Future of VGA Adapters
Bjorn Behrendt
VGA's sunset and the problems adapting with adapters
VGA is the oldest computer display connector still being used today. It was introduced a quarter century ago (in 1987). While it has changed in ways to support emerging technologies over the past 26 years, development was stonewalled by the limits of its abilities. Many years ago the industry embraced digital display technologies and largely abandoned development of analog VGA, but due to the large installed base of existing VGA products, they decided to continue supporting this old technology.
Digital ports (originally DVI, but now HDMI and DisplayPort) were introduced side-by-side with VGA connectors in PCs and other equipment. This was done to ease transition, but this strategy also backfired because it allowed consumers to continue their old VGA habit. Further impeding the transition to digital interfaces was higher prices in their infancy, so many lower-end products continued to ship with VGA only. Still today you'll find VGA-only devices, but since HDMI and DisplayPort costs have dropped significantly, this is becoming much less common.
Today the industry is on course for officially abandoning VGA support once and for all. A couple years ago, Intel, AMD, Dell, Lenovo, Samsung, and LG together announced intentions to "accelerate adoption [of HDMI and DisplayPort]" and officially end VGA support in their products by 2015.
We're now around the midpoint in this transition, and many of the newest mobile devices are configured with digital-only outputs. While some of this is also driven by demand for thinner devices like Ultrabooks — VGA ports are too large to fit into many models — VGA's fate is sealed regardless of the reasons driving it. Costs are no longer a big factor for manufacturers; even the $249 Samsung Chromebook (which is available even cheaper through The Top Floor) sports a digital-only video output.
This is NOT to suggest you need to replace all your VGA equipment immediately, because devices with VGA outputs are still common today, and obviously adapters will continue to be available for the foreseeable future. However it's important to keep in mind the industry's direction when you're purchasing new products, to ensure these products don't cause you headaches down the road.
The last product categories to abandon VGA will likely be those on the receiving end of its signal, such as monitors, displays, and projectors, because manufacturers want to ensure they'll work with all your existing devices. However these are also the things you want to start buying with DisplayPort or HDMI ports (even if they also have VGA) because that will ensure easy connectivity to the devices of tomorrow. If you're purchasing a projector or display that you hope to last beyond 2015, you'll soon be stuck fussing with adapters if it doesn't have a digital port.
Using an adapter isn't normally a big deal, but VGA adapters for all-digital ports can be a different story. Depending on the digital port providing the output, most don't produce an analog signal. Therefore you'll need a more expensive "active" converter that transforms the digital video into analog. However the problem doesn't end there; newer laptops and other devices expect to receive a signal from the connected display or projector with "extended display identification data" (EDID), "enhanced-" or E-EDID, or DisplayID (a newer standard). This data tells the sending device what resolutions are accepted and other important data needed to communicate properly. If your VGA converter doesn't properly emulate the structures desired by your digital device (which can be different for different devices), you'll experience problems like undesired resolutions (including not filling the screen), inability to mirror and/or extend your desktop, or no display at all.
Nobody knows for sure when VGA will finally be obsolete — market pressure and other factors kept it alive for more than a quarter century — but now is the time to start planning for life beyond it. A patchwork approach with adapters may not the best long-term strategy. While you don't need to replace equipment before the end of its useful life, do keep the future in mind when you are ready to replace anything.
And as always, The Top Floor is here to help. We've been assisting Vermont's K-12 schools, colleges, and others in choosing the best future-ready solutions for more than a decade. We're right here in the 802, but you can call us toll-free at 1-800-290-4979.