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New HDMI Mode Will Allow USB-C Connections (techhive.com)

Posted by EditorDavid on from the ditching-the-dongles dept.

An anonymous Slashdot reader quotes a report from TechHive: On Friday, HDMI Licensing announced a new cable standard that connects USB-C and HDMI devices... The idea, naturally enough, is to to develop an HDMI-to-USB Type-C cable that ties together the most common cabling protocols in both the PC and consumer electronics industries, eliminating the need for an adapter or special silicon. Source devices like PCs, tablets, and smartphones will be able to output HDMI video and multi-channel audio from a USB-C port, just as they can now with DisplayPort.

"The USB Type-C connector is gaining traction in the mobile and PC markets," said HDMI Licensing, LLC president Rob Tobias. "Consumers expect to easily connect these devices to displays with a USB Type-C to HDMI cable and utilize the capabilities and features of native HDMI. This specification will also result in more source devices incorporating HDMI," which already total about 6 billion, he said.
HDMI Licensing expects to see products launching with this new technology "early next year".

4 of 85 comments (clear)

  1. Hellloooooo DRM! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Yeay, now we get to have DRM stuff on our USB chipsets!
    Yeay!
    I'm oh so happy!

  2. USB-C is a bad spec by bernywork · · Score: 4, Insightful

    After Anker recalled their USB-C cables the other day, there was an article on The Register about it, the comments section had a great bunch of comments in it including: "it's a design error An electrical specification which allows multiple, software-controlled supply voltages, but does not require connected devices to tolerate the highest available voltage. What could possibly go wrong?" I can see a lot of fried TVs when people push 20A at 5V into their TVs because of a bad cable. Anyway, comments section worth a read: http://forums.theregister.co.u...

    --
    Curiosity was framed; ignorance killed the cat. -- Author unknown
    1. Re:USB-C is a bad spec by thegarbz · · Score: 3, Insightful

      USB-C Spec is fine. The problem is not adhering to the spec which could be done in any scenario.

      e.g. The original USB spec covered powersupply in great detail. The spec says "No device shall supply (source) current on VBUS at its upstream facing port at any time. From VBUS on its upstream facing port, a device may only draw (sink) current."

      So they redundantly said the same thing twice.
      Let's just say I wouldn't ever recommend buying a hub off ebay or any even slightly shady looking vendor. About 100% of the hubs that people say "don't work" actually apply 5V to the upstream port. I even found a frigging reference design from a Chinese manufacturer of USB hub chips which showed on the schematic a 5V supply connecting to all the upstream and downstream facing ports. Naturally most cheap manufacturers just copy and past the reference design with the cheapest components possible.

      A spec isn't a bad spec just because it's not followed or enforced.

  3. Re:I still haven't seen USB-C anywhere. by DrXym · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I've seen some but they cost way more money than a micro-B. Type-C is a complex standard, with active cables for devices that negotiate bus currents and there are lots of faulty cables and chargers out there. Perhaps that's why enthusiasm for USB type-C appears so underwhelming. It might be superior but micro-B is cheap and most people already have lots of devices, cables & chargers for that spec.