May 13, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Can I use my Samsung Galaxy S3 MHL/HDTV adapter with the S4?

In short the answer is YES.

The Samsung Galaxy S3 HDTV adapter works with the Samsung Galaxy S3 & S4.

The S4 HDTV adapter works with the S3 as well.

The S3 HDTV adapter has a 24Hz refresh rate whereas the S4 adapter has a 60Hz refresh rate. This is the key difference between the two. The S4 adapter creates a sharper on screen image.

The s4 does not need power to be connected for either MHL adapter to work, but it is advisable to avoid excessive battery drain.

When using either the S3 or S4 adapter with the Galaxy S3 you do need to have mains power connected.

See both adapters in action below.

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May 2, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Samsung Galaxy S3 & S4 using same MHL/HDTV adapter

This video shows the Samsung Galaxy S4 using the official Samsung S4 HDTV and S3 HDTV adapter as well as the S3 using the S4 HDTV adapter.

Both the S3 and S4 can use either HDTV adapter, the difference is that the S4 HDTV adapter operates at 60Hz whereas the S3 works at 24HZ, thus the S4 adapter re-draws the picture on screen more frequently and allows for a clearer image on screen.

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April 16, 2013 By 2 Comments

Samsung Galaxy S4 HDMI/MHL adapter

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is packed full of features, one of which has been present on earlier Samsung Galaxy models.  That feature is the ability to connect the phone to a larger HD display with a HDMI cable and special HDMI/MHL adapter.S4_HDMI_Adapter

Whilst there are complete wireless sharing options available the cable solution is generally more cost-effective and flexible.

The S4 will continue this useful function, but there is a new HDMI adapter for it.

Part code ET-H10FAUWEGWW (shown in the image) will allow you to do the above, but the benefit is that it supports the MHL 2.0 standard meaning there will no longer be the need to connect power to the adapter.

Whilst this is still to be confirmed the presence of a microUSB port on the adapter would suggest that this cable will be compatible with the Samsung Galaxy S3 and Note 2, albeit with a power cable connected. It could also mean that the port acts as a USB host, meaning that other accessories can be connected via the MHL adaptor.

samsung-galaxy-s4

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March 28, 2013 By 16 Comments

Which MHL Cable should I buy?

MHL Cable choices

The chances are that if you’ve come to this post, you’re already aware that your device has MHL (video out capability), so I won’t explain what an MHL cable is used for (there are good definitions within the linked products below) and we also have this post, which explains what MHL does and shows off some of its coolest features.

MHL Cable

However, while MHL is an industry standard (meaning that in theory the same cable should be compatible with all MHL-enabled devices), that is not the case – some use a 9 pin arrangement, others use a 5 pin arrangement. The point of this post therefore is to tell you which MHL cable is compatible with your device.

Samsung Galaxy S4/Samsung Galaxy S3 MHL Adaptor

We have created a video to show the description below in action, which you can view here

The Samsung Galaxy S3 and Samsung Galaxy S4 MHL adaptors are interchangeable with both handsets. That’s to say, the S4 MHL adaptor will work with the S3, and the S3 MHL adaptor will work with the S4. However, there are still some differences.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 uses MHL 2.0. This means that there is no power connection needed for the MHL adaptor to work – the S4 can power the connection itself. That being said, it is advisable to power the connection if possible (using your handset’s microUSB charger) in order to prevent battery drain. Both the S3 and S4 adaptors work with the S4 without the need to power the connection.

The situation with the Samsung Galaxy S3  handset is the opposite. Both the S3 and S4 MHL adaptors will need to be powered if you are using them with the S3. This isn’t a huge problem as the microUSB charger supplied with you handset is fine for this purpose, it just makes the setup slightly more inconvenient.

The other difference between the two adaptors is that the S4 adaptor has a 60MHz refresh rate, whereas the S3 has a 24GHz refresh rate. This means that the S4 adaptor will provide a better image on screen, whether you are using it with the S3 or the S4.

11-Pin MHL adaptor

Samsung Galaxy S4 MHL Cable (demo video)(also compatible with the Samsung Galaxy S3)

Samsung Galaxy S3 MHL Cable (demo video) (also compatible with the Samsung Galaxy S4)

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 MHL Cable (demo video)

5-Pin MHL adaptor

Sony Xperia Z (see a demo video for this here)

HTC One (see a demo video for this here)

Sony Xperia T

Samsung Galaxy S2

Samsung Galaxy Note

Samsung Galaxy Nexus 

HTC One X

HTC One X+

HTC One SV

Other accessories that offer MHL capability

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Smart Dock – due early April. It’s possible that this will also be compatible with the Samsung Galaxy S3, but we will confirm this once we have received stock.

There was a similar product for Sony handsets called the LiveDock, but this has now been discontinued.

Handsets that you may expect to have MHL, but don’t

MHL is a relatively new standard when it comes to its inclusion with smartphones, so you could be forgiven for expecting it to be included with newly released handsets. however, some new handsets do not include it, but use other standards such as SlimPort, which we explain here. Here are a list of those that we are aware of that do not use MHL and the equivalent standard that they do use.

