beyond suggesting that
it is basically an unnecessary expense.

Though you wouldn't know it from decades of media industry hype, the fact is 
that digital does not directly translate to "better". The advantages of 
digital processing and transmission are pretty much zero when you arrive at 
the final display stages like computer to monitor or amp to speakers. 
Remember that your means of perception are entirely analog (-: until you 
reach quantum resolutions, anyway  :-), and at some stage there has to be a 
Digital to Analog conversion for the final connection to our human senses. 
Simply moving the final D to A stage to inside the display component doesn't 
do anything to improve quality.  Unless your LCD monitor or cabling is 
seriously broken, it is unlikely you would ever see any difference between 
using the analog or the digital signal connection.

In fact, if anyone reading this can suggest any salient reasons to prefer
a DVI digital monitor connection, I'd be interested in hearing (: or seeing :) 
them.  The only factors that I'm aware of are very negative ones. One
DMCA motivated  concern is that Digital Monitor Interfacing creates a means
by which proprietary media conglomerates could block fair use and open
source access with complex [hardware] encryption inside the display, post
all user accessible connections and processing. Another point is that this 
unnecessary shifting of the D to A stage is just another means by which the 
computer and media hardware industries will be compelling needless and
costly migrations to new hardware, cabling and connector configurations
(including KVM switches).

peace
aaron