MHL Demonstrates HDMI Alternative That Supports 8K Video at 120fps

MHL is demonstrating its own supermhl cables at CES. The standard offers enough bandwidth to display 8k images at 120fps and can also deliver 40W. The proprietary interface is reversible and can handle USB-C.

MHL demonstrated supermhl in combination with LG’s 8k TV 98UH9800. A prototype box delivered the content via the supermhl cable and was fed directly from the TV via the stand. The display was not at 120fps in the demo, but supermhl would support this. The cables that supermhl has developed have a 32-pin connector and offer six data lines. The standard supports charging with a capacity of 40W, where that is still 10W with the current mhl 3.

Supermhl supports alternative connectors, such as micro-usb and usb-c at the source and hdmi-type-a at the receiving device, but only its own connector can be used for both source and receiver, with six a/v lanes. For example, the number of a/v lanes with the usb 3.1 type-c mhl alt mode is limited to four and an 8k image can be displayed at a maximum of 60 fps.

The standard allows ultra-HD Blu-ray signal and there is enough bandwidth to provide 32 screens from a single device. In addition, supermhl supports the HDR standard BT.2020 and surround audio playback via, among other things, Dolby Atmos. The standard is also backwards compatible with previous mhl versions.

MHL does not make any statements about when devices with supermhl support will be released. The organization is not afraid that manufacturers are hesitant to integrate a new type of connector into their devices. A spokesperson said that the advantages over HDMI are sufficient, that large companies such as Samsung, Sony and LG support MHL and that the specification is already ready, so that companies have enough time to prepare.