MYDP detonates mobile HD video transmission technology to fight for war

The mobile industry has never made a clear choice about the interface that can deliver high-definition (HD) video from smartphones to external HDTVs. However, Analogix's recently released SlimPort family of components -- compatible with ST's MYDP digital interface -- is likely to break this delicate balance.

When it comes to HDTV interfaces, industry observers agree that HDMI, originally promoted by Silicon Image, will be the winner. However, in the mobile world, such a consensus does not apply. The mobile industry has not made a clear statement about the interface that can deliver high-definition (HD) video from a smartphone or tablet device to an external large-size screen TV.

Analogix develops DisplayPort-based interconnect technology, and the company's new products are compatible with ST's MYDP (Mobile DisplayPort). MYDP is a digital mobile interface designed specifically for the mobile market to reduce the number of digital communication signal pins. Earlier this year, ST submitted a proposal to the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) as part of the DisplayPort standard.

ST CEO Carlo BozotTI said in May this year that ST is committed to extending the adoption of DisplayPort from monitors to mobile devices. BozotTI went on to say that DisplayPort will help the company's future revenue.

Although VESA has not yet launched a comment period for MYDP, Analogix has taken the lead. Earlier (September 7th), the company released its own SlimPort series of transmitter and receiver chips - both of which use The same basic technology as DisplayPort - compatible with the MYDP digital interface driven by ST.

This move unveiled the war between MYDP and Mobile HD Connection (MHL).

Jon Peddie, president of Jon Peddie Research, explained that the MYDP interface does not specify a connector type. "This will give device manufacturers the power to decide which connector they want to use." MYDP has a MUX that allows DisplayPort to be shared with USB and can use the standard Micro USB interface for both DisplayPort and USB connections, he said.

Both Analogix and ST intend to face Silicon Image and MHL with SlimPort and MYDP.

More than three years ago, Silicon Image and other companies developed MHL, a new mobile audio/video interface standard for connecting mobile phones and other portable devices to high-definition televisions (HDTVs) and displays.

Randy Lawson, chief analyst of IHS iSuppli's display electronics and consumer market, said, "I believe that although MHL started slowly (the standard was launched in 2008, the first official standard has not been released until last year. Samsung shipped the first batch of products), but MHL still has hope." He described HDMI as "the actual HD display interface standard" because it is ubiquitous in the HDTV field, and in the mobile field (such as notebooks), HDMI transmissions continue to grow. “This seems to reinforce the view that MHL will have full access to the application in the future,” he said.

Peddie agrees with this view. “MHL has the support of some organizations, so it can get more engineering resources, or maybe there is more political power behind it. So if you have to choose a winner, I will choose MHL.”

However, Peddie also acknowledges that DisplayPort has gained significant adoption in areas such as PCs, laptops, tablets and monitors. With the increasing acceptance of DisplayPort, "DisplayPort's support for connecting HD devices to mobile devices will become a natural development process."

MHL to HDMI is not a foregone conclusion

At the same time, ST and Analogix are committed to letting the world know, from MHL to HDMI, it is still a long way to be truly implemented in the mobile field. They insist that MYDP and SlimPort still have a lot of time and opportunity to let the market accept them.

Andre Bouwer, vice president of marketing at Analogix, believes that MYDP will be supported by mobile application processors, operating systems and mobile phones.

Will MYDP be more attractive than MHL? If so, what does that mean?

The royalty free fee is the first and most important advantage. Both SlimPort and MYDP are based on VESA's DisplayPort, a free, open standard.

Second, both SlimPort and MYDP can be connected to HDMI, VGA and DisplayPort displays. This is one of the biggest differences with MHL, says Eyelogix's Bouwer, through SlimPort (or MYDP), you can connect your smartphone to a projector for presentations. "There is currently no way to connect a MHL-equipped phone to a device with a VGA or DisplayPort, such as a projector," he said.

Third, it is also important to note that MHL, SlimPort, and MYDP are all designed to allow video that already exists in many mobile phones to transmit video. The key difference between SlimPort/MYDP and MHL is the power consumption when transmitting video streams.

