Either that or just implement something at least on a par with DP. All this complication of not supporting USB on the same connection, without an adapter utilising DP-to-HDMI to make it work, and then it's only 1.4. Just seems half baked. I guess it's a benefit of supporting a common standard on the new Type-C connectors - better than no HDMI support at all.
Does this mean that USB-C will bog down the system one day because everything will use it and MB manufacturers will put cheap sub-par controllers that will underperform and also bandwidth conflicts will arise?.
The alternate modes are done by switching the connection from USB to something else on the mainboard. So we won't have the problem you're worried about. What we will have instead is the problem that without reading the manuals (HA!!) it will be impossible to know if any given pair of devices can talk to each other because everything will be carried over USB-C cables but not everything will support the same set of protocols. "Universal" as in used for everything not "universal" as in any pair of USB devices will always work together. *BLEGH*
Problem here is that because HDMI and USB use the same connector, it will be possible to plug in devices that only support HDMI (for example your TV) to devices that only support USB (data only ports on a laptop).
Wait what? I thought the HDMI consortium just got done with having their panties in a bunch over X to HDMI cables, banning any cable that was not HDMI on both ends from web based retailers.
Yeah, exactly what is the intended value proposition? Honestly, I wouldn't mind leading an adaptor on my tv for the times when I want to use usb c to connect to it. It's simply not that much of an inconvenience, lol.
Active adapters are expensive and add latency - you need a chip to interpret one signal (presumably DisplayPort), buffer enough data to cover differences in the protocols, and then output an HDMI signal.
The existing graphics alt-mode for USB-C is DisplayPort. The protocol isn't compatible with HDMI, there's no such thing as a passive DP protocol -> HDMI adapter.
You're probably confused by DisplayPort++, which is alt-mode HDMI for DP sockets - i.e. the socket detects a passive 'adapter' and uses the HDMI protocol instead of DisplayPort.
This is required for dedicated DP 1.3+ sockets, and fairly common on older ones, but *isn't* part of the DP alt-mode spec for USB-C which only includes the real DP protocol.
Sorry perhaps I'm a bit confused about how all this works - I'm not very familiar with alt mode or any of the usb protocols, but my understanding from the article made it sound like this allows hdmi to be supported over USB-c as long as the device supports it, by simply repurposing the lines in the cable, and thus from the cable's perspective, passive (no active converter needed on/in the cable itself), and as hinted by the first image in the article - "no adapters, no converters".
I see - you're correct about what this does, I was describing the alternatives.
Without this mode: - To drive an HDMI display from a USB-C port you need an active DisplayPort-over-USB-C to HDMI adapter, which are bulky/expensive/power-hungry [pick two].
With this mode: - To drive an HDMI display from a USB-C port you need a simple, totally passive cable. No power, very compact, should be just as cheap as any other cable.
Hence "the intended value proposition" (per the comment I responded to) is that you can use a simple £4 cable instead of a £20+ adapter. Neither serves any other purpose, but at least this is cheaper and tidier.
You keep on missing his point. With this new signalling, you can use a cheap passive USB-to-HDMI adapter and then use all the normal HDMI-to-HDMI cables. It's really annoying needing new cables for everything.
Do they have a new logo associated with this alt mode? With so many alt modes now and the ability of manufacturers to pick and choose which to support it seems like it'll be difficult to know what a given USB-C port supports without looking at a detailed spec sheet.
Hoping that devices with multiple USB-C ports will incorporate a crossbar switch so that any of the USB-C ports can map to any of the internal sources (HDMI, actual USB, DP, ...) rather than having the user remember which port can do what.
Nothing is set in stone yet, but according to the announcement the Consortium will be working on this very issue.
"In some cases manufacturers will be displaying HDMI logos. We are also working with USB-IF to make sure consumers can recognize when HDMI Alt Mode is supported on USB Type-C devices."
Hmm not sure if I understand this, isnt easier if display manufacturers use Usb type c connector on their device. They can internally convert to whatever they want, Right? We could get rid of hdmi connector itself. I though standards makes life easy...
OEMs: "Now that you can do everything through USB-c, we've made our devices slimmer by putting nothing but a single USB-c port on them! You don't do more the one thing at a time, right?"
