Do MacBooks Have VGA Connections?
The MacBook, a laptop from Apple Inc. that is marketed in two versions, the ultraportable MacBook Air and the top-level MacBook Pro, lacks a Video Graphics Array port, the 15-pin D-subminiature connector for connecting a display screen. The MacBook has a connector called the Mini DisplayPort to which the user can attach a VGA adapter. However, the Mini DisplayPort, as well as Digital Visual Interface and High-Definition Multimedia Interface adapters, offers better display quality than the VGA port.
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DisplayPort
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The Mini DisplayPort -- abbreviated as MiniDP or mDP -- is Apple Inc.'s miniaturized version of the DisplayPort connector, which was invented to replace connectors such as the VGA port. While the VGA port transmits analog visual signals for a display screen, the MacBook's DisplayPort transmits digital visual signals. Also, while the VGA port transmits only video signals, the MiniDP transmits both audio and video signals. The standard display quality, or graphic display resolution, of the MacBook's mDP is 2,560 by 1,600 pixels.
DisplayPort to VGA
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Users can get an adapter to turn the Mini DisplayPort into a VGA port. However, this causes a downgrade in resolution. The standard resolution of the VGA is 640 by 480 pixels, which falls far short of the MiniDP's capacity. In fact, the VGA port, introduced for IBM PCs in 1987, offers the lowest resolution in the PC market.
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DisplayPort to DVI
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MacBook users can also use an adapter to transform the MacBook's Mini DisplayPort into a DVI, which is similar to the VGA in that it is one of the two connectors commonly used for hooking up computer monitors to desktop PCs. A major difference, though, is that the DVI transmits digital visual signals instead of analog ones. It is capable of achieving a resolution of up to 1,920 by 1,200 pixels: higher than the VGA port, but lower than the MiniDP.
DisplayPort to HDMI
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A Mini DisplayPort-to-HDMI adapter is available to change the MiniDP of the MacBook into an HDMI connector. At the time of publication, it is the standard connector for all HD-compatible devices. It also functions as a companion interface of the DisplayPort, since it also transmits digital and audio content. Its peak resolution for electronic devices such as the MacBook is 1,920 by 1,080 pixels.
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