For example, Samsung's first Galaxy S II smartphone with MHL, its MHL can be connected to an external HDMI display device, such as HDTV, using a standard Micro USB interface. MHL can deliver uncompressed 1,080P video and audio content to the TV via a mobile phone. The advantage of MHL is that it can charge the smartphone's battery and play multimedia content at the same time.

MHL and HDMI are two different things

However, one thing that is rarely mentioned publicly is that mobile devices equipped with MHL can only get power from an external display that also carries MHL. "MHL and HDMI are two different things," Bouwer stressed. To date, Toshiba is the only company that has publicly promised and plans to launch digital TV with MHL capabilities.

In the absence of HDTV with MHL, an MHL phone like the Galaxy SII may end up consuming its own battery power when it has to stream HD video to an external display device. In addition, MHL mobile devices can also connect to existing HDMI TVs via MHL-HDMI dongle. However, due to power consumption considerations, "a separate power cord is still needed," Bouwer said.

In contrast, SlimPort is immediately available and can be adapted to existing TVs without any modifications, and does not require inconvenient cables, he said.

Bouwer gave an example of a DisplayPort input -- Dell's UltraSharp U2711. The SlimPort device can also charge the battery while playing video on the display.

However, not every HDTV today has a DisplayPort interface. This is not a problem, Bouwer said. “The DisplayPort input will naturally be applied to the TV. In place of the VGA input, the proportion of VGA will gradually decrease in the next few years. This input interface can provide power for mobile devices. According to DisplayPort specifications, it can supply about 1.5W.”

Now, what happens if you connect SlimPort to an existing HDMI HDTV? In this case, the SlimPort transmitter consumes about 100mW of power, while the dongle consumes almost no power, Bouwer said. "This is due to a part of DisplayPort's features and Analogix's power recovery technology. Its power consumption is less than the internal display of the mobile device, so your playback time on the big screen can even be longer than on the mobile device. Therefore, the power line is no longer needed."

However, the industry has also begun to develop digital TVs equipped with MHL. According to a Silicon Image spokesperson, the company is waiting for its OEMs to release products. When asked about how OEMs are developing MHL TVs with Silicon Image(R) processors, the spokesperson said they must "make sure that the firmware in the digital TV includes support for MHL technology, and then add a voltage regulator to let Digital TV can provide power through existing connectors," she said, adding that the company estimates that adding a voltage regulator will add about an additional 5-10 cents.

Does the mobile application processor support DisplayPort?

Analogix's Bouwer said that all leading application processors will begin to support their designs or integrate DisplayPort into their display output interface. However, when EE TImes asked Qualcomm or NVidia if there was any such plan, they refused to answer.

Bouwer also stressed that mobile operating system vendors also support DisplayPort. For example, Google has joined the DisplayPort organization earlier this year. "Their plan is to support DisplayPort-enabled smartphones and tablets because their application processor partners are asking them to do so."

However, what is the current situation of mobile phone OEMs supporting DisplayPort? Up to now, only Samsung and HTC phones are equipped with MHL. "With the release of SlimPort chips based on DisplayPort technology, we have seen OEMs show a high level of interest in SlimPort solutions," Bouwer said. "As DisplayPort is deployed on hardware through application processor vendors, coupled with the support of operating system vendors, future handset manufacturers will naturally adopt DisplayPort solutions on mobile devices," he concluded.

The future of MIPI-DSI mobile devices?

However, things may not be that simple. Lawson of IHS iSuppli retorted for MHL, "The embedded display interface technology MIPI-DSI (digital serial interface) for mobile devices will not change easily." He went on to say, "So, supporting MYDP means future application processing. The chip will integrate two separate high-speed serial display interface technologies, and even then, an active dongle is required between the DisplayPort output of these devices and the input of the HDMI receiver."

In fact, Analogix's first SlimPort product has begun to sample, with an MIPI input and DisplayPort output, Bouwer said. “MIPI-DSI will continue to be used for the internal display interface of small and medium-sized mobile phones.” But he pointed out that “more HD (such as 1,920 x 1,200 or higher) required for future tablet devices will require a higher bandwidth Wide DisplayPort. In the tablet device market, future application processor vendors will add eDP (embedded DisplayPort). DisplayPort and MIPI will exist in large and small screens respectively."