The Content Revolution and What It Means for superMHL

MHL, LLC Staff
June 20, 2016

There’s a revolution happening in digital content, and it’s having a profound effect on how consumers store, access and view/listen to their pictures, TV shows, movies and music. Let’s take a moment to examine why this revolution is happening and what it means for the future of MHL.

Cord Cutting – As more consumers get used to the convenience of streaming media, there’s been a decrease in demand for traditional content distribution models (broadcast, satellite, cable). Consumers are happily ditching their cable and satellite plans, particularly younger users, and getting their content via the Internet.

4K Content – While the broadcast networks aren’t quite ready to take 4K mainstream (in their defense, they have a lot of infrastructure that needs updating to support 4K), the streaming services are already offering 4K content. As compression technologies improve and broadband Internet speeds rise, it’s now easy to deliver 4K video streams to any consumer with a broadband connection. This is also having a profound effect on DVD and downloadable music sales as it becomes more cost-effective for consumers to get their content via a streaming service with a low monthly subscription fee.

Mobile Broadband – Mobile broadband makes it easy to enjoy video in real time, and its proven to be the major consumer of precious megabytes for most mobile data plans. However, T-Mobile recently announced a mobile broadband package where customers can stream content for many popular streaming apps (Netflix, YouTube, Spotify, Hulu and others) with no data charges. This is sure to attract the attention of tablet and smartphone users, particularly those in metropolitan regions where LTE and other mobile broadband technologies are readily available. If other service provides follow suit, mobile broadband may soon be the delivery method of choice for the vast majority of consumers, even replacing wired broadband connections to the home.

Mobile Technology – As Moore’s Law continues to make processing both inexpensive and powerful and smartphones/tablets have become indispensable part of many consumers’ daily lives, OEMs continue to launch increasingly powerful mobile devices that are becoming the primary platform for content consumption. 

So, as we take into account each of these developments driving the content revolution, it would appear the new norm for consuming digital content is to stream high-resolution video to a mobile device. But the one thing a mobile device can’t do is provide that content in a big screen format, one that allows content to be shared. Sounds like a job for superMHL, doesn’t it?

With superMHL-enabled devices and a superMHL cable, consumers can quickly connect their mobile devices to a 4K display or projector to take their mobile experience to the big screen. Unlike wireless approaches, it doesn’t require wrestling with WiFi settings or potentially exposing your mobile device to cyberattack through unsecure public WiFi networks. And only superMHL currently has the technical ability to present 4K content at a full 120 fps (in addition to supporting HD audio, high-speed data and device charging all over one cable).

With superMHL, streaming 4K content and low-cost mobile broadband, consumers could replicate the same content experience that used to require set-top boxes, DVD players and cable modems with a smartphone, a mobile data plan and an MHL-enabled HDTV or display. Ain’t technology grand?