Google should've went MHL

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One thing that annoys me about this phone compared to my others is the dearth of accessories compared to the more mainstream OEM brands. My latest source of annoyance is how awkward it is to cable mirror nexus devices to HDTV because for some reason I can't fathom, they chose not to use the much more common and available MHL standard.
 

Shilohcane

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SlimPort is offered license and royalty free. They would have to pay for MHL.


That is what a lot of people don't understand when you add all these extra features it add to the cost of the device with license and royalty free. I think that I read if they added a SD card reader it would add $10 per phone in license and royalty free before the added extra cost of the SD card reader hardware. LTE is another license and royalty free over 3G data.

The Nexus 5 has Miracast and Slimport for streaming TV. Few TV have a Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL) that is an emerging technology for connecting mobile devices to A/V gear such as a TV. The current implementation for TVs relies on a standard HDMI interface, which allows users to play videos in up to 1080p resolution and 7.1-channel surround sound.

SlimPort is an alternative to the MHL license, based on the DisplayPort standard integrated into common microUSB ports. SlimPort is offered both license and royalty free, and supports up to 1080p60 or 1080p30 with 3D content over HDMI 1.4 (up to 5.4 Gbit/s of bandwidth), in addition to support for DVI, VGA (up to 1366?768 and 720p at 60 Hz), and DisplayPort.

MHL adapters require external power while SlimPort does not require external power or extra cables and draws no power from the source to operate. SlimPort can use a common microUSB ports we charge our N5 with but MHL would require a different plug or converter cable. MHL adds a few cool new tricks. One is that it sends control data through the same cable, so you can control the portable device (Nexus 5) using your TV's remote that I have no ideal how that would be used. Other than the MHL cable provides power so your Nexus 5 won't drain battery while the media is playing I don't see any advantage of MHL.

I am sick of wires. What I want is for Google to allow streaming for my Nexus 5 pictures and short video's to my $35 Chromecast unit but when I want to stream a movie it comes over the wi-fi so it doesn't drain my battery and I can use my Nexus 5 as a phone while watching the movie.
 
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Shilohcane

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Consider most TVs and AV Receivers these days come with MHL, not SlimPort, SlimPort is about as useful as a door stop.

Which MHL? MHL 1, MHL 2 or MHL3.0 that was announced on August 2013 and is just now being put on new TV for 2014. There is no real advantage I see between Slimport and MHL other that MHL charges my phone when connected. Who cares about my TV remote sending commands to my Nexus 5 to make it do anything?

A SlimPort to HDMI cable is pretty cheap. Buying a new TV to get MHL 3.0 isn't cheap and few brands or TV models even have MHL 3.0. Good luck walking into a store and asking the guy selling TV which ones have MHL 3.0 support.

Lets get rid of the wires and use the wireless Chromecast or Miracast or Wi-Di instead of another stupid one purpose cable with a odd ball connector that would require me to have a extra cable port on my Nexus 5. I hate wires and new connectors types since I have to replace everything from phone, tablet Audio Home Theater systems and HDTV. I like this Chromecast wireless model since spending $35 is cheaper than replacing everything in my house to make everything comparable. I still have a bunch of extra obsolete cables in a bag the size of a suitcase in my closet.
 
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That is what a lot of people don't understand when you add all these extra features it add to the cost of the device with license and royalty free. I think that I read if they added a SD card reader it would add $10 per phone in license and royalty free before the added extra cost of the SD card reader hardware. LTE is another license and royalty free over 3G data.

The Nexus 5 has Miracast and Slimport for streaming TV. Few TV have a Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL) that is an emerging technology for connecting mobile devices to A/V gear such as a TV. The current implementation for TVs relies on a standard HDMI interface, which allows users to play videos in up to 1080p resolution and 7.1-channel surround sound.

SlimPort is an alternative to the MHL license, based on the DisplayPort standard integrated into common microUSB ports. SlimPort is offered both license and royalty free, and supports up to 1080p60 or 1080p30 with 3D content over HDMI 1.4 (up to 5.4 Gbit/s of bandwidth), in addition to support for DVI, VGA (up to 1366?768 and 720p at 60 Hz), and DisplayPort.

