Ever wondered what that MHL labelled HDMI port on your TV is for and how it’s used? Well, today I’m going to teach you all that you need to know about HDMI MHL. And why it’s rarely used today. You can watch the following video or continue reading.
MHL short for Mobile High-Definition Link is a technology that enables a connection from your device when connected to the TV too. In order to use this feature, both the TV and smartphone must support the MHL feature. You can use this official MHL website https://www.mhltech.org/ to check if your devices support MHL. You can also check physically if any of your HDMI ports have an MHL label. If it’s not present, then your TV doesn’t support it.
Not Common Nowadays
MHL is not common nowadays because of a number of reasons. First, this mirror function can also be achieved by way of wireless screen mirroring methods. But this has a noticeable lag. MHL has the advantage of having no lag. It works very well while gaming.
Secondly, not all smartphones support MHL. Only the flagships and high-end midrange devices support this feature. To find out if your phone supports MHL then install an MHL checker app on your phone.
Thirdly, this feature requires a special cable or converter to work. These can be found on AliExpress if you take your time to look. The last nail on the coffin is that MHL has fallen out of favor with many manufacturers. Most recent TVs don’t come with this feature anymore. Nowadays with the option of casting content from your phone to a smart TV simply by having the 2 devices connected to the same network makes MHL look very ancient.
The Chromecast feature on Google and Android TVs is the best because it only casts the content and not your whole screen to the TV. Another feature replacing MHL is Type C video. To check if you phone supports Type C video, install the checker for type C video app.
If it doesn’t support, then there is still hope because you can get a converter cable that can display your phones screen to your TV by use of an app. Its powers by USB and can work with any android phone with android 5.0 and above. MHL and firewire will be remembered as two of the most ambitious pieces of tech that were rarely used.