Carry what around? All these devices I'm plugging in? Let's assume we're talking about a laptop: either you're walking around and you don't carry much of anything and one port is fine, or you're at your desk and you only want to plug in one cable to connect all attached devices including power and your monitor.
It makes perfect sense if you stop and think about it for a moment.
1) USB port + flash drive is not an uncommon portable scenario. 2) In meeting, need to connect external display (e.g. projector) using this new usb display tech, and want to keep a mouse 3) At a colleague's desk and they don't have a spare USB hub (because why would you need two, right?) - whoops! 3b) Someone brings their laptop somewhere they don't normally bring it - no USB hub available. 4) Some people do not like USB hubs, or it just adds clutter compared to what the user needs. Wireless mouse receiver + flash drive, ah yes let me setup a usb hub so my laptop is now tethered to my desk, and possibly even requires power for the hub.
Don't be daft. Stop and think for a moment and you might realize there are scenarios which don't fall into your scenario. I cannot count the number of times I've run into one of these exact situations where the single port on my laptop has become a burden.
"What if you're trapped in a technology recycling shop situated in a Faraday cage that has a policy of not accepting USB hubs or wireless tech?"
LOLOLOLOLOLOL!
This is the typical response from port fixated - make up a bunch of weak special situations where you're confronted with endless wired devices and all wireless devices and connections are somehow absent, along with all USB hubs. Unsurprisingly most people don't live in this bizarro wired world, and those few that do have machines with more ports. The difference is that those few wired people seem to want to force those normal people to carry around unnecessary ports on their machines all day.
Shhh, here's some top secret information: Normal people don't wish they have less USB ports on their computers, or replace perfectly functional old school HDMI/DP/USB cables just because greedy vendors said so.
It can't be fixed. Alt mode is simply multiplexing a different signal on to the cable. That can't work through a hub, because the hub only transmits USB. It's a bit like expecting Power over Ethernet to work over a regular hub/switch.
Of course you can fix it. If you detect it you can pass it through to a dedicated port used for alt mode output (where the screen would always be plugged in) or otherwise switch the USB signal. With your POE analogy you'd have a dedicated ethernet port that accepts power which routes it to a dedicated ethernet port that outputs power.
The actual solution would obviously be according to what users require or find useful but it's hardly impossible. Even if you arbitrarily restrict it to a general solution for all ports it not impossible just horrendously expensive and unnecessary.
Hubs by definition work on the physical layer, so they should be able to accept and retransmit any signal they get no? its just splitting each wire of the USB port into more wires, one for each out-port.
USB isn't really a bus, and its 'hubs' - particularly in USB 3 - aren't really hubs.
The 'hubs' don't split the wires or even directly repeat signals - they read incoming packets, convert them between versions (e.g. a USB 1.1 mouse sharing a hub with USB 3 storage), and resend them when the upstream connection is free. USB 3 hubs can track the location of devices and only send on the relevant port, like Ethernet switches.
Needless to say, alt-modes can't possibly work with the current design of hubs.
(Not that a simple split-the-wires hub would work for video signals either...)
USB-C can have arguments about who charges who. I read about it on some Linux discussion list. Pretty funny. A phone might end up trying to charge a laptop. Or with both not sending power at all.
You might have a powered monitor charge the laptop, but an unpowered monitor has to have the laptop send it power. And you could plug two laptops into each other, what happens then... And if you have a plugged in laptop and unplug it, all the devices have to renegotiate power distribution.
There will be HDMI-capable Type-C ports on devices. Using an HDMI-only port would defeat the purpose of USB-C. In practice there is no shortage of USB ports available on chipsets, and muxes are easy.
I read that as replacing HDMI ports on displays/projectors with HDMI-only Type-C ports, so they can be connected via standard USB-C cables instead of the weird Type-C -> HDMI one.
That's a good question; I don't know if you can do that. The point is a bit moot since this standard only allows HDMI 1.4 anyhow - and the HDMI consortium is about the last group who will want to give up their connector - but check back in a few years with the next DisplayPort standard and see if we still have the DP connector.
I was thinking, an HDMI-only Type C port would give a thickness advantage compared to an HDMI-only HDMI port. However, it wouldn't be as simple as slapping on the Type C port to output your HDMI source, because Type C has a reversable connector. So, you might be right that as long as you'd add reversable capability, you'd probably be able to mux USB on that port.
