Problems Solved
QMy so-called ‘smart’ Sony TV isn’t as smart as it was when I bought it seven years ago. I want to subscribe to Netflix and watch catchup services, but my TV doesn’t support them and I’m loath to buy another set that will probably seem just as dumb in a year or two. I read online that I could use these streaming services by plugging a tablet or smartphone into my TV. My tablet is a 2013 Nexus 7 running Android 6.0.1. My phone is a Oneplus One. I duly bought an MHL HDMI adapter with microusb connector, and a power socket. I plugged my HDMI cable into this and connected my tablet to the TV but nothing happened. Then I bought a sync-andcharge cable to provide power, but still nothing – although a banner at the top of my TV screen shows that there’s an MHL connection to the set’s HDMI2 port. The same happens when I connect my phone. Is this setup correct? If not, what is wrong? Barbara Simpson
AWe’ll start with your phone. Although the Oneplus One does have a microusb socket, it’s not compatible with MHL for video output. So even though your TV will detect the connection, no video data will ever get through because your phone is unable to send it.
Your phone does support a wirelessstreaming technology called Miracast, which allows it to beam the contents of its own display to compatible monitors or TVS. However, Miracast wasn’t formally introduced until 2012, so your seven-year-old telly won’t support it. What’s more, Miracast never really caught on. So, while your Oneplus One supports Miracast, you don’t have a Miracast-compatible TV – and we wouldn’t recommend buying one, even if you could find one for sale.
That’s most of the bad news out of the way. The good news is that the 2013 Nexus 7 can output video through its microusb socket. The one last piece of bad news is that it requires a Slimport adapter, not an MHL one. These look very similar to MHL and even share some technical and functional similarities, but they are different standards.
So, a Slimport-to-hdmi adapter will let you pipe your Nexus 7’s display to your TV screen, as you desire. However, you need to be careful when shopping for a Slimport adapter. Like Miracast (and MHL, for that matter), Slimport wasn’t widely adopted. As a result, some dodgy sellers on Amazon and ebay use misleading labelling to suggest their remaining stocks of MHL and Slimport adapters are interchangeable, and that simply isn’t always case.
With that in mind, avoid adapters claiming to be compatible with MHL and Slimport. Shop for a dedicated Slimport model (like the £23 example pictured here, from Amazon: www. snipca.com/27967). Then, pop your HDMI cable into the adapter, switch to HDMI2 on your TV and your Nexus 7’s screen will be mirrored.