Introduction to Interfaces

These days, the word “interface” is used to describe so many different things in so many different fields that it is very easy to get confused. In the context of signal management, an interface (sometimes called a computer-video interface) refers to a specific type of device that connects a computer to a video display, such as a projector used in large-screen presentations. 

While any given interface model may offer many different features, all of them perform three basic functions: a) they adapt the physical connector type between a computer and a display; b) they split and amplify a signal, providing a way of simultaneously feeding a local monitor and a distant presentation display; and c) they process the sync portion of a computer video signal (e.g., converting RGBHV to RGBS), making it compatible with the display device.

Interfaces are not designed to manipulate the scan rate of a computer video signal. If you need to connect a computer to a standard broadcast video monitor or to a display device with a different scan rate, you will need to use a scan converter or a scaler.

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