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This is a bad and hardly structured review with a focus mainly on video playback. This is not a full review, and there's more things I want to test (and probably info I will post) for the future. It is also 4 AM, so don't expect any literary gymnastics.
So, I've had the (Euro) HDMI dock for a few weeks now (as well as the black leather sleeve, which is nice) but hadn't really gotten around to testing it. Primarily because I hadn't gotten around getting a mini-to-normal HDMI cable - yes the dock has a mini-HDMI output. The cable in question is commonly known as an HDMI "A<->C" cable with male ends on both sides.
Let's get the details you all know already out of the way. We're talking about the ECR-D980, more info here.
The dock itself comes packaged with nothing. No extra USB cable, no HDMI cable (or even converter plug), nothing. Keep in mind that these up the total cost of ownership for the dock quite a bit. I got the dock for about 29 euro, add about 20 euro total before you have a second SGT USB cable and a mini-to-normal HDMI cable. So that's 50 euro or about $70 US minimum cost at the time of writing, significantly more if you don't search a bit to find the cheapest deals. You don't strictly need the extra USB cable, but it becomes annoying in most setups if you don't have it - you'd be switching the cables location a lot.
The dock itself feels like a solid piece of equipment, much like the Tab itself. It features a 3.5mm audio out, mini-HDMI out, and 30-pin Samsung "PDMI" USB / power connector (the same connector on the Tab itself).
I started out testing at a friend two weeks ago, using his Sony soundsystem (several HDMI ins & outs) and his 42" high-end-4-years-ago Philips LCD. We were however completely unable to get it to work. Having no clue which component the problem was, we gave up after a bit. Note that his LCD doesn't do 1080p, but max 1080i (at time of purchase, even 1080i was rare). So I borrowed his cable, and today I tried it (with his A-C cable) in my home, on my Samsung 6-series 37" LCD that does do 1080p, without any special soundsystem. Note again that I used a converting cable, not an A-C converter plug. I know people have reported problems using those.
As soon as I plugged everything in, I immediately had display on my screen. We still don't know what the issue was at my friend's house, but keep in mind that it may be a requirement that the display device supports 1080p. The signal received by the TV was 1080p30. I think this is the maximum the device will do, as my TV does support both 1080p50 and 1080p60 as well (and I regularly use both those modes).
Immediate snags:
(1) First, the dock needs to be connected (via the USB cable) to a power, or HDMI will not work. I actually used an old HTC adapter instead of the Samsung one, that delivers 1a instead of 2a, and that worked fine. Connecting it to a computer USB port (0.5a) reportedly does not work, but I have not tested this myself (yet).
(2) Second, the Samsung USB cable you got with your Tab is really short, using an extender cable is almost certainly necessary for most situations.
(3) Third, the 3.5mm audio out does NOT work while HDMI is connected (reported by others, not tested myself)
(4) Last, the backlight will NEVER go off when connected over HDMI. Not even using the power button.
So, when you have it all connected, you will see one of two things: a really narrow output of your portrait screen, or a screen-filling output of your landscape screen. I advise everyone to put the device in landscape mode and enabling the orientation lock before connecting. Note that the HDMI dock is also a really handy standard for landscape mode!
When in the normal Android UI, you can clearly see the artifacts of upscaling. You'll see whatever happens on the Tab on the TV as well, scaled up (and not using a good resampler). The Android UI does NOT suddenly see a FullHD screen (as I expected, but some may be surprised).
However, some applications that go full-screen do see and use the FullHD resolution. I have not extensively tested this on many applications. For example, the YouTube app appears to see FullHD, but I can not be certain. The stock Samsung video player does see and use the FullHD resolution, as far as I can make out.
I have tested playback of the following videos, in the stock video player:
(1) Iron_Man_2-DivXPlusHD.mkv - 81mb, 2:30, CCV1 1920x800 23.98fps, AAC 48000Hz stereo, 4.4mbps
(2) Cowboys & Aliens - Trailer.mp4 - 174mb, 2:31, CCV1 1920x816 23.98fps, AAC 48000Hz stereo, 9.2mbps
(3) v.2009.s02e03.720p.hdtv.x264-ctu.mkv - 1118mb, 41:22, CCV1 1280x720 23.98fps, Dolby AC3 48000Hz 6ch, 3.6mbps
(4) the.mentalist.s03e12.720p.hdtv.x264-ctu.mkv - 1119mb, 41:48, CCV1 1280x720 23.98fps, Dolby AC3 48000Hz 6ch, 3.6mbps
These four videos all played fine, with audio and everything. V even had subtitles, and those worked well. However I must note that the button to disable subtitles is disabled while outputting to HDMI. Not sure what that is about. DTS is still on my to-test list, but I'll get around to that when we get the setup working on my friend's soundssystem, where I can also test whether or not the output is more than stereo or always downsampled to 2-channel.
The video output is pretty good, but not without buts.
