USB OTG and MHL information

[mageus]

I learned some interesting things during my foray into connectivity. I thought I'd share in case it's of help to anyone.

MHL
- Mobile High-Definition Link. A standard used to connect mobile devices to a TV via HDMI.
- Thus, any 5-pin (micro USB B male) to HDMI adapter SHOULD do. Monoprice is your friend.
- However, the S3 uses an 11-pin connector (NHL?). Fortunately, you can buy an 11-pin to 5-pin adapter. Of course the Samsung OEM MHL adapter uses the 11-pin connector, but is twice as expensive.
- The MHL adapter needs to be powered to work. Either the AC adapter or a USB port will work. This is cool if you have a receiver with both HDMI and USB ports on the front.
- The TV will mirror the portrait or landscape mode that the phone is in. It will do 720p over HDMI (possibly even 1080p if the video player supports it).
- When connected via DVI, only 640x480 resolution is available. Lame.
- When connected, it asks for stereo vs surround sound output (through the HDMI cable). I don't know of a way to set the default.
- Rumor has it that the phone does not actually support both MHL and USB OTG (host mode) at the same time. Since the adapter has to be powered, you couldn't connect a slave device to that port anyways without using a powered hub. Bluetooth is the way to go.

USB OTG
- USB On-The-Go. Also known as USB host mode. It is a universal standard that allows one to connect peripherals (USB drive, mouse, keyboard) to a device's USB port without having a separate USB host port.
- You have to use a USB OTG adapter, which is micro A male to USB A female adapter.
- A normal micro B male to female USB adapter won't work (give me $6.49 and I'll tell you how I know)
- You don't need the 11-pin to 5-pin adapter mentioned in the MHL section, since USB is sent over the standard 5 pins.
- Try to get an adapter with a short length of cable between the two plugs. This relieves strain on the phone port.


Both of these features are really cool. I feel I could go without a tablet/laptop on short out-of-town trips.

For more detailed information on these topics, Wikipedia is your friend.
Please let me know of any corrections, addendae, etc, and I will edit this post.

 

[sillyrabbitt123]

thanks for this info. Still a little confused as to what to buy though? Are you saying you need the Samsung OEM MHL adapter or can you buy something cheaper? If so can you share a link? thanks!

 

[mageus]

thanks for this info. Still a little confused as to what to buy though? Are you saying you need the Samsung OEM MHL adapter or can you buy something cheaper? If so can you share a link? thanks!

Search is your friend:
HDMI Cable, Home Theater Accessories, HDMI Products, Cables, Adapters, Video/Audio Switch, Networking, USB, Firewire, Printer Toner, and more!

You need one of the generic MHL adapters AND the 5 to 11 pin adapter. You do not need to buy Samsung branded stuff.

 

[sillyrabbitt123]

Now the last question is there a MHL adapter that doesnt need power? and are these non oem adapters just as good as samsungs?

thanks!

 

[mageus]

Now the last question is there a MHL adapter that doesnt need power? and are these non oem adapters just as good as samsungs?

There's a discussion at XDA. It sounds like Samsung has a $100 adapter that doesn't need power and does MHL & USB OTG at the same time. If you want to spend that much.
The generic Monoprice adapter works fine for me.

 

[ksuresh]

if i enable mhl usb is not working properly can u explain me whY ???????????????

 

[OMOMID]

Hi
Do OTG smartphone can be connected to the TV and watch a movie on television?