HDMI monitor out. Am I really the only one who wants this?

[colornshape]

By all rights, this phone should someday be able to run Hulu videos, and maybe even Netflix. Did I somehow miss a definitive declaration by Motorola spelling out to us that this obvious, desirable functionality (monitor out) is impossible with this handset? Perhaps forbade by Verizon?

 

[xdroid]

I expected HDMI out to be just like using an external monitor with a computer. There is no good reason for the limitations it has on it. I really want full HDMI out.

 

[Gareee]

We weren't really concerned about that. We can always do that with our PS3.

Only thing we'd really use it for is on vacations to watch things we'd just recorded.

 

[colornshape]

We weren't really concerned about that. We can always do that with our PS3.

Only thing we'd really use it for is on vacations to watch things we'd just recorded.

I think that reply was meant for a different thread.

 

[ericnail]

I want full HDMI considering I shelled out the outrageous twenty-four dollar price tag.

This is truly something I would expect from Apple, not Motorola...

And I have a TV out for my ipod touch and it works FARRR better than the hdmi out... Just not HD of course.

 

[Gareee]

I think that reply was meant for a different thread.

Nope, not at all. We never thought of using hdmi for streaming video on the web to a tv and really don;t have a real buring desire to have to have it.

We always expected it to be for playing slideshows of photos, or movies we'd recorded with the camcorder function.

 

[ericnail]

Nope, not at all. We never thought of using hdmi for streaming video on the web to a tv and really don;t have a real buring desire to have to have it.

We always expected it to be for playing slideshows of photos, or movies we'd recorded with the camcorder function.

Why do you keep referring to yourself as we?

 

[mmarti16]

don't forget the dlna server..if you have a ps3 or xbox. You can stream a supported file type to it. I do this with .avi all the time...

 

[Gareee]

Why do you keep referring to yourself as we?

Because both my wife and myself have DroidXs...

 

[AJ_EVO]

I'd like full HDMI out but I know with DRM and the RIAA it will never happen.

 

[colornshape]

I'd like full HDMI out but I know with DRM and the RIAA it will never happen.

Finally. Would you mind elaborating a bit? Are you saying the phone was deliberately designed to disallow monitor out? Is it the software, firmware, hardware or a combination of them?

 

[NCTurner]

I would absolutely LOVE full HDMI out. Heck, I could even see a USB keyboard attached as well. I was really hoping to be able to watch Netflix, after the Froyo update. I don't think Moto was *that* clear about the HDMI out...they certainly leave it a bit open in their marketing.

 

[colornshape]

Yes. I envisioned the phone plugged into a television and a bluetooth mouse to control it. Capable web browser and various video sites running off the true unlimited data plan. One wouldn't really need home internet service with the WiFi tether package for their computers and game consoles. I suspect the reason Motorola hasn't confessed is that Verizon wrote a check they couldn't cash with smart phone data use promises and they simply could not handle the resultant traffic. ANd let us not forget greed, the most constructive force on Earth.

 

[AJ_EVO]

Finally. Would you mind elaborating a bit? Are you saying the phone was deliberately designed to disallow monitor out? Is it the software, firmware, hardware or a combination of them?

Yes, they made it so you can only output photos and video you have taken with the phone. At least from my understanding - I haven't actually tried playing with HDMI out.

Maybe eventually someone will be able to trick the Droid X into thinking a movie you copy to the SD card was created using the camera. Then you'd be able to play downloaded content.

 

[OrderFromChaos]

Finally. Would you mind elaborating a bit? Are you saying the phone was deliberately designed to disallow monitor out? Is it the software, firmware, hardware or a combination of them?

The Moto Dev team gave this answer with respect to the HDMI port:
"The only time that we are enabling the HDMI driver on the device is when you are in the gallery mode. [...] The HDMI driver is not active any time outside the gallery."

MOTODEV Android Podcast | Internet Radio | Blog Talk Radio

From that small excerpt I would guess that this is built into the firmware of the device.

 

[Gareee]

I wouldn't mind full output, just in case we ever find a personal use for it, but the phone really wasn't designed to replace cable, a psx, or your home desktop.

I think some people's expectations of the phone are a bit too high.

You CAN place videos in the camera folder, and the phone will play them, so long as they are in a compatible format.

 

[ericnail]

Because both my wife and myself have DroidXs...

Haha makes sense, didn't mean to come off rude


I think someone will eventually hack it.. The incredible has a third party tv cord that shows out like a monitor.

*crosses fingers*

 

[xdroid]

I wouldn't mind full output, just in case we ever find a personal use for it, but the phone really wasn't designed to replace cable, a psx, or your home desktop.

I think some people's expectations of the phone are a bit too high.

You CAN place videos in the camera folder, and the phone will play them, so long as they are in a compatible format.

Why is full HDMI too much to expect? The dev's response only shows to me that they had some reason to disable it, not that it wasn't possible. There should be no hardware limitation preventing this so it must be a software limit. Either they thought it was too difficult to program too much HDMI functionality in, or they are afraid of DRM or something.

I really don't see how DRM could be the issue though. How is this device any different than a computer? You can hook up your computer to a TV and see everything you can see on the computer on the TV and you can record it all as well.

Locking out functionality that is inherently present goes against the open platform that the phone is designed around (or at least the idea of an open platform). If anything, HDMI should be open by default then disabled on a per-program basis (such as the blockbuster app) if required...NOT the other way around.

 

[Gareee]

Haha makes sense, didn't mean to come off rude


I think someone will eventually hack it.. The incredible has a third party tv cord that shows out like a monitor.

*crosses fingers*

No worries at all.. not a lot of families with two of them, since they were so scarce!

 

[emr25]

There will eventually be an application for rooted X's that will allow mirroring the screen image through HDMI out, which would let you display anything that is on your screen on your HDTV.

I'm actually surpised this hasn't already been developed for the EVO. I am in no way a developer, but I just think if you can have screencaps using an application in root, a similar concept could imitate the screen image as a video and send it through HDMI. If I am way off base, someone please let me know.

 

[Old Man]

While it was not as clearly presented as it probably should have been, I have not seen where the HDMI output was officially stated to do more than it does. And while there are HDCP compliant, HDMI output video chips available for mobile devices, I have not seen anything that identifies the Droid X HDMI output to be HDCP compliant.

The Incredible with the adapter cable provides an SD analog composite video output, which as far as image quality and copyright protection is quite different than an HD digital video output.

I think it would probably be much easier for Motorola to simply have the HDMI output parallel what is on the screen, but I believe that DRM keeps it from being that simple especially when dealing with at least two displays (internal screen and external via HDMI) with different resolutions.

 

[Theibault]

I can see how some people would want this, but I can't think of any reason I would want it for other than playing my own viseos I shoot on the phone. I ahve enough other devices that do all my media streaming. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Deleted User]

I want it for movies on RockPlayer. The stock video player sucks.

 

[Gareee]

It would be nice for rockplayer, if you have a movie you ripped or downloaded on your phone.

Thats one good example, since rockplayer plays more formats properly.