(1) First, as stated before, the backlight on the Tab will not go off no matter what you do, and you will see one of the first frames of the video as a still on the Tab. You can however still use much of the videoplayer UI (which is suddenly slightly different: amongst other things options like brightness and scaling disappear), and that UI only appears on the Tab, NOT on the TV. Now if only I could control that UI, over Wi-Fi, with my SGS ... (might be possible through DLNA, btw, a nice test for the future)
(2) When you look closely at the image produced, you will see that the postprocessing is not quite up to par to the quality you get from CoreAVC or even ffmpeg on a laptop or HTPC or whatnot. The difference does really seem to be postprocessing though, not bad decoding or scaling.
(3) There is some shift in framespeed. Not traditional suttering you might see when the player cannot decode fast enough, though, the speed seems to be fine. I think this has to do with the fact that first the Tab has to scale 24fps to 30fps, which is probably done with some pulldown scheme, and then my TV has to scale that to 100hz, again with some pulldown scheme. I'm sure the videophiles amongst you will understand what I am talking about, even if the jargon is not correct. If you're not following, you are probably someone who wouldn't even notice it. Also note that I have all video-enhancing features on the TV itself turned off (as always). Enabling the 100hz motion interpolation mode makes the issue mostly disappear, but I really hate the "homevideo" effect you get when doing that. All in all, when watching a 40 minute show, you don't really notice it anymore after a few minutes, but if you're like me you know it's there and see it. If it were 1080p25 instead of 1080p30, the issue would probably not exist.
All in all, it does look good and works pretty well. Unfortunately, though most of these individual issues are small, together they are big enough to prevent this from being more than a casual playback device. It comes close, but not close enough to being a home-theater device. However, who knows maybe XBMC can be ported and we'll get past a number of these problems.
I won't make any claims as to whether the HDMI dock is worth the money or not. You know the price, and you have a bit of information here, and more in other reviews online. You have to decide for yourself it it's worth it. Hope this is helpful and/or interesting to someone.
For me the dock was totally worth it. The framespeed issue you describe is definitely there, but I do not notice that unless I am consciously looking for it. I have watched a lot of movies quite comfortably using the dock on Full HD TV.
And yes, if TV is not 1080p, for example just HD Ready and not Full HD, the video output is not HD at all. I think it's the same as Tab's screen: 1024x600.
"Connecting it to a computer USB port (0.5a) reportedly does not work, but I have not tested this myself (yet). "
USB from my computer (Kies drivers installed) works fine with the Dock. I have an HDMI capable computer monitor and this also works fine with the dock.
Thanks for the review!
For those who purchase movies through MediaHub, you will not be able to play back through HDMI dock to TV. http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/galaxy-tab-accessories/ECR-D980BEGSTA-reviews
GeorgijSapkin said:
For me the dock was totally worth it. The framespeed issue you describe is definitely there, but I do not notice that unless I am consciously looking for it. I have watched a lot of movies quite comfortably using the dock on Full HD TV.
And yes, if TV is not 1080p, for example just HD Ready and not Full HD, the video output is not HD at all. I think it's the same as Tab's screen: 1024x600.
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Have you tried movies with DTS ? And on a surroundl soundsystem ? If so, can you share the details ?
Re: 1080p, you are saying even if the TV does not support 1080p, you do still get output ? Would mean that 1080i is not the problem on my friends' system, as we got no output at all.
(good info on this dock is hard to find )
specmac said:
"Connecting it to a computer USB port (0.5a) reportedly does not work, but I have not tested this myself (yet). "
USB from my computer (Kies drivers installed) works fine with the Dock. I have an HDMI capable computer monitor and this also works fine with the dock.
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Click to collapse
I meant using the computer as power source for HDMI. Do you get HDMI output when the USB cable is connected to a computer ? I read on some other reviews people did not get that to work.
quattr0 said:
Thanks for the review!
For those who purchase movies through MediaHub, you will not be able to play back through HDMI dock to TV. http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/galaxy-tab-accessories/ECR-D980BEGSTA-reviews
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That is really silly ...
Yes, dock connected to my computer via usb and connected to my monitor via hdmi. Outputs to the computer monitor just fine with this configuration.
Sent from Samsung Galaxy Tab
Dock but no audio
I have this dock but I get no audio what so ever... Have you had to do anything at all to enable it?
gsjurseth said:
I have this dock but I get no audio what so ever... Have you had to do anything at all to enable it?
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Worked out of the box for me, through HDMI. Haven't tried 3.5mm jack. Have heard that complaint before though.
Nice review its a bit dissapointing for me that they chose the mini HDMI standard as there is plenty of space to have included a normal size plug.
Maybe I'm just annoyed because I have HDMI cables laying around but now need to buy a mini HDMI cable
Ghostwalker9 said:
Nice review its a bit dissapointing for me that they chose the mini HDMI standard as there is plenty of space to have included a normal size plug.
Maybe I'm just annoyed because I have HDMI cables laying around but now need to buy a mini HDMI cable
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100% agree
YouTube is great when you're docked. You can flip through videos and playlists on the tab while a YouTube clip continues to pay fullscreen on your TV - nice! It's a shame you can't play HD though.
I stripped the DRM off all the free movies that came with my Tab so I can play them directly through the dock. Inception looks great! You're right though, post-processing looks a little rough at times.
