MHL-Equipped Cellphones, Tablets On The Way

By Joseph Palenchar -- TWICE, 5/16/2011

Sunnyvale, Calif. - The first cellphones and tablets incorporating MHL (Mobile High-Definition Link) port are on the way to U.S. consumers, the MHL Consortium said.

The first mobile product with MHL is the Samsung Infuse 4G for the AT&T network. It became available May 15 at $199.

Other MHL-equipped devices coming this way include HTC's Wi-Fi-only Flyer, due in the spring from Best Buy; HTC's Evo View 4G tablet, due in the summer for the Sprint 3G/4G network; and HTC's Evo 3D Android phone, which captures video in 720p 3D and is due in the summer for the Sprint network.

The Samsung Galaxy S II Android smartphone also gets the technology, but U.S. availability hasn't been announced.

Equipped with MHL technology, cellphones and other battery-powered mobile devices get powered and charged while they stream HD video through the MHL-equipped HDMI ports of TVs and other home theater equipment. MHL also enables the IR remotes of compatible TVs to control the selection of smartphone-stored video via an on-TV user interface.

Like current HDMI technology, MHL transfers up to 1080p HD video in the uncompressed HDMI format and audio in up to 7.1 channels.

Until home products are equipped with MHL-enabled HDMI ports, MHL-enabled mobile devices will ship with cable adapter that connects the mobile device to a wall outlet for charging. The adapters will also enable the TV's remote select smartphone video.

 MHL technology requires only five pins on a mobile device, allowing for thin cables. The technology can also be integrated with other types of digital-video connections.

Founding members of the consortium include Samsung, Nokia, Silicon Image, Sony, and Toshiba. Adopter members include HTC and Acer.