The link to hi-def living

There are certain technologies that are seriously underrated.

Mobile High-definition Link, or MHL, is one of those. While the first MHL technology popped up on the geek radar in 2008, it was only in 2010 that the MHL Consortium was founded, comprising of tech giants such as Nokia, Samsung, Sony, and Toshiba.

So what it is about MHL technology that makes it so special?

The answer is simplicity – it’s just a way to connect your smartphone or tablet to secondary screens, such as TVs, monitors, projectors, in-car displays and basically any display product that supports incoming high-definition media. And that’s a huge ecosystem. Since it’s a wired technology (using a single cable), an MHL adapter can also charge up your device while you control the media on the big screen remotely from your smaller screen.

With space becoming a premium commodity these days, MHL can be a life-saver for those who do not have the space for multiple entertainment devices such as AV receivers, a gaming console, a media player, or any such space-consuming devices. All you’d need is a TV and a smartphone or a tablet that supports MHL, and of course, a cable and/or an adapter that connects these two.

The mobile device is then ready to transmit videos reaching up to 4K or Ultra High Definition resolutions, and up to 8 channels of audio. All you need to do is keep the media in your smartphone (or stream it via the Cloud if you have that kind of bandwidth).

Moreover, with MHL, you can carry your media wherever you go, and you can consume it at any place, provided that there’s a TV that has an HD input. We were told by the people responsible for this technology, that there are about half a billion products that support MHL, including home and car displays, and mobile devices that carry this feature. Rest assured, you’re bound to find at least one example of this tech around you.

MHL can also be a boon for the health and education industry. Consider this; the doctors in a surgery in India need help from a specialist in Germany. A smartphone with Skype and an HDTV in the operation room can have the all the surgeons take instructions from the specialist, without the need for expensive video equipment and also without the hassle of all of them peering into the small screen during a surgery.

This technology can also work wonders for small businesses.

We learned from the people at MHL that this technology was always meant to be a wired technology, so it’s not in direct competition from wireless media technologies such as Miracast or DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance). However, there’s an upside to this. Simple HDTVs are more common than WiFi enabled TVs, and also much cheaper.

MHL adapters also charge up your device while the high-definition media is being streamed, and that’s pretty useful considering the fact that high-definition usage drains the batteries massively. But if you still want wireless, there are a few wireless MHL adapters around.

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