MHL adapters require external power while SlimPort does not require external power or extra cables and draws no power from the source to operate. SlimPort can use a common microUSB ports we charge our N5 with but MHL would require a different plug or converter cable. MHL adds a few cool new tricks. One is that it sends control data through the same cable, so you can control the portable device (Nexus 5) using your TV's remote that I have no ideal how that would be used. Other than the MHL cable provides power so your Nexus 5 won't drain battery while the media is playing I don't see any advantage of MHL.

I am sick of wires. What I want is for Google to allow streaming for my Nexus 5 pictures and short video's to my $35 Chromecast unit but when I want to stream a movie it comes over the wi-fi so it doesn't drain my battery and I can use my Nexus 5 as a phone while watching the movie.

Which MHL? MHL 1, MHL 2 or MHL3.0 that was announced on August 2013 and is just now being put on new TV for 2014. There is no real advantage I see between Slimport and MHL other that MHL charges my phone when connected. Who cares about my TV remote sending commands to my Nexus 5 to make it do anything?

A SlimPort to HDMI cable is pretty cheap. Buying a new TV to get MHL 3.0 isn't cheap and few brands or TV models even have MHL 3.0. Good luck walking into a store and asking the guy selling TV which ones have MHL 3.0 support.

Lets get rid of the wires and use the wireless Chromecast or Miracast or Wi-Di instead of another stupid one purpose cable with a odd ball connector that would require me to have a extra cable port on my Nexus 5. I hate wires and new connectors types since I have to replace everything from phone, tablet Audio Home Theater systems and HDTV. I like this Chromecast wireless model since spending $35 is cheaper than replacing everything in my house to make everything comparable. I still have a bunch of extra obsolete cables in a bag the size of a suitcase in my closet.

MHL is more widely adopted, easier to use and less problematic than slimport, that's why
 

Shilohcane

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MHL is more widely adopted, easier to use and less problematic than slimport, that's why

Ok but why do I need MHL after Google adds casting from a Android device to Chromecast or Smart TV? Chromecast already has the best idea to stream from the cloud via Wi-Fi to the Chromecast or Smart TV for music or movies. I can see that if I take a video with my Nexus 5 I would want to steam it from my N5 directly to the Chromecast or Smart TV. The Nexus 5 has Miracast so I can stream to most Smart TV so it does the same function as MHL. However, if I rent a movie I want it to stream from the Cloud to the HDTV and my N5 is still free to be used as a phone. I see both SlimPort & MHL both being obsoleted by a wireless method.
 

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Because MHL accessories are easily obtained at any Best buy or similar outlets because they're the largest standard, is more reliable than slimport, and isn't dependent/reliant on one single gizmo (chromecast).
 

Shilohcane

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Because MHL accessories are easily obtained at any Best buy or similar outlets because they're the largest standard, is more reliable than slimport, and isn't dependent/reliant on one single gizmo (chromecast).

Miracast is already on your Nexus 5 and should support every current Smart TV even without a Chromecast. I don't see what MHL would give me over Miracast to a Smart TV. Chromecast has so much more value than the MHL cable for the price. I can go over to a friends house and stream Nexus 5 video via Miracast to their smart TV and with MHL he would have to have a MHL cable near by. Wireless is just better and more convent than dragging out some HML cable that has been squirrel away somewhere.

New Wave of Google Chromecast Apps Enhances Music Discovery
Interestingly you can now stream your locally stored media files too. New apps like Plex and aVia make it possible to enjoy your media library by beaming it to your TV.
 
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Miracast is already on your Nexus 5 and should support every current Smart TV so I don't even need that MHL cable that cost as much as a Chromecast. I don't see what MHL would give me over Miracast to a Smart TV. Chromecast has so much more value that the MHL cable and they will cost about the same $.

MHL has far superior bandwidth, latency, security, and reliability than Miracast. It's not even a contest. Much the same reason that a wired network still blows the socks off of a wireless even years after the advent of WiFi
 

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Slimport is useless as no one other than Google is supporting it. Chromecast only has very limited app support and most importantly can't cast local contents. Miracast does not work very well with video and very susceptible to wireless interference and only a few select TVs have built in support.
 