I'm unexcited and seeing a potential to get annoyed right up until the one really good use for this happens. I really want to see a graphics card with just four USB-C connectors on the rear that you can plug into any combination of HDMI and DP screeens. That could even leave enough room for a DVI for the korean screen crowd if necessary.
How many Alt-Modes can be layered onto a single port? Does it just depends on the chipset(s) behind the port? Or is there an inherent limit to the spec?
Will we end up with a 16 different Type-C physical ports on a device, each one doing something different, with just tiny little logos next to them depicting what they do/support? With each one requiring a separate cable to match?
In theory, as many as your mux can handle. In practice, Thunderbolt 3 throws a spanner into this because it's not going to like being sent through a mux; it wants to be the last thing to connect to a USB-C port (and has its own internal mux for this reason).
Time to revisit this subject? Im trying to obtain a usbc to DP adapter/cable, and its a lot more complex than initially. A lot of questions pop up, like: -A usb-c (male) to DP (male) _cable_ should not drive 3.3v onto the DPPWR pin. -A usb-c (male) to DP (female) _adapter[/cable] needs to drive 3v3 onto the DPPRW pin -Does male-male cables work for both usb-c transmitter and usb-c receiver? -Does adapters only work in one direction? -I bought a random cable, and I find a chip (Via Labs, VL103, VL103 DP Alt-mode & PD 3.0 Controller with Auto-Standby for USB-C Devices) inside. What does that tell me about the cable? It bothers me that I have to just try before buy..
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Senti - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
Too bad. World would be better and more convenient if HDMI would die already so everyone can move to DP.MattMe - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
Either that or just implement something at least on a par with DP. All this complication of not supporting USB on the same connection, without an adapter utilising DP-to-HDMI to make it work, and then it's only 1.4.Just seems half baked.
I guess it's a benefit of supporting a common standard on the new Type-C connectors - better than no HDMI support at all.
Eidigean - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
Riiiiiight, because we all want to replace our 4K TVs and Projectors that only have HDMI. It's not going away anytime soon.AnnonymousCoward - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
My 4K has DP. You can always use an adapter for legacy HW.Zan Lynx - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
Which one? I was recently looking for a 40 to 60 inch with DP and hopefully AdaptiveSync. Most seem to only add DP to 30 inch and less.AnnonymousCoward - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
Crossover 434KThe Von Matrices - Monday, September 5, 2016 - link
How long is your cable? I've found DP cables notoriously difficult to use with long cable runs, while HDMI cables are more forgiving.The_Assimilator - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
Amen brother.phoenix_rizzen - Sunday, September 4, 2016 - link
Does DP support audio?Fergy - Sunday, September 4, 2016 - link
lmgtfy.com/?q=displayportjann5s - Sunday, September 4, 2016 - link
Lol, I didn't know about lmgtfy, loving itZingam - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
Does this mean that USB-C will bog down the system one day because everything will use it and MB manufacturers will put cheap sub-par controllers that will underperform and also bandwidth conflicts will arise?.DanNeely - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
The alternate modes are done by switching the connection from USB to something else on the mainboard. So we won't have the problem you're worried about. What we will have instead is the problem that without reading the manuals (HA!!) it will be impossible to know if any given pair of devices can talk to each other because everything will be carried over USB-C cables but not everything will support the same set of protocols. "Universal" as in used for everything not "universal" as in any pair of USB devices will always work together. *BLEGH*Fergy - Sunday, September 4, 2016 - link
Or it means like with ethernet that the 2 devices talk to each other to choose what kind of connection they will use.saratoga4 - Thursday, September 8, 2016 - link
Ethernet devices negotiate speed, same as USB.Problem here is that because HDMI and USB use the same connector, it will be possible to plug in devices that only support HDMI (for example your TV) to devices that only support USB (data only ports on a laptop).
mkozakewich - Tuesday, September 6, 2016 - link
"Universal Serial Bus"At least it would live up to its name!
Gunbuster - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
Wait what? I thought the HDMI consortium just got done with having their panties in a bunch over X to HDMI cables, banning any cable that was not HDMI on both ends from web based retailers.prisonerX - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
The drugs you're taking are making you think that the HDMI consortium has magical powers. Unless it's a trademark issue, they can't ban squat.Gunbuster - Tuesday, September 6, 2016 - link
Check someplace like Monoprice, they cant call them Mini DP to HDMI. http://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=102&cp_i...https://www.engadget.com/2011/07/08/mini-displaypo...
inighthawki - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
"No adapter, no converter"Awesome, instead we just need a whole new cable that doesn't work with anything else!
