MHL stands for Mobile High-Definition Link, MHL is an industry standard for a mobile audio/video interface for directly connecting mobile phones and other portable consumer electronics (CE) devices to high-definition televisions (HDTVs) and displays. The MHL standard features a single cable with a low pin-count interface able to support up to 1080p high-definition (HD) video and digital audio while simultaneously charging the connected device.
A few months after making the first MHL-HDMI adapter available for existing HDMI displays, a MHL Passive Cable for use with HDTVs that have built-in support for the MHL standard.
MHL is an audiovisual interface standard for connecting a mobile device to HDTVs and other displays using a single cable that charges the device while providing up to 1080p video and digital audio, all at once. Since that cable employs the common Micro-USB specification, you don’t need fancy or particularly expensive equipment to take advantage of MHL; if your phone or tablet supports MHL, it will plug right into your HDTV or other compatible viewing device via HDMI on the other side of the connection. Displaying HD audio and video through MHL doesn’t even use all of the available pins on the cable, so the cable has room to transmit power as well.
Feature is important, because if you’re going to use your phone to play high-definition video on your big screen, you’re going to need a lot of power. Most phones today will encounter battery issues while pushing a 1080p movie to a massive HDTV; however, with an MHL cable charging the phone or tablet while it’s playing, you’ll have a juiced-up device that’s ready for mobile use when you’re done watching the latest Hollywood blockbuster.
All MHL-ready HDTVs also include provisions to allow users to control connected mobile devices with the HDTV remote via CEC (Consumer Electronics Control) technology, which uses the HDMI connection to send commands to compatible smartphones and tablets.
More and more MHL-compatible devices are coming out every year, and chances are good that you already own an MHL-compatible smartphone or HDTV. LG, Samsung, and Toshiba all offer MHL-ready devices among their high-quality HDTV lines. You can find a ton of MHL-compatible smartphones and tablets, too. HTC, Huawei, Lenovo, LG, Meizu, Motorola, Pantech, Samsung, Sony–almost every major player in the mobile arena (save Apple) sells a product that is MHL-compatible.
