Serial Digital Video Out

Serial Digital Video Out (SDVO) is a proprietary Intel technology introduced with their 9xx-series of motherboard chipsets.

SDVO makes it possible to use a 16-lane PCI express slot to add additional video signalling interfaces such as VGA and DVI monitor outputs, SDTV and HDTV television outputs, or TV tuner inputs to a system board containing an integrated Intel 9xx-series graphics processor.

SDVO adaptor cards are variously designated as ADD2 (advanced digital display, second generation) or the more feature-rich MEC (media expansion card). MEC is sometimes designated as ADD2+ in Intel documents.

Intel often refers to SDVO as Serial DVO to distinguish it from other forms of digital video out associated with prior product generations, such as the AGP implementation of DVO and older AGP-style ADD expansion cards which are not SDVO compatible.

Proprietary status

Intel's non-standard extension of the PCI express interface is subject to a patent application Mapping SDVO functions from PCI express interface (United States Application 20050172037) filed on 12 December 2003.