ImSpartacus - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
Yeah, exactly what is the intended value proposition? Honestly, I wouldn't mind leading an adaptor on my tv for the times when I want to use usb c to connect to it. It's simply not that much of an inconvenience, lol.FLHerne - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
Active adapters are expensive and add latency - you need a chip to interpret one signal (presumably DisplayPort), buffer enough data to cover differences in the protocols, and then output an HDMI signal.Not to mention the nightmares of DRM copy protection (https://xkcd.com/129/).
With this, all you need is a plain cable with some stringy copper in it.
inighthawki - Saturday, September 3, 2016 - link
I don't get your point - this cable can easily be created with a passive adapter.FLHerne - Saturday, September 3, 2016 - link
The feeling's mutal then, because it can't.The existing graphics alt-mode for USB-C is DisplayPort. The protocol isn't compatible with HDMI, there's no such thing as a passive DP protocol -> HDMI adapter.
You're probably confused by DisplayPort++, which is alt-mode HDMI for DP sockets - i.e. the socket detects a passive 'adapter' and uses the HDMI protocol instead of DisplayPort.
This is required for dedicated DP 1.3+ sockets, and fairly common on older ones, but *isn't* part of the DP alt-mode spec for USB-C which only includes the real DP protocol.
FLHerne - Saturday, September 3, 2016 - link
Oh, and DisplayPort++ only covers the video segnal - even with such a port, a passive adapter can't do HDMI audio, let alone ethernet.inighthawki - Saturday, September 3, 2016 - link
Sorry perhaps I'm a bit confused about how all this works - I'm not very familiar with alt mode or any of the usb protocols, but my understanding from the article made it sound like this allows hdmi to be supported over USB-c as long as the device supports it, by simply repurposing the lines in the cable, and thus from the cable's perspective, passive (no active converter needed on/in the cable itself), and as hinted by the first image in the article - "no adapters, no converters".FLHerne - Saturday, September 3, 2016 - link
I see - you're correct about what this does, I was describing the alternatives.Without this mode:
- To drive an HDMI display from a USB-C port you need an active DisplayPort-over-USB-C to HDMI adapter, which are bulky/expensive/power-hungry [pick two].
With this mode:
- To drive an HDMI display from a USB-C port you need a simple, totally passive cable. No power, very compact, should be just as cheap as any other cable.
Hence "the intended value proposition" (per the comment I responded to) is that you can use a simple £4 cable instead of a £20+ adapter. Neither serves any other purpose, but at least this is cheaper and tidier.
mkozakewich - Tuesday, September 6, 2016 - link
You keep on missing his point. With this new signalling, you can use a cheap passive USB-to-HDMI adapter and then use all the normal HDMI-to-HDMI cables. It's really annoying needing new cables for everything.ltcommanderdata - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
Do they have a new logo associated with this alt mode? With so many alt modes now and the ability of manufacturers to pick and choose which to support it seems like it'll be difficult to know what a given USB-C port supports without looking at a detailed spec sheet.ImSpartacus - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
Yeah, it really defeats the point of usb...Maybe it'll consolidate in a couple years.
stephenbrooks - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
Hoping that devices with multiple USB-C ports will incorporate a crossbar switch so that any of the USB-C ports can map to any of the internal sources (HDMI, actual USB, DP, ...) rather than having the user remember which port can do what.Ryan Smith - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
Nothing is set in stone yet, but according to the announcement the Consortium will be working on this very issue."In some cases manufacturers will be displaying HDMI logos. We are also working with USB-IF to make sure consumers can recognize when HDMI Alt Mode is supported on USB Type-C devices."
aj700 - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
Hmm not sure if I understand this, isnt easier if display manufacturers use Usb type c connector on their device. They can internally convert to whatever they want, Right? We could get rid of hdmi connector itself. I though standards makes life easy...prisonerX - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
That's the idea. USB C to your display and you get the signal + power, no other cables required.Mr Perfect - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
OEMs: "Now that you can do everything through USB-c, we've made our devices slimmer by putting nothing but a single USB-c port on them! You don't do more the one thing at a time, right?"prisonerX - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
Ever heard of a USB hub, genius?AnnonymousCoward - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
You want to carry that around?prisonerX - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
Carry what around? All these devices I'm plugging in? Let's assume we're talking about a laptop: either you're walking around and you don't carry much of anything and one port is fine, or you're at your desk and you only want to plug in one cable to connect all attached devices including power and your monitor.It makes perfect sense if you stop and think about it for a moment.
