Raspberry Pi Forums

I'm using an HDMI to VGA cable to connect my raspberry pi to a monitor. The quick start guide says I should use DVI. Does it make a difference?

N.B- My monitor has both connectors

The PI doesn't output -any- analog video signals (except composite on the RCA plug) on its HDMI connector so any VGA monitor (or DVI-A, a for analog) doesn't work. The PI only creates digital signals for DVI-D (d for digital). If your monitor only has DVI-A it no better than a simple VGA monitor, in fact a DVI-A connector is internally just wired to the VGA input signals, so a DVI-A connector is a VGA connector in disguise. Any HDMI to VDI-A cable therefore won't work!

You need a read DVI-D (or DVI-I) input connector that accepts digital signals, and a corresponding HDMI to DVI-D cable.

Look it up in wikipedia if you are uncertain how to recognize a real DVI-D input connector.

Otherwise consider your monitor to be a VGA monitor, with all it implications, that is you can only use it with the PI with an active converter, one with its own PSU, or with a composite to VGA adapter, but that will give you composite resolutions only.

Thanks! I've bought the right cable now, hopefully should work

Are you sure your monitor really supports DVI-D, (DVI-I monitors also support DVI-D) otherwise no mere cable at all will be able to make your monitor work with the PI.