The dock is pretty overpriced for what you get but I'm happy with it all-in-all. If it came with a mini HDMI cable it would be perfect.
are you using a stock rom or custom rom? wondering if that will matter in regards to dock performance, i am on the rotohammer jme v4 and love how fast it is compared to the stock roms.
thanks for the notes/review!
Chainfire said:
Have you tried movies with DTS ? And on a surroundl soundsystem ? If so, can you share the details ?
Re: 1080p, you are saying even if the TV does not support 1080p, you do still get output ? Would mean that 1080i is not the problem on my friends' system, as we got no output at all.
(good info on this dock is hard to find )
I meant using the computer as power source for HDMI. Do you get HDMI output when the USB cable is connected to a computer ? I read on some other reviews people did not get that to work.
That is really silly ...
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My projector is 1024x768 and the dock work well with it, so 1080p is not necessary for it to work, and as a power source I use an external battery rated 500mh, so I guess a computer usb port should be able to power it.
My problem is that my projector doesn't have an audio out jack, and when the hdmi cable is connected all the audio port of the tab get disabled, INCLUDING bluetooth audio. This is why I now use this dock as an overpriced charging dock
Sent from my Galaxy Tab
http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?sduid=236523&t=2611349
Just an FYI. $37 Shipped.
FYI, I got this 6 foot long Samsung sync/charge cable for only $8 (with shipping) that is a great companion for the Dock because the stock Samsung cables are way too short.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300509955254
w4rmk said:
FYI, I got this 6 foot long Samsung sync/charge cable for only $8 (with shipping) that is a great companion for the Dock because the stock Samsung cables are way too short.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300509955254
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Just what I needed !
does SGT screen needs to be turned on while docked, because while streaming / watching vids i dont want to hav twin/identical display
Sent from my GT-P1000 using XDA App
erlz said:
does SGT screen needs to be turned on while docked, because while streaming / watching vids i dont want to hav twin/identical display
Sent from my GT-P1000 using XDA App
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As metioned in the first posting of this thread, unfortunately you cannot turn off the screen on the Tab when it's in the doc. When watching video's the first frame of the video stays visibile on the Tab the entire time. When your not watching videos the displays on the Tab and your TV are mirrored.
I buy the HDMI station dock and I find it no really good!
A HD photo is not so nice on the LCD, it ok buy when you see then at the real resolution with the camera, it's bad!
The only way that I can have good resolution is when i plug the tab into the PS3 like a hard drive annd the I see the same photos like they are and my videos arein real 720P or 1080P
I will returned it and wait for a new model or plug into my PS3
I just picked one of these up and was a bit disappointed with the video quality too. Videos looks great in HD on the Tab but jaggy and average quality on the TV - no better than a DVD really.
I bought one so I could connect it to the TV in my hotel room when I go on Holiday soon. Is it true that if you get no audio over HDMI, you can't use the line out at the same time? I was going to take some small speakers just in case the TV in the hotel didn't support audio (should be fine, think they're Samsung 32" LCD TVs).
I'm a bit surprised there's no settings you can tweak on the Tab other than PAL or NTSC to correct the overscan and advise on resolution and FPS.
Surprised about the quality, I loaded a webpage up in Xscope and could hardly read it on the TV, very poor. I genuinely thought it would be near HD. I could just take my 13.3" Laptop with HDMI out but that's 2.5KG.
At least I'll get lots of films on the Tab as there's no point putting HD ones on there if they don't look HD on the big screen. What an oxymoron that they look better on the Tab screen!
Hi All,
I have a T-mobile tab with an HDMI dock and I have been using it as my media center ever since the motherboard to my HTPC has crapped out. I'm currently running overcome 1.4.2 with UC/OC kernel. My tab works fine with the dock and by that I mean playing movies or streaming from the internet from apps such as "TV shows stream". However when I activate bluetooth it disrupts my viewing anywhere from 8 to 15 minutes whereby causing the video that I was watching to restart. This has happened on my previous Roto rom as well. Again, once I deactivate bluetooth, it works fine. I'm using a logitech PS3 bluetooth keyboard to surf from my couch. Even without the keyboard connected to the tab this problem still occurs. So something with the bluetooth is causing these weird restarts of my media.
Does anyone else having this problem? It is really annoying. Perhaps modifying the bluetooth script or something to that effect is needed. Any ideas anyone? Otherwise I love my tab and even more so with the use of the dock.
Are you using wifi or 3g data when you are in the cradle?
rangercaptain said:
Are you using wifi or 3g data when you are in the cradle?
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Click to collapse
I'm on wifi. Never tried it with 3g.
Okay...so here's some more info. If I keep the logitech ps3 mediaboard keyboard active by moving the mouse or pressing the spacebar every 6 to 10 minutes or so the media continues to play. So it seems that when the keyboard goes into power save mode and disconnects it causes the media...ie: movie, show, or flash video to restart or exit. Does anyone else with an HDMI dock experience this problem? Videos play fine without interruption so long as bluetooth is disabled.
For those of you who aren't experiencing this issue, what brand/type of bluetooth keyboard are you using?