inighthawki - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
1) USB port + flash drive is not an uncommon portable scenario.2) In meeting, need to connect external display (e.g. projector) using this new usb display tech, and want to keep a mouse
3) At a colleague's desk and they don't have a spare USB hub (because why would you need two, right?) - whoops!
3b) Someone brings their laptop somewhere they don't normally bring it - no USB hub available.
4) Some people do not like USB hubs, or it just adds clutter compared to what the user needs. Wireless mouse receiver + flash drive, ah yes let me setup a usb hub so my laptop is now tethered to my desk, and possibly even requires power for the hub.
Don't be daft. Stop and think for a moment and you might realize there are scenarios which don't fall into your scenario. I cannot count the number of times I've run into one of these exact situations where the single port on my laptop has become a burden.
HomeworldFound - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
The ports are tiny, they could easily have three or four of them in the space dedicated to a single full size HDMI port.prisonerX - Saturday, September 3, 2016 - link
"What if you're trapped in a technology recycling shop situated in a Faraday cage that has a policy of not accepting USB hubs or wireless tech?"LOLOLOLOLOLOL!
This is the typical response from port fixated - make up a bunch of weak special situations where you're confronted with endless wired devices and all wireless devices and connections are somehow absent, along with all USB hubs. Unsurprisingly most people don't live in this bizarro wired world, and those few that do have machines with more ports. The difference is that those few wired people seem to want to force those normal people to carry around unnecessary ports on their machines all day.
inighthawki - Saturday, September 3, 2016 - link
Can't tell if you're just trolling at this point or if you're really as dumb as what you just wrote...AnnonymousCoward - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
Are you a proud owner of that foolish macbook that has 1 Type C port or something?I need power, a mouse, flash drive, and headphone jack.
StrangerGuy - Monday, September 5, 2016 - link
Shhh, here's some top secret information: Normal people don't wish they have less USB ports on their computers, or replace perfectly functional old school HDMI/DP/USB cables just because greedy vendors said so.Meteor2 - Thursday, September 8, 2016 - link
I do, and I thought I'm normal.I don't like messing around with different cables and ports. One cable, one connector. Seems normal and natural to me.
Zan Lynx - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
And the hubs have real problems with alt-mode. A lot of them don't support it.prisonerX - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
That's not good. You'd think after 10 years of USB-C they'd have fixed that by now.Ryan Smith - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
It can't be fixed. Alt mode is simply multiplexing a different signal on to the cable. That can't work through a hub, because the hub only transmits USB. It's a bit like expecting Power over Ethernet to work over a regular hub/switch.prisonerX - Saturday, September 3, 2016 - link
Of course you can fix it. If you detect it you can pass it through to a dedicated port used for alt mode output (where the screen would always be plugged in) or otherwise switch the USB signal. With your POE analogy you'd have a dedicated ethernet port that accepts power which routes it to a dedicated ethernet port that outputs power.The actual solution would obviously be according to what users require or find useful but it's hardly impossible. Even if you arbitrarily restrict it to a general solution for all ports it not impossible just horrendously expensive and unnecessary.
LukaP - Saturday, September 3, 2016 - link
Hubs by definition work on the physical layer, so they should be able to accept and retransmit any signal they get no? its just splitting each wire of the USB port into more wires, one for each out-port.FLHerne - Sunday, September 4, 2016 - link
USB isn't really a bus, and its 'hubs' - particularly in USB 3 - aren't really hubs.The 'hubs' don't split the wires or even directly repeat signals - they read incoming packets, convert them between versions (e.g. a USB 1.1 mouse sharing a hub with USB 3 storage), and resend them when the upstream connection is free. USB 3 hubs can track the location of devices and only send on the relevant port, like Ethernet switches.
Needless to say, alt-modes can't possibly work with the current design of hubs.
(Not that a simple split-the-wires hub would work for video signals either...)
