Video Display Devices

  • Computer needs a video display device (video card) and a monitor

  • Video devices may be:

    • Built into the motherboard
    • Attached to the motherboard
    • Connected via PCI bus slots

  • Video cards usually require vendor-specific drivers

  • Drivers are commonly written for Windows, not always for Linux

  • Major vendors now provide some Linux support

  • Linux community develops standard video drivers

  • Video issues mainly affect desktop Linux

  • Linux servers mostly use text mode, so GUI issues are minimal

  • Common video cable types:

    • VGA – 15-pin, analog
    • DVI – 29-pin, digital
    • HDMI – 19 or 29-pin, supports up to 4K
    • DisplayPort (DP) – 20-pin digital
    • Mini DisplayPort – used mainly by Apple

  • Monitor and video device must support the same resolution

  • System usually auto-detects and sets the best supported resolution