Okay, well it looks like I'm chatting with myself but oh well. Here's another update. Even with keeping the keyboard active through clicks or mouse movements streaming media will still restart after a given time. Usually around 10 minutes or so. Keep in mind that I have now found that it seems to only affect streaming media. Media that's on the tab plays fine with the only interruption being a brief image flicker when the bluetooth keyboard goes to power save mode. I would also like to reiterate that leaving bluetooth active on the tab does not cause any problem, streaming or not. The issues I experience only happen when the logitech mediaboard is on.
I'm hoping that the issue here is with the keyboard alone and not with tab's bluetooth program. To test out this theory I went ahead and purchased another bluetooth keyboard. I found a logitech dinovo mini on ebay for $62 with free shipping. If nothing else, the form factor of the dinovo mini is pretty cool and it has good reviews. Wish me luck with this new keyboard. I'll give an update when I receive and test out the device.
I use the apple mini keyboard, but not tge cradle. I might try it tomorrow. Good luck with the new one.
I got my Dinovo Mini in the mail this morning. It works flawlessly. No more restarts on my media!!! Very nice compact little unit. The only thing it is missing as far as the tab is concerned is a home button. Other than that, a purchase well worth the $62 bucks IMO.
P.S. --> If anyone knows what combo buttons you have to press to simulate a home button please let me know.
HDMI - Flickers
Muh
I have also problems with the Media-Dock and HDMI on my Flatsceen TV.
I'm currently using PDA: JMK.
(Firmware 2.2 / Kernel: 2.6.32.9 / Build: FROYO.XWJMK)
The Error:
The Handshake betwen the Galaxy Tab and the TV looks like it works well. After a couple of seconds I get a perfect picture with Sound. But after 5 seconds the picture disapers. 2 Seconds later it comes back for 1 second, and disapears again. The picture the starts to flicker ... comes, goes, comes, goes ... sometimes I see then snow for a second, then comes the picture back and disapears again ...
What I think what could be the Problem:
I think it could be a problem with HDCP.
What I tested:
I connected the Galaxy Tab with the same cable to a PC-Screen. Perfect picture, no problems!
About the TV:
I tried all HDMI-Ins. Including the one that is special for connecting a PC to the TV. I have no problems with my T-Online Media Resiver (Entertain) connected to my TV over HDMI. And I'm shure that HDCP is used with the T-Online Media Resiver.
Does any one have an Idea how to fix the Problem?
Greetings,
Heavy
I had an issue with the picture going in and out as well. For me the problem was I was low on charge and I had the dock powered by a non stock charger which only trickle charged at most so the picture would keep cutting out every time it told that I was low on battery. This doesnt come up until you get around 10% remaining. That was solved by using the stock charger. The only other time I had an issue is when the tab is not secure in the cradle which was remedied by disconnecting it and then re-inserting it back into the dock.
Hope that helps.
T-Mobile tab running latest Overcome
Sorry for posting this in this thread.
But, it would interest me if the HDMI-Dock really needs a USB-power-cable plugged into it to work?
Muh
Yes, the dock needs power to use the HDMI out . . .
My problem for shure does not be casted by power problems. Im getting more and more shure that I have a compatibility problem betwen the Tab and the Toshiba TV.
I will now search in HiFi forums for a fix, and inform you when I figured out something. May be a older firmware could fix it to . . .
Greetings,
Heavy
Sent from my GT-P1000 using Tapatalk
i cant understand why it needs a usb power cable for hdmi out?
is this really needed technically for it to work?
or is it just, idk to pester us?
because ipad also just has a hdmi adapter thing, where the usb cable is only optional.
sent from my galaxy tab
I dont know, but without power you will not get any signal . . . I think the dock needs the power . . .
And i can not find any help for my problem in the web. It looks like i am the only one who has this problem.
But I figured out now that the tab is using 1024i as resolution . . . Does any one know if there is a way to switch the output resolutin of the hdmi?
Sent from my GT-P1000 using Tapatalk
no the tab upscales to 1080p.
there are sometimes problems with tvs that arent fullhd. it has to be fulllhd and not hdready or something inbetween, otherwise there might be problems.
The dock needs a power cube to work. Without one it won't function. However you can use a non stock power supply but you'll end up running down the power, albeit more slowly. Why this is a necessity I'm not sure. I think for the majority of the time you would want to otherwise it will run down the juice pretty quickly since the screen stays on while outputting to the TV.
It is best to have a TV that is full 1080p. My 6 yr old TV is only 1080i but it still works. Others may have varying results.
It would be nice to have a standalone HDMI cable similar to the AV cable but I haven't seen anything like that yet.
T-Mobile tab running latest Overcome
Muh
In other teste of the docking i did also read 1024i, and thats exactly as what it has been identified by mx tv. My tv can do 1080d, that can not be the problem . . .
May be you can double check as what you tv identifies the signal?
Do you think it coulf be a idea to try an older firmware? Any known changes in the hdmi out in the firmware versions?
Sent from my GT-P1000 using Tapatalk
Ok, i know now where my problem comes from . . .
