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  •   about 12 years ago

Sponsor's Technology

I have some tentative ideas for apps that might be appropriate for the OFFICE/PRODUCTIVITY, or ENTERTAINMENT/OTHER categories. However, most would only really be making use of Android's generic external display abilities, and not the Silicon Image-specific features which I guess are primarily what this challenge is about. i.e., from the app guidelines -

•Your App should demonstrate the functionality and unique features of “Sponsor’s Technology,” specifically, uncompressed high definition video sent from a mobile device to an external screen, up to 8 channels of sound, no lag between the mobile device and the external screen, and keeping the phone charged while connected to an external screen.

In fact, a wireless, Miracast connection might well be a more attractive way to make use of certain apps, compared to being tethered to the external display.

On the face of it, I would assume such an app would not be appropriate to enter into the contest, but a couple of things leave me unsure -

1. The points I am raising could equally be applied to at least one of the example app ideas you give - "Preview how charts and graphs will look on your phone, while studying the full spreadsheet on a large monitor to eliminate eye strain."

2. The Resources section only seems to offer guidance on how to make use of Android's generic, external display features, suggesting that this is in fact the main focus of the challenge, rather than the additional features mentioned above.

Could you clarify how the use of the various features will impact on the scoring of submitted apps, particularly in the office category, where most of the features seem less relevant than in games or entertainment.

And could you also point us towards further resources, describing how to access the additional advanced features of MHL and WirelessHD.

Thanks,
Colin.

  • 2 comments

  • Manager   •   about 12 years ago

    Silicon Image technologies are the de-facto standard for connecting mobile devices to big screens, with MHL having shipped in a half billion devices already. Therefore, any apps that take advantage of Android’s native dual screen capabilities will do so best on MHL® or WirelessHD®.

    Silicon Image technologies offer several unique features and benefits across all application and games. Since you asked about the Productivity category, here are a few specifics:

    * MHL charges your phone while it’s connected, allowing someone to work all day using their mobile device as a PC replacement. Dell Wyse has taken advantage of this feature, for example, with their Dell Wyse Cloud Connect MHL stick.
    * Both MHL and WirelessHD offer no-lag uncompressed video and audio transmission. One example would be that the timing of a presentation application that depends on animations will work with no delay, leading to a smoother overall presentation.
    * MHL’s use of Remote Control Protocol allows the TV’s remote to control the connected mobile device, which is useful for moving through menus, images, spreadsheets, or presentations.
    * Finally, Silicon Image technologies offer the best possible performance for the app itself. Because both MHL and WirelessHD are uncompressed, no APU cycles are required, so all of those resources are available to run apps and games.

    I encourage you to take a look at http://www.meetmhl.com for a deeper understanding of the technology, as well as http://www.wirelesshd.org/.

  •   •   about 12 years ago

    Thanks. So there are no additional APIs required to fully exploit the advanced features?

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