An apparatus for driving a liquid crystal display can receive and adjust to image signals from one of a plurality of image signal formats such as those of the HDTV and NTSC systems, and includes plural shift registers, a sampling and holding (S/L) circuit and a Y driver. When receiving an image signal in the HDTV system, the shift registers receive and shift that image signal in series, and supply each bit data shifted thereby in a horizontal period to the S/L circuit. When receiving an image signal in the NTSC system, the shift registers are functionally divided into one for shifting that image signal and the other for shifting another image signal provided for displaying some pattern, and each bit data of these image signals is supplied to the S/L circuit. The S/L circuit provides the received data for driving data electrodes of the display, while the Y driver drives scanning electrodes of the display. Liquid crystal elements of the display are energized by a cooperated interaction of the data electrodes and scanning electrodes.