Shilohcane

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MHL has far superior bandwidth, latency, security, and reliability than Miracast. It's not even a contest. Much the same reason that a wired network still blows the socks off of a wireless even years after the advent of WiFi

Funny how Netflix streaming model made DVD/Blu-Ray's and Block Buster Video obsolete with inferior streaming video quality. Any movie you have locally on your phone or tablet will be extremely compressed quality or will be streaming via Wi-Fi like my Chromecast. So MHL doesn't have high quality source for video. MHL may have a quality nitch with no lag with gamers that play games on their phone connected to a TV. Phone gamers will be MHL's biggest market focus. There are new wireless HDMI dongle like AIRTAME is coming out with a new wireless standard. Belkin Miracast Video Adapter is a new product coming out at CES 2014 in Las Vegas in a week. My laptop is faster with a ethernet cable to my Wi-Fi router but I still go wireless. Wireless is coming on strong for video.

I gave away my Playstation 3 that was my Blu-Ray player and was about to buy a new Blu-Ray player this week when I realized DVD and Blu-Rays are dead even with their Superior quality. Netflix won the war with streaming. You are making a Betamax vs VCR argument but Betamax lost. My cheap $35 Chromecast is much better than any MHL connect by a wire to my Nexus 5 unless you are playing a game. People hate special purpose wires with strange connectors and wireless will win since it's quality is good enough. I have got 40 pounds of useless cables in a suite case that are manly replaced by one HDMI cable. I just hate wires that are never conveniently around when you need them but I always know where my Chromecast is for streaming video. I really think my next TV will be a smart TV that eliminates the need for Chromecast, MHL and SlimPort.
 
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Shilohcane

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Slimport is useless as no one other than Google is supporting it. Chromecast only has very limited app support and most importantly can't cast local contents. Miracast does not work very well with video and very susceptible to wireless interference and only a few select TVs have built in support.


Chromecast's API developer kit has just been released and many more Apps will start to support Chromecast that has sold a lot of units.

Google Chromecast dongle set to get AirPlay-like display mirroring Android 4.4.1 update reveals hint

On his Google+ page, Dutta wrote: "From the patches I see in 4.4.1, they'll be adding Android mirroring to Chromecast very soon."
 

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Funny how Netflix streaming model made DVD/Blu-Ray's and Block Buster Video obsolete with inferior streaming video quality. Any movie you have locally on your phone or tablet will be extremely compressed quality or will be streaming via Wi-Fi like my Chromecast. So MHL doesn't have high quality source for video. MHL may have a quality nitch with no lag with gamers that play games on their phone connected to a TV. Phone gamers will be MHL's biggest market focus. There are new wireless HDMI dongle like AIRTAME is coming out with a new wireless standard. Belkin Miracast Video Adapter is a new product coming out at CES 2014 in Las Vegas in a week. My laptop is faster with a ethernet cable to my Wi-Fi router but I still go wireless. Wireless is coming on strong for video.

I gave away my Playstation 3 that was my Blu-Ray player and was about to buy a new Blu-Ray player this week when I realized DVD and Blu-Rays are dead even with their Superior quality. Netflix won the war with streaming. You are making a Betamax vs VCR argument but Betamax lost. My cheap $35 Chromecast is much better than any MHL connect by a wire to my Nexus 5 unless you are playing a game. People hate special purpose wires with strange connectors and wireless will win since it's quality is good enough. I have got 40 pounds of useless cables in a suite case that are manly replaced by one HDMI cable. I just hate wires that are never conveniently around when you need them but I always know where my Chromecast is for streaming video. I really think my next TV will be a smart TV that eliminates the need for Chromecast, MHL and SlimPort.

One of the best and longest speeches defending lower quality I've ever read.
 

Shilohcane

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One of the best and longest speeches defending lower quality I've ever read.

This isn't personal just a technical debate and I am a cord cutter at heart that doesn't want to pay extra for a phone for redundant capabilities. True a wire has more bandwidth, less latency and more security than wireless streaming protocol. Other than a video you take on your phone both MHL and Chromecast will have the same compressed video source quality on the HDTV. Extra bandwidth isn't a issue. Latency is only a issue with gaming. I'm not worried about security for any thing I would stream to my HDTV over a WPA2 protected Wi-Fi. Happy Holidays and thank you I did learn a lot from your input about MHL and SlimPort. I just hate wires.


