• “This is without a doubt, one of the best purchases I’ve ever made. I definately recommend this to everyone who wants to connect their PC to their TV.” – Lisa

Features

  • Add HDMI support to any Windows PC without an existing HDMI connector.
  • Use any HDMI TV as an extra monitor, from your PC. Play video from PC to TV at 720p
  • Supports both video and audio over a single cable with a single device
  • Will set modes up to 1080p, however 720p recommended for best performance
  • DisplayLink 165 chipset. DisplayLink drivers with “Fit to TV” functionality

    • Model: USB2-HDMI-165

    Description

    Learn more

    Use your HDMI TV as an extra display, even with older PCs and laptops without a built-in HDMI connector.

    Requirements

    This adapter adds HDMI connectivity via any available USB 2.0 port. Enables a single HDMI cable to carry both USB graphics and USB audio to your HDMI TV or monitor with speakers, or other HDMI audio/video receiver. Uses USB graphics chips and drivers from DisplayLink and standard USB audio drivers already built into Windows. Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, or later required. Mac and Linux are not supported at this time (only beta-level USB graphics drivers are available for these platforms).

    HDMI TV Compatibility

    Most, but not all, TVs are compatible. The exceptions are TVs that don’t support EDID (which communicates monitor capabilities to the PC) or which require specific higher versions of the HDMI spec, beyond 1.0.

    Performance

    Sets modes up to 1920×1080 (1080p), however we recommend users set manually set Windows to 720p (1280×720) or lower for best video playback performance. Above this mode, framerates will be limited by the USB 2.0 connection.

    Included in package

    Main HDMI adapter unit, USB 2.0 cable for connecting back to PC, driver CD, and quickstart guide. Assumes use of a standard HDMI 19-pin male connector between adapter and TV (HDMI cable not included).

    Multiple Displays

    We often hear customers say “After using multiple monitors, I can’t go back!”. If you’re doing information work — looking at one document while editing another, researching, or generally working on several things at once — it’s indispensable.

    Simply drag windows back and forth to make use of all the extra Windows desktop space.

    Plugable USB graphics adapters fully support rotation — turn one or both screens to show documents in gorgeous full-page layout (with a monitor stand that’s capable of rotation).

    A common setup is to create a beautifully symmetric yet flexible 3 display desktop, combining your laptop display with 2 extra monitors on either side with your laptop’s external graphics port + one Plugable adapter, or with two Plugable adapters to allow easy USB dock/undock.

    Hardware Requirements and Recommendations

    • CPU: Dual-core or 2GHz processor or better recommended on Windows Vista, Win7, and Mac (Single core ULV or Intel Atom class processors or better are recommended for Windows XP and Linux)
    • GPU: Used for 2D/3D rendering on Windows Vista and Win7, requiring a single Intel, nVidia, or ATI primary WDDM driver.

    Driver and OS Version details

    See the DisplayLink User Manual for full details and setup tips

    WINDOWS VERSION COMPATIBILITY:
    Drivers are provided automatically via Microsoft’s Windows Update mechanism with approved drivers across all of Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7. 64-bit and full Aero support on Vista and Windows 7. Windows XP 64-bit not supported. Note that Microsoft limits multiple display support in Windows 7 “Starter” Edition and Windows Vista “Home Basic” Edition to mirroring screens.

    For Windows Server 2003 (32-bit), Server 2008 (32 and 64-bit) and Server 2008 R2 (64-bit) you will need to download the drivers from the DisplayLink website.

    MAC VERSION COMPATIBILITY:
    Up to 4 DisplayLink devices can be used with a Mac.

    DisplayLink’s Mac driver v. 1.7 for OS X Lion 10.7, Snow Leopard 10.6, Leopard 10.5, and Tiger 10.4 is available at http://displaylink.com/support/mac_downloads.php. DisplayLink notes the following limitation: “This driver does not support 3D acceleration. Some features of Mac OS X-based applications that require hardware OpenGL acceleration, such as Keynote presentations and iPhoto slideshows, will not function properly.”

    The latest recommended version of Mac OS X is 10.7.2. Although 10.7.3 was released in February 2012, there is a bug with display rotation that affects third-party drivers. We do not recommend using 10.7.3 until DisplayLink is certain that display-management issues in this OS X release have been fixed.

    See http://displaylink.com/mac for more info

    LINUX COMPATIBILITY:
    As of Linux kernel 2.6.31, this adapter has open source drivers in the kernel staging tree. As of 2.6.38, the driver was promoted to the main kernel tree. Configuration of X Windows for USB displays is still distribution and scenario dependent, however, and only for very adventurous users. Plugable is involved with Linux development work, see http://plugable.com/category/platform/linux/ for details.

    Where to Buy

    Plugable USB2-HDMI-165 USB to HDMI Video and Audio Adapter for PC to TV 720p (DisplayLink DL-165 chip) Product Details $64.95