HDMI Licensing have agreed to allow a single cord converter that converts HDMI 1.4b to USB Type-C, no additional dongle required. The HDMI Alt Mode will support all the features of the new HDMI standard, including 4k resolution and an audio return channel. That will mean any computer, tablet or other device with Type-C out can be plugged into an HDMI port on an external display with a single cord, no additional dongles or other hassles. The Register does point out one small defect, the HDMI port is not reversible so you will still have to turn it three times before it will plug in.
"HDMI Licensing, the administrator of the High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) spec, has decided that the time has come to do away with dongles and given the thumb's up to USB-C."
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4K at 30Hz, no HDR. Who
4K at 30Hz, no HDR. Who cares?
However a USB Type-C
However a USB Type-C plug/Receptacle is symmetrical in the up to down direction and can be plugged in both ways, so how is the HDMI to USB Type-C plug suppose to negotiate an upside down USB Type-C insertion? will it just not work or will it fry things! ANY USB Type-C device receptacle is going to have wires on both the up and down sides so will there have to be some way to make sure things do not get fried, or will the Plug and receptacle have to be some form of protection/idiot proofing to key this single way HDMI/USB Type-C plug the right way in any USB Type-C receptacle every time by disallowing any insertion the wrong way, and what about any TB3 enabled Type-C plugs that may have one of these USB/HDMI plugs inserted by mistake.
They better start showing the complete pin-outs of all of these plugs that can fit the USB Type-C symmetrical up/down form factor, because any idiot proofing key to prevent HDMI/Type-C improper insertion will render the USB Type-C symmetrical plug(Up or Down) useless for the other Type-C cables/plugs.
That one size/form factor Type-C plug to rule the all is getting confusing unless they start showing the complete pin-outs of all these amended Type-C usage models that USB-IF has added to the Type-C standard. And now they are back to using cables that can only be plugged in one way and not both, for a standard the was created to get rid of that top or bottom nonsense in the first place.
All this flip-flopping is confusing enough!
Any device with USB-C will
Any device with USB-C will work? Doesn’t it have to support the type c to hdmi protocol? IOW…how does the device know to send video to/thru usb3.1? and ‘how’ to do it? A special driver I assume?
It will need to support HDMI
It will need to support HDMI Alt Mode, likely accomplished via software.