Create and Connect This Semester With MHL

MHL, LLC Staff

August 29, 2016 

If you are a student who is heading back to school this fall, you have probably already spent a small fortune on the essentials for life in the dorms.  These items might include a small refrigerator, a reading lamp, a corkboard, not to mention all of the books, notebooks, software and study guides you have to buy for your classes.

One essential thing that is easy to pack is MHL®, which stands for Mobile High-Definition Link. MHL allows you to connect certain Android smartphones to your computer monitor or big screen TV using a single connection that also simultaneously charges your phone. Here are a few ways MHL can help:

Dude, I spilled Mountain Dew on my Macbook! - We have all been there.  One minute, you are finishing up your formal lab report.  The next minute, you and your laptop are covered in soda, or coffee.  The keyboard stops working, and if you are lucky, you can power it down safely and get it fixed.  So what do you do in the meantime? MHL allows you to pair your phone with a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse and you can use mobile versions of Microsoft Office to finish up your essays. View PowerPoints, lecture recordings, and other class notes on your TV as you lay on the couch (just don’t fall asleep) Your phone can do nearly everything that your laptop can do, if you know how. MHL Productivity Blog Part 1 & MHL Productivity Blog Part 2

No way that’s your high score - A car racing whizz in Asphalt 8 or CSR2 and want to show your new dorm friends your skills? Or perhaps you are more retro and want to demo your Sonic the Hedgehog skills?  Whatever your mobile gaming passion you can use MHL to share to the big screen.  Level Up With MHL

You order the pizza, I will setup the projector - Instead of binge watching Game of Thrones on your little laptop screen, buy a projector, hang up a sheet, and make a mini movie theater in your dorm room. MHL works with Netflix, Roku, Google Play, Amazon Prime, and most other online video streaming services.

One of the biggest bonuses of MHL is that your phone continues to charge while you are using it for any of the above scenarios.  Gaming, movies, Microsoft Office, all of these can wear down your phone battery. But with MHL, your phone is charged.

Sound like MHL could help out this semester.  Check out the list of phones, TVs, Projectors and Monitors that support MHL here Devices Supporting MHL

Enabling High Performance Video Over USB Type-C With MHL/superMHL

MHL, LLC Staff

July 1, 2016

Just when you thought you knew everything you needed to know about USB…the new USB Type C comes along.  The new USB Type-C is a both a new connector and a new standard in device connectivity.  It combines power, control, audio, and video signals into one universal connector for computers, mobile devices, even IoT devices like USB powered light fixtures.

Before we delve into the benefits of the new USB type C, let’s quickly review USB Type A and B.  The first USB 1.0 connectors debuted about 20 years ago.  The Type A connector plugged into your computer (technically known as the ‘host’) and the Type-B connector would plug into your printer or scanner (also known as a ‘device’). 

Consumers quickly learned about miniaturized versions of the USB connector, mini-USB and micro-USB; the lesson often learned soon after they misplaced their phone charger and needed to borrow or buy a new USB cable to charge their phone. 

The USB Type-C interface specification promises to change the way computers, consumer electronics and mobile devices connect and interact. The slim, rugged and reversible Type-C connector extends the capabilities introduced by the USB 3.1 SuperSpeed+ specification by using up to 2 USB 3.1 interfaces to provide a total bandwidth of potentially 20Gbps.  This allows faster transfer and streaming of large files such as HD movies and 3D images. 

USB Type-C’s high-power capabilities mean it can supply up to 100W to allow fast battery charging and the provision of power to larger devices such as laptops, monitors and TVs. Type-C also introduces several other unique features, including new Alternate Modes which can enable the USB connector and cable to carry other content like video streams; although so far, only DisplayPort and MHL®/superMHL® Alternate Modes have been defined.

To help foster the innovation and adoption of USB Type-C and MHL superMHL in phones, MediaTek and Lattice Semiconductor recently released power-efficient reference designs that drive 4K UHD over a USB Type-C connector.  Lattice’s USB Type-C port controllers and MHL transceivers can easily be paired with MediaTek’s Helio™ X20, the world’s first mobile processor with Tri-Cluster™ CPU architecture and ten processing cores (Deca-core).  Read the press release here.  http://www.latticesemi.com/en/About/Newsroom/PressReleases/2016/201603144KVideooverUSBTypeC.aspx