The tab realy sends 1080p, but my tv can only do 1080i. :O
Any chance to set the tab to a lower resolution for the hdmi out?
When i connect the tab to a hdmi - vga converter i will lose Audio? Right?
(the tv has a vga in)
Sent from my GT-P1000 using Tapatalk
VGA:
picture quality loss (like from DVI -> VGA)
no audio support
but its still better than cinch
Good day,
Just bought this HDMI cable for my phone is it suitable?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/6FT-Micro-H...ltDomain_0&hash=item336b725922#ht_3308wt_1037
Last Q, when you connect these cables must you turn off your phone or are they "plug and play"
Thanx!
Looks like it will do the job, you just plug it in and the picture appears on the screen.
Plug and play.
Its a bit of a wank really, show off pretty games to friends.. no real use i can think of.
Unless you wana watch a movie on a tv that has hdmi but no USB.
Sent from my LG-P990 using Tapatalk
Would have been better if when you plug the phone into the telly, the screen on the phone then becomes a touchpad that you control a cursor on the screen with.
Would have made for pretty good Angry Birds etc. experiences.
Thanx guys, great for showing off yeah
didn't u got the cable with phone???
HDMI cable was included in box when i bought it.and it works great even can play games without lagging ,full hd support..but ya videos little bit lags...
In Vodafone Romania box HDMI cable wansn't included.
RobYyY said:
In Vodafone Romania box HDMI cable wansn't included.
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Click to collapse
Those thieves!!!, even in Mexico (Telcel as carrier) included the HDMI cable, the main reason I brought this phone! (went from Iconia A500 to this... to watch anime without a PC, I have been without a laptop 3 years straight, I found myself not using it, now with tegra 2 and LG more reason not to).
RobYyY said:
In Vodafone Romania box HDMI cable wansn't included.
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Click to collapse
Yeah they robbed you blind bro.. Cause I have the Canadian (Fido) Version and I got the works.. HDMI, headphones.. usb and Ac adapter.
Mine doesn't have the HDMI cable included as well...
Is it really useful? I don't see I'm gonna need this, but heck I might be wrong...
Hello!
In Germany there isn't a HDMI-cable included either...
I use this adapter and a cable I have always installed in case I want to connect my laptop to the TV.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cablesson®-...HVPM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324144699&sr=8-1
I use it for slideshows, video playback and online radio playback.
...works fine.
And on the phone side it is plug and play, but you TV might need to be changed to the right source channel (i.e. HDMI 3 in my case) – but some TV sets might do this automatically if there isn't connected any other video source.
Heh just remembered, my HDMI cable is hanging out the back of my telly... shame the phone is gone
HDMI is not that useful imho. Some games are great to play on big screen but there is problem with short cable, you need to be very close to TV.
I also tried GTA 3 on big screen (plasma hd ready). Very poor graphic, i would rather install this game on my PC again.
Platoon said:
HDMI is not that useful imho. Some games are great to play on big screen but there is problem with short cable, you need to be very close to TV.
I also tried GTA 3 on big screen (plasma hd ready). Very poor graphic, i would rather install this game on my PC again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HDMI can be extended http://www.dealextreme.com/p/gold-plated-hdmi-female-to-female-adapter-converter-29363 so you can get at least 3-4m from TV.
Bought it along with micro HDMI and a normal HDMI cable, works just fine. But, it's not so useful, really. Photos are not in high res, movies are sometimes ok but some don't work at all (mkv 4.1 profile and up, there are multiple threads about that). So... maybe it's better to use DLNA and ordinary PC, PS3, real media players.
I never got an HDMI cable in my UK box either.
I bought a HDMI to VGA converter to be used with my Nexus 10 with projectors to give presentations. Now I connected it to my desktop monitor (via VGA), and it says "reduce resolution".
Is there a way to change the resolution? Or is this something the converter should actually do? (which I can't do, it just looks like a cable).
Thanks!
Which adapter do you have? I've been looking for one for a while.
As far as I know the HDMI out mirrors the native screen resolution. It's been that way on every android device I've used.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk 2
novisme swell
I have this one: KanaaN micro Hdmi Vga.
I think you have to reduce the resolution of your monitor. Just go to menu and you should find.
Send from my lovely Sensation XL, from a little town in france with a very very slow internet connection.
If I succeed helping you (rare) don't forget to hit the thanks button
The n10 outputs at 1080p...always. You can't turn it down or up. You can't just switch the pinout of HDMI to VGA. It can't be done. You have to convert the signal from digital to analog. That is sometimes done inside the vga sink (many data projectors), but it is more often done with an external converter.
As for bringing down the resolution, you need to first input to a scaler that has granular resolution control an scale it down.
What about video projector?
Does that mean we can't hook up the N10 to a VGA video projector via an hdmi-to-vga converter? All the VGA video projectors I have at work have very limited resolutions (800x600, 1024x768, 640x400).
I'm really looking forwarding to get an N10 for presentations so this would be show-stopper. Your help and suggestions are most appreciated!
