Do Direct Boxes Matter? What's a DI do?

What does a direct box do for your guitar, bass or keyboard? Does it just change the connector to go to our sound board? And does one type vs another change the sound a lot?

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Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
00:32 Impedance
01:38 Balanced vs. Unbalanced
02:55 Features on a DI
05:02 What makes DIs different from one another?
06:45 Listening examples disclaimer
07:26 Acoustic Guitar
08:28 Passive Bass
08:44 Active Bass
09:07 Output Differences
09:33 Final Thoughts
10:55 Special Thanks