Digital Trends’ Best Product of 2013: Google Chromecast

Google’s Chromecast is nothing less than the AK-47 of the cord-cutting revolution.
 
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This isn't personal just a technical debate and I am a cord cutter at heart. True a wire has more bandwidth, less latency and more security than wireless streaming protocol. Other than a video you take on your phone both MHL and Chromecast will have the same compressed video source quality on the HDTV. Extra bandwidth isn't a issue. Latency is only a issue with gaming. I'm not worried about security for any thing I would stream to my HDTV. Happy Holidays and thank you I did learn a lot from your input about MHL and SlimPort. I just hate wires.


Digital Trends? Best Product of 2013: Google Chromecast

Google?s Chromecast is nothing less than the AK-47 of the cord-cutting revolution.

There's not many of us out there but there's a few of us videophiles out there that digitize our blurays. Those are big files, running into 10+ gb sizes, and aren't the same compressed video sources you're using. The reason I don't like those is because well to be blunt, streaming compressed movies and passing that off as HD to consumers is crapola.

I have a pretty high end home theater and I simply refuse to waste it playing movies with quality subpar to bluray. Those pseudo HD movies are fine on just my tablet, but on my big screen nuh-uh. Especially after the amount of effort I put into getting all those blurays into digital format :-!
 

Shilohcane

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There's not many of us out there but there's a few of us videophiles out there that digitize our blurays. Those are big files, running into 10+ gb sizes, and aren't the same compressed video sources you're using. The reason I don't like those is because well to be blunt, streaming compressed movies and passing that off as HD to consumers is crapola.

I have a pretty high end home theater and I simply refuse to waste it playing movies with quality subpar to bluray. Those pseudo HD movies are fine on just my tablet, but on my big screen nuh-uh. Especially after the amount of effort I put into getting all those blurays into digital format :-!


I can understand your point better now that I know you are a videophile. I picked Netflix streaming over the extra work of renting a Blu-Ray. The Nexus 5 currently supports two video streaming formats and soon Chromecast will be the third. MHL does sound better than SlimPort but it does add to the cost of the phone with license fee.

Maybe, I am jaded since I bought one of Circuit City DIVX dvd player that caused me to toss like 70 movies when they shut off that DIVX dvd format down. Then I purchase the Toshiba HD-DVD that also lost the war to Sony's Blu-Ray. Now I see Netflix beating Blu-Ray and streaming winning the format war. Oh then there was the Miracast (PTV3000) device I just gave to a friend since it never worked with my 2012 Nexus 7 tablet. Fact is Chromecast with three months free Nexflix was the only thing that was worth the money to me in video.
 

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I can understand your point better now that I know you are a videophile. I picked Netflix streaming over the extra work of renting a Blu-Ray. The Nexus 5 currently supports two video streaming formats and soon Chromecast will be the third. MHL does sound better than SlimPort but it does add to the cost of the phone with license fee.

Maybe, I am jaded since I bought one of Circuit City DIVX dvd player that caused me to toss like 70 movies when they shut off that DIVX dvd format down. Then I purchase the Toshiba HD-DVD that also lost the war to Sony's Blu-Ray. Now I see Netflix beating Blu-Ray and streaming winning the format war. Oh then there was the Miracast (PTV3000) device I just gave to a friend since it never worked with my 2012 Nexus 7 tablet. Fact is Chromecast with three months free Nexflix was the only thing that was worth the money to me in video.

Yup, it's frustrating when you amass a big collection and then hardware formats change, which is why I'm getting all mine off of the discs and onto hard drives. Bluray players will probably get phased out in a few years
 

Kevin OQuinn

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MHL is more widely adopted, easier to use and less problematic than slimport, that's why

Because MHL accessories are easily obtained at any Best buy or similar outlets because they're the largest standard, is more reliable than slimport, and isn't dependent/reliant on one single gizmo (chromecast).

I just want to know why/how you know that Slimport is more problematic than MHL. I haven' really used either, but I would like to hear about the issues with Slimport.