What is an LCD Controller Board?

The LCD controller board is often called the Analog/Digital (A/D) board. As a type of hardware processor, it allows for various video source inputs to be connected, selected, and displayed on the LCD screen. It does this by converting the different video input signals into a format manageable by the LCD panel.The LCD controller board is often called the Analog/Digital (A/D) board. As a type of hardware processor, it allows for various video source inputs to be connected, selected, and displayed on the LCD screen. It does this by converting the different video input signals into a format manageable by the LCD panel.

In an analog signal, the signal is continuous, but in digital, they are discrete values, typically of 0 and 1. Digital signals have become the most used, as they can more easily carry information and have better quality maintenance; if the analog signal is used and unnecessary information is present, it is impossible to remove it due to the continuous nature of the analog signal. In order to make that switch to digital signals, converters are used to replace the real numbers of the analog sequence with a set of discrete values.

The VGA, short for video graphic array, standard is one of the most popular analog-based technologies. In recent years, however, the VGA interface has been overshadowed by interfaces like high definition multimedia interfaces, better known as HDMI, which has become a de facto standard for digital signal transmissions.

The HDMI is a combination of digital audio and digital video transmission. There are many HDMI connectors, such as the standard, dual-link, and micro. These connectors are what the input signal travels through to reach the LCD controller and to direct what to display.

The DVI (Digital Visual Interface) offers both analog signals, digital signals, or a combination of the two. Like the HDMI, it has various connector types for different signal types.

When crossing interfaces, we use adapters to bridge the differences between signals. The DVI VGA adapter is relatively inexpensive due to how compatible the two are. The HDMI is also very compatible with the DVI, making the HDMI DVI adapter quite simple.

The VGA to HDMI adapter, however, must overcome greater differences, as they are not naturally as compatible as each were with DVI. Not only are there differences in the analog/digital signals, but also the VGA only uses video interface, whereas the HDMI uses both audio and video. A cable and an adapter are needed to connect the two devices.

And last from the list of examples of input signals is the DisplayPort. It is similar to HDMI in its purpose to replace outdated VGA and DVI as well as its transmission of audio and video through its interface. The DisplayPort does not have as much variation in cables and connectors as the HDMI, with only one cable and two types of connectors. From the DisplayPort, there is a growing technology called the embedded DisplayPort interface, or eDP interface. LCD manufacturers have begun to gravitate towards this interface due to its fewer connections, smaller size, and ability to quickly transmit high quality displays.