Lattice Semiconductor and MediaTek have partnered to simplify MHL over Type-C USB connections. This will allow delivery of 4K UHD video using MHL running on one of the Type-C alternate modes. The alternate modes allow a cable to handle other interfaces like DisplayPort in addition to USB 3.0.
The reference design (see figure) is based around MediaTek’s 10-core Helio x20. The Helio x20 drives the Sil8348 superMHL transmitter and the Sil7033 USB Type-C interface. The Sil8348 supports the superMHL Tx, MHL 3.0, MHL 2.0, and MHL 1.0 specifications. Both are designed for low power applications. The Helio x20 includes support for VESA display screen compression (DSC).
The Lattice chips can be used for other functions, such as an HDMI bridge inside a dongle with USB Type-C and HMDI connections, a USB Type-C dock, and a USB Type-C MHL cable.
The reference design is applicable to scenarios such as a “dumb laptop,” where a smartphone plugs into a keyboard/display combination driving the display, providing the computational, storage, and communication resources.
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