Getting a little frustrated with this. On my Motorola Xoom (original WiFi), I had a solution that worked. It was kind of sloppy, but it did work. I had a micro-HDMI to HDMI adapter, a small power injector (HDMI Female on one side, Male on the other), and a HDMI to VGA adapter. All those connected together accomplished the task of connecting the tablet to VGA. (the power injector was needed because the micro HDMI port didn't put out enough power to push the video).
That same setup doesn't work on the Nexus 10. I tried removing the power injector and that didn't work either. In both cases, the monitor accepts a resolution setting from the tablet, but I just get horizontal gray bars as far as the image itself. I just got in the mail a Samsung micro-HDMI to VGA adapter that is supposed to be for several of their laptops AND slates, but that didn't work either. This time, again it accepted a resolution setting, but I get a complete gray picture (no bars, just big gray box).
I'm really getting disappointed that there isn't an easy solution to this. There are way too many businesses that still only have VGA connections and since I use my tablet as a laptop replacement/for presentations/etc, it's a must have.
securitynick said:
Getting a little frustrated with this. On my Motorola Xoom (original WiFi), I had a solution that worked. It was kind of sloppy, but it did work. I had a micro-HDMI to HDMI adapter, a small power injector (HDMI Female on one side, Male on the other), and a HDMI to VGA adapter. All those connected together accomplished the task of connecting the tablet to VGA. (the power injector was needed because the micro HDMI port didn't put out enough power to push the video).
That same setup doesn't work on the Nexus 10. I tried removing the power injector and that didn't work either. In both cases, the monitor accepts a resolution setting from the tablet, but I just get horizontal gray bars as far as the image itself. I just got in the mail a Samsung micro-HDMI to VGA adapter that is supposed to be for several of their laptops AND slates, but that didn't work either. This time, again it accepted a resolution setting, but I get a complete gray picture (no bars, just big gray box).
I'm really getting disappointed that there isn't an easy solution to this. There are way too many businesses that still only have VGA connections and since I use my tablet as a laptop replacement/for presentations/etc, it's a must have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think that's the problem of the N10 hardware, I tried to connect my N10 to a HDMI TV, I get the same gray picture as you described.
Called Google support and they are sending me a replacement. Also I have severe light bleed on the lower left and rigt of the screen as well.
A little disppointed.
I purchased this connector http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00879EZJI/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00 and it worked perfectly. Was able to hookup my N10 to a VGA monitor. Monitor did not have 1920x1080 resolution and it still worked.
Sounds good. What resolution is the monitor showing?
lorloff said:
I purchased this connector (The site won't let me repost the link for some reason) and it worked perfectly. Was able to hookup my N10 to a VGA monitor. Monitor did not have 1920x1080 resolution and it still worked.
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Click to collapse
This worked!!!! Thank you lorloff for posting this. For anyone who cares the resolution scaled down to 1280 x 720. I tested on a standard computer monitor and a TV that my office uses with presentations/meeting. I am not sure why, but the TV didn't display across the entire screen (had side black bars), but it is good enough. The computer monitor took up almost the entire display, but that could have been that the native resolution was lower than the TV. Anyway, point is, this solution definitely works.
Similar issue...
Hi guys. I have a similar issue, but my nexus 10 crashes when connected to the projector. I can see the image, it works for about 10 seconds before dropping it, reconnecting, then crashes completely and restarts. I am using the same HDMI - VGA cable as mentioned on here. I thought it was the cable, and they replaced it for me, but it hasn't helped. Has anyone else experienced this? Any thoughts on if this is Android or the hardware causing the issue? Any help would be much appreciated as I really need to get it working or is it a case to send it back to Google? The projector is a viewsonic pjd5122 by the way, which has not given any issues before. Cheers for your help/thoughts.
Elositoingles said:
Hi guys. I have a similar issue, but my nexus 10 crashes when connected to the projector. I can see the image, it works for about 10 seconds before dropping it, reconnecting, then crashes completely and restarts. I am using the same HDMI - VGA cable as mentioned on here. I thought it was the cable, and they replaced it for me, but it hasn't helped. Has anyone else experienced this? Any thoughts on if this is Android or the hardware causing the issue? Any help would be much appreciated as I really need to get it working or is it a case to send it back to Google? The projector is a viewsonic pjd5122 by the way, which has not given any issues before. Cheers for your help/thoughts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't tried this yet but the only thing I can recommend is switching ROMs (though this may not help) (make sure you backup before you wipe)
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
securitynick said:
This worked!!!! Thank you lorloff for posting this. For anyone who cares the resolution scaled down to 1280 x 720. I tested on a standard computer monitor and a TV that my office uses with presentations/meeting. I am not sure why, but the TV didn't display across the entire screen (had side black bars), but it is good enough. The computer monitor took up almost the entire display, but that could have been that the native resolution was lower than the TV. Anyway, point is, this solution definitely works.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi all, I also bought the Cable Matters Active Micro HDMI to VGA Adapter as suggested by lorloff, but it does not seem to work with my Nexus 10. It's on KitKat 4.4.2.
