Connector and Adapter Guide for Video

A "who's who" of the video cables and connectors you might come across at the IMC!

Connectors

There a many different connectors available for displaying video. You may be familiar with HDMI as it is the most common connector type, but there are many others.

VGA

VGA

Characterized by their blue color, VGA connectors are common on older and lower-end devices. Some of our old AV systems still use this connection type.


DVI

DVI

Not very common anymore, DVI cables are used on some older computer setups. It's like VGA, but bigger.


HDMI

HDMI

The most common connection type, HDMI can be found on TVs, game consoles, computers, and Blu-Ray players. It can be identified by its trapezoidal shape. If someone needs to connect to a display, this is most likely what they need.


Micro HDMI

MicroHDMI

Micro HDMI is common only on laptops and tablets. It will almost always be converted back to a regular sized HDMI connector.


Display Port (DP)

DisplayPort

Used in high-end devices, DisplayPort (DP) is commonly found on computers and high resolution displays. 


Mini Display Port

MiniDisplay

Similar to Micro HDMI, Mini DisplayPort (Mini DP) is common on many laptops and older MacBooks.


USB-C

USB C Connector
The universal standard, USB-C if very common on most laptops, newer MacBooks, and smartphones.

Adapters

Now that we know all of the connector types you will encounter, let's discuss the types of adapters we have in the IMC
USB-C to HDMI
USB-C to HDMI

This adapter is commonly used on Macs newer than the 2016 model. Similarly, some laptops will need this type of adapter. Moving forward, most devices will use USB-C. Used to connect to AV systems and displays.


USB-C to VGA
USB-C to VGA

Also used on Macs newer than 2016, and some laptops. This adapter will be used less commonly, but is still necessary when connecting to older AV systems.


Mini DP to HDMI
Mini DP to HDMI

Mostly used in older Macs, this adapter is still very commonly asked for. It serves the same purpose as the USB-C to HDMI adapter. 


Mini DP to VGA
Mini DP to VGA

Similar to the other VGA adapters, this will mostly be used to connect to older AV systems.


HDMI to Micro HDMI
HDMI to Micro HDMI

This is a much less common connector, almost exclusively used in older laptops. You won't have to give this one out very often.


Lightning to HDMI
Lightning to HDMI

Not typically used for laptops. This adapter is for displaying an iPad or iPhone to a screen.


USB-A to HDMI
USB-A to HDMI

A fairly niche adapter, really only used as a last resort when other adapters aren't working.


Mega Dongle
Mega Dongle

As its namesake would suggest, this adapter can basically do it all. As long as the device has a USB-C port, the Mega Dongle will most likely have the port needed. 




Keywords:
Video, cable, connector 
Doc ID:
114180
Owned by:
Ken S. in CommArts IMC
Created:
2021-10-07
Updated:
2023-09-28
Sites:
CommArts Instructional Media Center