External display

nero355

@flohack
Will there ever be new Convergence phones besides the old Nexus 5 and the more recent Pro X¹ ?!

It's a really cool feature that I hope will be the standard in the future at some point, because I think it already should have been the standard by now!

flohack

@nero355 yes there will I am currently testing a SHIFT 6mq with DP out, works quite nicely (and saves you from the Slimport adapter) and I think some smaller vendors will equip that when they see that there is demand and software that can use it.

However since Google abandoned this idea I think you wont see such devices from bigger vendors like Samsung or HTC etc... soon

nero355

@flohack said in External display:

yes there will I am currently testing a SHIFT 6mq with DP out, works quite nicely (and saves you from the Slimport adapter) and I think some smaller vendors will equip that when they see that there is demand and software that can use it.

https://shop.shiftphones.com/shift6mq.html

NICE!

However since Google abandoned this idea I think you wont see such devices from bigger vendors like Samsung or HTC etc... soon

Huh ?!

What about Android Desktop and Samsung DeX then ?!

Not supporting something like that is basically going backwards instead of forward into the future!

AMR SoC's are more powerfull than ever before!
Why keep them trapped into all those phones that are getting way too hot ?!

Such a shame that all those big companies are soo ignorant! :face_with_symbols_on_mouth:

AppLee

@flohack
Hopefully coming soon there will be the F(x) Tech Pro-1X

A Former User

@applee said in External display:

@flohack
Hopefully coming soon there will be the F(x) Tech Pro-1X

Yes, I believe you've got one on order. I'm watching both the Pro-1x and Astro-Slide from the sidelines with interest.
FxTec website states 'Shipping in Feb 2022', Indiegogo updates seem to roughly agree with that, members of the FxTec forum each seem to have their own crystal ball .
How close do you reckon you are to getting yours?

AppLee

Hi @moncon

Yes I have one ordered.
I don't have any crystal ball, so my guess is based on announcements.
I'd say with covid and Chinese new year the delivery may start end of February, so considering shipping time, I hope to receive mine mid-March and hopefully before April. :crossed_fingers:

nero355

@applee said in External display:

@flohack
Hopefully coming soon there will be the F(x) Tech Pro-1X

I thought you were using one already ?! :flushed_face:

And I also thought Convergence already works on that phone ?!

AppLee

@nero355
Here is the campaign for the Pro1-X
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/pro1-x-smartphone-functionality-choice-control#/updates/all
The one already launched is the Pro 1 (without X)

Nakele

Fairphone 4 is another with hdmi out.

Also

Any S line and Note line from Samsung above and including s8 support pd.

nero355

@applee said in External display:

@nero355
Here is the campaign for the Pro1-X
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/pro1-x-smartphone-functionality-choice-control#/updates/all
The one already launched is the Pro 1 (without X)

Oww... right... I forgot about that small detail! :$

@nakele said in External display:

Fairphone 4 is another with hdmi out.

Also

Any S line and Note line from Samsung above and including s8 support pd.

Fairphone : Maybe...

Samsung however is no longer a option since I have owned a Note II and a couple of friends and relatives had one too : All of them had some serious planned obsolescence issues! :face_with_symbols_on_mouth:

A Former User

So on which devices can I actually use the convergence feature? I checked the devices page, and I found that the "Wireless External Monitor" is only confirmed working for three devices: Oneplus One, Fairphone 2, and LG G6 (Status unknown for some devices, confirmed not working for some devices). An external display via USB-HDMI cable is unlikely to work for many devices (as per the previous comments here).
Actually it would be useful to see on the devices page whether the cabling approach works for a specific device, to see whether the device is "convergence ready" or not.

flohack

@ra You see this a lot:

Because nobody has the necessary display adapter (Idk if its even being sold anymore). You are happy to help finding compatible WiFi P2P Mode hardware (Miracast) that works, but I think that topic died pretty much and is not a good option. Also wireless monitor is laggy and almost unusable for work, you can use it for presentations probably best.

Cabled devices have a DisplayPort bridge over USB (Slimport, USB-DP) and are only a handful.

Convergence is a nice idea but needs good ahrdware support first.

nero355

@ra said in External display:

So on which devices can I actually use the convergence feature?

The only good old Convergence phones that I know of :

Very cheap : LG Nexus 5
Very expensive : That cool Pro¹ X phone with a hardware keyboard!
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/pro1-x-smartphone-functionality-choice-control#/

Actually it would be useful to see on the devices page whether the cabling approach works for a specific device, to see whether the device is "convergence ready" or not.

Convergence should get more attention in general, but sadly it has lost a lot of it over the last couple of years, while other brands have actually tried to achieve the same thing...

@flohack said in External display:

Because nobody has the necessary display adapter (Idk if its even being sold anymore).

I am sure you can find one if you look for it ?!

You are happy to help finding compatible WiFi P2P Mode hardware (Miracast) that works, but I think that topic died pretty much and is not a good option. Also wireless monitor is laggy and almost unusable for work, you can use it for presentations probably best.

I think Intel tried to revive it a couple of years ago by going the "WiDi" way ?!

Cabled devices have a DisplayPort bridge over USB (Slimport, USB-DP) and are only a handful.

Hmm... really ?!

Convergence is a nice idea but needs good hardware support first.

Convergence is the feature that has drawn me towards Ubuntu Touch so I really, really, REALLY hope it becomes the standard one day!

doniks

@flohack said in External display:

WiFi P2P Mode hardware (Miracast) that works, but I think that topic died pretty much

Do you mean Miracast itself died? I think I see people at work use Miracast to connect to presentation screen. It doesn't say Miracast anywhere but it's presented as some Microsoft feature and everybody there has Windows laptops, where it seems to more or less just work. But I somehow thought that this is Miracast under the hood.

and is not a good option. Also wireless monitor is laggy and almost unusable for work, you can use it for presentations probably best.

yeah fwiw, I've only seen ppl use it for presentations. but that is still a relevant use case (NB: I am avoiding the word convergence, because everybody means something else with it)

nero355

@doniks said in External display:

Do you mean Miracast itself died? I think I see people at work use Miracast to connect to presentation screen.
It doesn't say Miracast anywhere but it's presented as some Microsoft feature and everybody there has Windows laptops, where it seems to more or less just work. But I somehow thought that this is Miracast under the hood.

That's because Microsoft and Intel call it WiDi as in Wireless HDMI and also another name I believe, but can't remember at the moment...

The MiraCast technology has been introduced about three times :

Original introduction.
Two times all over again under a new name as a totally new technology!

But somehow it doesn't seem to be able to get any decent market share... :grinning_squinting_face:

flohack

@doniks I tried pairing UT with an office TV screen which is prepared for presentations, it was not possible. I suspect the protocol i snot 100% the same or idk.