When I plug it in, the tablet becomes slightly less responsive and the device (projector/monitor) I plug it into only gets a black screen, it's not blank, just an off black. It seems that the signal is going through and at 1920*1080 resolution, but not picture is showing. I purchased two of these adapters and both do the same. The adapters work because I have tried it with a phone and I get a mirrored image instantly, at 720p. I've tried it on 3 different types of monitors, 17 and 24 inch, and 3 different types of projectors, one of which can do resolutions beyond 1080p.
The HDMI out on the Nexus 10 works, as when I connect a micro HDMI to HDMI adapter directly into a projector I get instant mirrored output, but at 720p. I've also tried with and without additional power through the adapter and having the tablet plug in charging, but nothing helps.
I'm thinking of getting the KanaaN Micro HDMI to VGA Adapter as that seems to work for others, but then again so did this adapter... Any ideas?
Same for me with a generic HDMI to VGA.
I'm running 4.4.2 as well on my N10.
So should it be an OS issue ?
I contacted Cable Matters and their reply was:
... I am afraid that adapter has some compatibility issue with Nexus 10. ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have ordered the KanaaN Micro HDMI to VGA Adapter. We'll see how that goes.
Reply to hdmi to vga converter
Nexus10User said:
I bought a HDMI to VGA converter to be used with my Nexus 10 with projectors to give presentations. Now I connected it to my desktop monitor (via VGA), and it says "reduce resolution".
Is there a way to change the resolution? Or is this something the converter should actually do? (which I can't do, it just looks like a cable).
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is only way to change the resolution. You must get another hdmi to vga converter from Hdgenius . Maybe there is something wrong your device in quality.
When I plug it in, the tablet becomes slightly less responsive and the device (projector/monitor) I plug it into only gets a black screen, it's not blank, just an off black. It seems that the signal is going through and at 1920*1080 resolution, but not picture is showing. I purchased two of these adapters and both do the same. The adapters work because I have tried it with a phone and I get a mirrored image instantly, at 720p. I've tried it on 3 different types of monitors, 17 and 24 inch, and 3 different types of projectors, one of which can do resolutions beyond 1080p.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
fusi*n said:
I contacted Cable Matters and their reply was:
I have ordered the KanaaN Micro HDMI to VGA Adapter. We'll see how that goes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any new leads? I have got the same problem using the cable matters adapter.
From the looks of it passive adapters don't properly work as it relies on the N10 being able to convert the digital HDMI signals to the analogue VGA. The Cable Matters one that was linked above is an active one and does the converting instead, which allows it to push for a higher resolution.
I already have the Cable Matters adapter, it doesn't seem to work, though. I get a black screen even after connecting the USB power chord. Any ideas?
Hey everyone. I just bought the Samsung Smart dock. Everything seems fine, but there is one Problem. If i watch a Video in Fullscreen, the control buttons disappear and don't show, if i move the Mouse...the Cursor doesn't show either on my TV, only on my Phone. Anyone can tell me how to fix this Problem? Thanks in advance.
I'm pretty sure if you click on the bottom where the controls are supposed to be they will show up.
That's how I got mine to show up.
Can't hover..you have to actually click on the bottom as if it was already showing.
Edit...I'm pretty sure the pointer shows on mine though...
Sent From My Ginormous Note 2
Nope :S
Hmmmmm..
Sent From My Ginormous Note 2
I don't understand why im the only one with this issue. I own the same Samsung Galaxy Note 2 as everyone here and use the same Dock. wdf lol
Once you connect external keyboard, you won't need to touch your phone. Phone screen is blank with keyboard attached.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
darekz said:
Once you connect external keyboard, you won't need to touch your phone. Phone screen is blank with keyboard attached.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
Now i can guess why this isn't working so well. Im using a Wireless Keyboard+Mouse combination through a stick ( not bluetooth). The Phone doesn't show the Keyboard in the drop down menü at all, but the Keyboard works though. This must be the Reason.
Does anyone know a trick, where i could make my phone think, that a usb keyboard is plugged?
EDIT: Found a trick. I just plugged in an another USB Mouse and the display of the Phone turned off. Now everything works great. Its a waste of a USB slot, but im ok with that...better than buying new Wireless Keyboard and Mouse.
EDIT: Its laggy somehow, if 2 Mouses are connected. I need a way, to modify the USB reciver of the Mouse/Keyboard. Anyone can tell me, how to get access to a USB devices, to modify it?
Jake Rock said:
Now i can guess why this isn't working so well. Im using a Wireless Keyboard+Mouse combination through a stick ( not bluetooth). The Phone doesn't show the Keyboard in the drop down menü at all, but the Keyboard works though. This must be the Reason.
Does anyone know a trick, where i could make my phone think, that a usb keyboard is plugged?
EDIT: Found a trick. I just plugged in an another USB Mouse and the display of the Phone turned off. Now everything works great. Its a waste of a USB slot, but im ok with that...better than buying new Wireless Keyboard and Mouse.
EDIT: Its laggy somehow, if 2 Mouses are connected. I need a way, to modify the USB reciver of the Mouse/Keyboard. Anyone can tell me, how to get access to a USB devices, to modify it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try pluging a USB flash drive instead of the usb mouse and see if the wireless one will work OK
Jake Rock said:
Now i can guess why this isn't working so well. Im using a Wireless Keyboard+Mouse combination through a stick ( not bluetooth). The Phone doesn't show the Keyboard in the drop down menü at all, but the Keyboard works though. This must be the Reason.
