What Is VGA?

Date First Published: 11th July 2023

Topic: Computer Systems

Subtopic: Computer Hardware

Article Type: Computer Terms & Definitions

Difficulty: Medium

Difficulty Level: 4/10

CONTENTS

Advantages and Disadvantages Of VGA
VGA Pins
VGA Extenders
History

Learn about what VGA is in this article.

Stands for Video Graphics Array. VGA is a computer graphics standard used for connecting display devices, such as monitors and projectors. It transfers video signals by acting as a link between the computer and the display device. Although this standard is still widely used now, it is being replaced by more modern standards, such as HDMI, DVI, and DisplayPort and some modern computers and other devices do not include a VGA port.

Advantages and Disadvantages Of VGA

The advantages of VGA are:

It is cheap and easy to implement.
It has built-in locking mechanisms to ensure that the cable stays securely connected and does not fall out.
It is compatible with most computers, monitors, and projectors. Most include a VGA port.

The disadvantages of VGA are:

VGA can only transmit analogue data and does not support digital data. This causes the signal to degrade more easily due to distance and analogue to digital conversion.
Since it is an older technology, it does not support the same resolution as other standards. This results in a lower-quality display and less image clarity on screens. The latest versions can only handle 1080p HD.
It only transfers video signals. It cannot transfer an audio signal along with the video signal, meaning that separate audio cables are required to connect sound.

VGA Pins

The VGA standard has a 15-pin connector. The pins are arranged in 3 rows, each containing 5 pins and having their own functions. For example, the function of the first pin is to transfer the colour red and the second and third pins are used to transfer green and blue. Below are the functions of all the 15 pins.

Pin	Function
1	Red Video
2	Green Video
3	Blue Video
4	Monitor ID 2
5	TTL Ground
6	Red Analogue Ground
7	Green Analogue Ground
8	Blue Analogue Ground
9	Key (Plugged Hole)
10	Sync Ground
11	Monitor ID 0
12	Monitor ID 1
13	Horizontal Sync
14	Vertical Sync
15	Monitor ID 3

VGA Extenders

A VGA extender, sometimes called a VGA booster, allows the signal strength between two devices connected using a VGA cable to be extended. It is most often used in schools, businesses, and homes when using multiple monitors off of a single VGA port or when the cable between the monitor and the computer is too long, which can cause images to appear blurry or to have small distortions.

History

VGA was developed by IBM and introduced in 1987. They originally developed it for their PS/2 system Soon, the rest of the IBM-compatible PC industry adopted it as a standard. When more powerful graphics cards were introduced, this led to extensions to VGA that enabled higher resolutions, like SVGA (800 x 600) and XGA (1024 x 768) and higher colour depth up to 24 bits.