‘Hdmi alt mode’ should yield simple USB-C to HDMI cables

HDMI Licensing and the USB Implementers Forum announced on Thursday ‘hdmi alt mode’, a standard for cables that transfer images from devices with USB-C connections to TVs and displays with HDMI. That should make simple cables possible.

Because the standard does not require converters, it should be simple cables, the organization that licenses HDMI products and the USB Implementers Forum report. Although it is not specifically listed, it is probably also about relatively cheap cables.

The alt mode for HDMI is not the first to allow cables with USB-C on one side and HDMI on the other. This can also be done via cables that work with the MHL and Displayport standards, but according to HDMI Licensing, these are more complicated because they require converters in the cabling to convert the signal.

The cables use version 1.4b of the HDMI standard and thus support the transmission of 4k images. The alt mode does not support the newer HDMI 2.0b. It is unknown when the first cables with HDMI alt mode will appear on the market.