Mr Perfect - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
Well that was an awfully aggressive post for a reasonable concern.prisonerX - Saturday, September 3, 2016 - link
Maybe you're too sensitive for the internet, or maybe you should examine the tone of your own post before you criticize others.AnnonymousCoward - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
So will there be HDMI-only Type C ports on devices?Can the HDMI sink charge your phone that's driving it?
Zan Lynx - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
USB-C can have arguments about who charges who. I read about it on some Linux discussion list. Pretty funny. A phone might end up trying to charge a laptop. Or with both not sending power at all.You might have a powered monitor charge the laptop, but an unpowered monitor has to have the laptop send it power. And you could plug two laptops into each other, what happens then... And if you have a plugged in laptop and unplug it, all the devices have to renegotiate power distribution.
prisonerX - Saturday, September 3, 2016 - link
You're probably going to give the user some options as to when to charge other devices and when to accept charging.Ryan Smith - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
There will be HDMI-capable Type-C ports on devices. Using an HDMI-only port would defeat the purpose of USB-C. In practice there is no shortage of USB ports available on chipsets, and muxes are easy.FLHerne - Sunday, September 4, 2016 - link
I read that as replacing HDMI ports on displays/projectors with HDMI-only Type-C ports, so they can be connected via standard USB-C cables instead of the weird Type-C -> HDMI one.Does the spec allow for that?
Ryan Smith - Sunday, September 4, 2016 - link
That's a good question; I don't know if you can do that. The point is a bit moot since this standard only allows HDMI 1.4 anyhow - and the HDMI consortium is about the last group who will want to give up their connector - but check back in a few years with the next DisplayPort standard and see if we still have the DP connector.AnnonymousCoward - Sunday, September 4, 2016 - link
I was thinking, an HDMI-only Type C port would give a thickness advantage compared to an HDMI-only HDMI port. However, it wouldn't be as simple as slapping on the Type C port to output your HDMI source, because Type C has a reversable connector. So, you might be right that as long as you'd add reversable capability, you'd probably be able to mux USB on that port.Ryan Smith - Sunday, September 4, 2016 - link
And if it's just space you're after, then there's already the similarly sized micro-HDMI. Though reversible HDMI has its own charm...xthetenth - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
I'm unexcited and seeing a potential to get annoyed right up until the one really good use for this happens. I really want to see a graphics card with just four USB-C connectors on the rear that you can plug into any combination of HDMI and DP screeens. That could even leave enough room for a DVI for the korean screen crowd if necessary.prisonerX - Saturday, September 3, 2016 - link
That would work if the card can switch between DP and HDMI alt modes. Probably will happen one day since USB-C is meant as a port panacea.phoenix_rizzen - Sunday, September 4, 2016 - link
How many Alt-Modes can be layered onto a single port? Does it just depends on the chipset(s) behind the port? Or is there an inherent limit to the spec?Will we end up with a 16 different Type-C physical ports on a device, each one doing something different, with just tiny little logos next to them depicting what they do/support? With each one requiring a separate cable to match?
AnnonymousCoward - Sunday, September 4, 2016 - link
Good question.And every mouse and flash drive I own still need standard ports. Type C really belongs on phones.
Meteor2 - Thursday, September 8, 2016 - link
That's a bit like saying every mouse and accessory I own uses serial port. It was true, once.Ryan Smith - Sunday, September 4, 2016 - link
In theory, as many as your mux can handle. In practice, Thunderbolt 3 throws a spanner into this because it's not going to like being sent through a mux; it wants to be the last thing to connect to a USB-C port (and has its own internal mux for this reason).ost - Wednesday, March 23, 2022 - link
Time to revisit this subject? Im trying to obtain a usbc to DP adapter/cable, and its a lot more complex than initially. A lot of questions pop up, like:-A usb-c (male) to DP (male) _cable_ should not drive 3.3v onto the DPPWR pin.
-A usb-c (male) to DP (female) _adapter[/cable] needs to drive 3v3 onto the DPPRW pin
-Does male-male cables work for both usb-c transmitter and usb-c receiver?
-Does adapters only work in one direction?
-I bought a random cable, and I find a chip (Via Labs, VL103, VL103 DP Alt-mode & PD 3.0 Controller with Auto-Standby for USB-C Devices) inside. What does that tell me about the cable?
It bothers me that I have to just try before buy..