Surface microHDMI port works with generic cable

[illidanx]

Well, i read this in another forum today. I think it would be useful in case you plan to buy the microHDMI cable from microsoft.

Microsoft Surface MicroHDMI is NOT Proprietary.. This $5.99 cable work - Neowin Forums

 

[VagrantWade]

Yea Microsoft themselves said this before the surface even released

 

[Digital Savior]

I think it's proprietary because they added an analog signal. Normal HDMI does not support analog signals, hence, proprietary.

- analog as in able to use the VGA adapter

 

[Digital Moe]

I bought a cheapo one from Amazon and it works but doesn't seem to sit in the Surface properly, sometimes I need to wiggle it around to make a proper connection.

 

[mister2d]

I think it's proprietary because they added an analog signal. Normal HDMI does not support analog signals, hence, proprietary.

- analog as in able to use the VGA adapter

It's not proprietary. The cable I had lying around worked fine when I connected it to my Visio tv.

 

[shn'g]

I don't understand... are people saying you have to use the Microsoft hdmi cable? I already had a micro hdmi to hdmi in adapter.. plugged it into surface, then the hdmi cable into it. There were no problems at all. Everything works and looks great

 

[Digital Savior]

It's not proprietary. The cable I had lying around worked fine when I connected it to my Visio tv.

HDMI is digital which is not what I am saying. The Surface port supports analog which normal HDMI does not support.

 

[shn'g]

HDMI is digital which is not what I am saying. The Surface port supports analog which normal HDMI does not support.

Will the normal person be able to notice a difference? I'm honestly wanting to know! I like things to look good but have no problem with the normal hdmi, but would it look a lot better?

 

[Digital Savior]

Will the normal person be able to notice a difference? I'm honestly wanting to know! I like things to look good but have no problem with the normal hdmi, but would it look a lot better?

Probably not. Digital is better anyways. Microsoft probably added the analog capability to make the Surface more business friendly for users that need a VGA connection.

 

[Bob Ward]

I purchased the Microsoft HDMI to VGA cable and have exactly the same problem. When plugged into the Surface the connector is really sensitive. When I try to touch the screen the VGA display goes away and then comes back. I also notice that the analog signal strength is less then the laptop. I was hoping to use it in my classroom to replace my laptop but it has a vary intermittent connection with the projector, partly because of the connecor and partly becasue of the low output signa. Using my VGA monitor it connects just fine but flickers as I use the touchscreen. I am frustrated because I purchased the Surface so I could use it in the classroom.

 

[LonePalmBJ]

I bought a $4 cable on eBay and it works fine. I haven't had any problems with the integrity of the connector either.

I also have the official Microsoft mini-HDMI-to-VGA connector/converter, and it works great too, and no issues with connection there either.

Brent

 

[nuprotocol]

Which one did you buy? Can you post the auction?

 

[sportex]

I had my rt connected to my tv with a ?5 hdmi cable for the 1st time last weekend. had to wiggle it about to get a proper connection and had to cut a bit of the casing to make sure the connector was pushed all the way in to the rt to allow audio. it played fine but its not perfect having to wiggle the cable. I also noticed some fuzziness and pixilation on the rt screen. when I disconnected rt from tv. some parts of the screen still had this problem. I restarted the rt and everything seemed to be ok. not happy

 

[Damager56]

I bought a generic micro hdmi to hdmi cable yesterday to test it out on my surface 2.

I plugged it into my surface 2 and connected to my samsung TV, and to my disappointment it didn't work.

In order to find out if I had a faulty cable, I proceeded to with my Blackberry Z10 which has a micro hdmi port, and it worked beautifully.

I tried again on the surface and this time with my other LG TV, and same result, not working.

At best, I was able to get the surface to detect the cable, so I had the option choose whether I wanted to duplicate the screen, or extend it via "Device" on the charm bar or I can go into "Settings"-->"Change PC Settings" --> "PC and devices" --> "Display" to change things up, but none of that matter because nothing was displaying on the TV, the TV could not register a signal.

Can anyone help?

Thanks,

 

[WillysJeepMan]

Damager56, take a close look at the micro HDMI end of the cable. Because the edge of the Surface is at an angle compared to the port, cables that have a wide casing around the connector may not be fully seated.

I had that issue with mine. Using a sheetrock knife I carefully trimmed the casing so that it matched the angle of the Surface's edge. That allowed the cable to more fully seat and make the connection.

I'm pretty sure that will get you working.

If you get the video to work but find that the audio is not coming through the TV, then you will need to bring up the audio settings on the Surface 2 desktop and set the audio out to HDMI. (Windows doesn't or at least didn't when I had a Surface 2, automatically switch the audio... it has to be manually set) I ended up creating a shortcut on the desktop to the audio settings.

​hope this helps.

 

[Jon-Anthony De Angelis]

I have an ASUS t100 it also has a micro HDMI port I only use cheap $5 eBay cables for it I recently got a surface rt I use the same cable to plug into my 50inch Samsung no problems