LG Nexus 4 – SlimPort

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November 1, 2012 By

SGS3 MHL adaptor does not do MHL & USB OTG simultaneously

We’ve recently had the question asked on the Clove Blog if the Samsung Galaxy S3 and Samsung Galaxy Note 2 can do MHL (video out) and USB On The Go simultaneously.

There has been some speculation that, due to the new 11-pin connector design used on the SGS3 (and Note 2) for MHL, the MHL adaptor for the S3 would be able to offer MHL and USB OTG simultaneously. These comments appear to have come from an MHL spokesman and do not seem to have been proven to be true either way up until now.

We have now had the chance to try an Samsung Galaxy S3 official MHL adaptor and an official Samsung Galaxy S3 USB OTG cable with the international Samsung Galaxy S3 and the international Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and can confirm that the simultaneous use of MHL and USB OTG cannot be achieved in this way.

Theoretically, if the S3/Note 2 could themselves power the connection for the MHL adaptor (as has been mentioned previously), the microUSB port on the MHL adaptor would be left free and could therefore be used for USB OTG. However, the S3 (and the Note 2) are unable to power the MHL adaptor and a separate mains input from a microUSB charger is required.

That’s not to say that the functionality is not built into the devices, but as things stand they cannot power the MHL adaptor without a secondary input and therefore the simultaneous use of USB OTG is not possible. We haven’t had the official Note 2 MHL adaptors in yet, but we have found that the SGS3 MHL adaptor works with the Note 2, so for the time being the same logic can be applied as to it not being able to power the MHL adaptor on its own. Once we’ve had the official Note 2 MHL adaptors in, we’ll see if it can do MHL and USB OTG simultaneously.

The kind of setup that would be achieved by having MHL and USB OTG work simultaneously will be made possible by the Samsung Galaxy Note II Smart Dock, for which we await pricing and availability details. Seeing as the SGS3 MHL adaptor works with the Galaxy Note 2, it is possible that the Note II Smart Dock will be compatible with the SGS3. We will confirm this as soon as we have received stock.

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October 18, 2012 By

TV Cable for Sony Xperia T

So you might have obtained a Sony Xperia T and have heard you can connect it to a HD display, but are wondering how you do it.

Simply put you need the following adapter: http://www.clove.co.uk/samsung-official-mhl-adaptor-eia1uhunbecstd

At the time of writing Sony have not released their own adapter and this one from Samsung will allow you to connect your Xperia T to a HD screen.

Connect the adapter to a power supply, connect a HDMI cable from the HD display to the adapter and then connect the microUSB connection on the adapter to the Sony Xperia T.

Be aware that you need the adapter that works with the Samsung Galaxy S II an Samsung Galaxy Note.  The adapter for the Galaxy S III and Note II does not work with the Xperia T.

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October 2, 2012 By

Sony Xperia T Connected to HD Display

A video showing the Sony Xperia T connected to a HD display using the MHL/HDMI connection on the device.

It does require the following cable:
http://www.clove.co.uk/samsung-galaxy-note-mhlhdmi-adaptor

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July 11, 2012 By

Turn your Android handset into a gaming console

Over the last week, I’ve posted several articles about portable gaming on Android smartphones, including one about the GameKlip, a clip that mounts your device to a PS3 controller. The video below takes thing a step further and looks at how you can turn your Android phone into a complete gaming console setup. It includes a demo of using various emulators, controls and how to connect the handset to a television via an MHL cable. A setup like this could become even more seamless if using an HTC Media Link HD (available now) or a Samsung AllShare Cast Dongle (coming soon).

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June 18, 2012 By

SGS2/SGS3 MHL Adaptor Tip could be a while in coming

No UK release date yet for the MHL Adaptor Tip

I’ve decided to put a TL;DR at the start of this article as it has gotten quite lengthy, so:

The SGS3 uses a different MHL adaptor to previous Galaxy devices, so an SII/Note/Nexus MHL adaptor can’t be used with the S3. An ‘adaptor tip’ (below) has been pictured on the Samsung US website to enable the use of an S2 MHL cable with the S3, but is at least two months away from being available in the UK. The SGS3 MHL adaptor is available and in stock now, albeit at a slightly more expensive price.  

image

The long version:

It caused quite a stir a couple of weeks ago when we revealed that MHL adaptors for older Samsung Galaxy devices (S II, Note, Nexus) will not work with the Samsung Galaxy S3. This is due to the fact that the S3 uses an 11-pin arrangement on its MicroUSB port, whereas older devices use a 5-pin arrangement.

[Read more...]

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June 12, 2012 By

Samsung Galaxy S3 Mega Connectivity Demo

Connect accessories to the Samsung Galaxy S3

This video comes courtesy of the King of Connectivity, Murray Winiata, who runs the website AndroidNZ. The video below shows the connection of just about any peripheral you could want to use with the Galaxy S3, including: USB pen drive, portable hard drive, USB hub with keyboard and mouse, USB audio, PS3 controller, Xbox controller, Wiimote, Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, MHL adaptor and more. View the video on YouTube to jump to the various sections.

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