Does anyone know a trick, where i could make my phone think, that a usb keyboard is plugged?
EDIT: Found a trick. I just plugged in an another USB Mouse and the display of the Phone turned off. Now everything works great. Its a waste of a USB slot, but im ok with that...better than buying new Wireless Keyboard and Mouse.
EDIT: Its laggy somehow, if 2 Mouses are connected. I need a way, to modify the USB reciver of the Mouse/Keyboard. Anyone can tell me, how to get access to a USB devices, to modify it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The lag might be because of the screen turning off. I currently have that issue. When I plug in a wired mouse, the screen on the phone turns off but the output over HDMI gets really laggy. It happens even when you only have the wired mouse connected without any other USB peripherals. I haven't found a workaround for it yet.
The case is... hardware video overlay.
To be more specific:
1) whenever a hw-decoded video is played, it is handled by GPU only (-> only video surface is rendered, no software overlay controls, etc. available via HDMI)
2) you can force software rendering ("composition") by attaching an external USB HID device (mouse/keyboard, but keep in mind that a USB RF receiver for mouse/keyboard does not trigger renderer switch) - both video and overlay controls will be available via HDMI but with a degraded performance ("software rendering")
I do the following: use external mouse, etc. to select a desired video, click 'play' and then disconnect the USB accessory.
Tell me about the smart dock, it looks like it should be charging a spare battery in the back but I didn't read that anywhere in the description... Also you can only use it in portrait mode?? What's up with that? I find it hard to get over these 2 hurdles for $99.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk 2
_TB_TB_ said:
The case is... hardware video overlay.
To be more specific:
1) whenever a hw-decoded video is played, it is handled by GPU only (-> only video surface is rendered, no software overlay controls, etc. available via HDMI)
2) you can force software rendering ("composition") by attaching an external USB HID device (mouse/keyboard, but keep in mind that a USB RF receiver for mouse/keyboard does not trigger renderer switch) - both video and overlay controls will be available via HDMI but with a degraded performance ("software rendering")
I do the following: use external mouse, etc. to select a desired video, click 'play' and then disconnect the USB accessory.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doesn't work for me.
LittleRedDot said:
Tell me about the smart dock, it looks like it should be charging a spare battery in the back but I didn't read that anywhere in the description... Also you can only use it in portrait mode?? What's up with that? I find it hard to get over these 2 hurdles for $99.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The back of the device has hdmi out, micro usb port for power and 3.5mm jack for audio out to externally powered speakers. Initially it will only work in portrait but you can either use a launcher or you can use the app Ultimate Rotation Control to force the phone into landscape, even on the homescreens. Either option works well. The phone also come with a 2A charger as well. For $99, a keyboard and mouse (logitech k400 is awesome!) a few play store apps and a little time to get everything setup just the way you want, you will have a fully functional mobile computer.
When I disconnect my phone I use the rotation app to go back to auto and my phone functions just the way it normally does. Stupid simple.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk 2
jdub1981 said:
The back of the device has hdmi out, micro usb port for power and 3.5mm jack for audio out to externally powered speakers. Initially it will only work in portrait but you can either use a launcher or you can use the app Ultimate Rotation Control to force the phone into landscape, even on the homescreens. Either option works well. .....
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Click to collapse
When wired mouse is plugged in, phone screen blanks out and picture on screen rotates to landscape mode without additional software
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
there must be a way for wireless mouse/keyboard to turn off the phone screen
Working well with HDMI and USB. I can connect USB Sticks, Samsung Printers, Keyboard and Mouse. Buy it!
holfman.s said:
Working well with HDMI and USB. I can connect USB Sticks, Samsung Printers, Keyboard and Mouse. Buy it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have 2 T external hd full of movies connected to it and it's great
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
ap27 said:
I have this issue. The moment I plug in a USB mouse the screen turns off and the video output on my monitor gets really really laggy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Reposted from another thread
_TB_TB_ said:
The case is... hardware video overlay.
To be more specific:
1) whenever a hw-decoded video is played, it is handled by GPU only (-> only video surface is rendered, no software overlay controls, etc. available via HDMI)
2) you can force software rendering ("composition") by attaching an external USB HID device (mouse/keyboard, but keep in mind that a USB RF receiver for mouse/keyboard does not trigger renderer switch) - both video and overlay controls will be available via HDMI but with a degraded performance ("software rendering")
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
video decoding method isn't the only cause of lag.
in desktop mode there is quite a performance drop even when not playing any video files.
you can test this with 3dmark, your score will be average when using screen mirroring, but it will drop by 10% when in desktop mode (single screen)
Has anyone possibly figured out a way to disable or remove the Galaxy Note 2's "desktop mode" switch? I have a USB mouse which I would love to use with it (don't want to spend extra $ on a bluetooth mouse), so I was thinking that the problem could be solved if the automatic detection of the mouse and subsequent switch to "desktop mode" could be disabled somehow. Thoughts?