Well this was a nobrainer for someone with a bunch of spare computer parts lying around. One with HDMI because modern. Oh and one with VGA because you can never have enough 15 pin stuff.
Very disappointed in timing. I bought two dongles which only had VGA and HDMI for $30 off Amazon. I coulda had more for less. I blame you, meh for making me go to bed mad.
@m2pt5 I would avoid that. Look it up, non certified Nintendo docks can brick your Switch. There are special power requirements for it to play on the tv and it does some weird power management with those docks that can brick your system if done wrong.
@m2pt5 it looks identical to a Chinesium one I bought off Amazon when switch first came out. I use it all the time, and it’s never given me an issue. I don’t use the Nintendo power brick with it; I use an Anker 60w wall wart with an anker C to C cable. Not sure if that makes a difference.
@camilos@m2pt5@tenaciousderick Nintendo did some updates to get people to buy there certified stuff. IDK if there was a real reason for the update, but one day an update came out and suddenly 3rd party dongles started bricking the switch that worked the day b4.
@camilos@m2pt5 There were some reports that Nintendo did not use a standard USB C power delivery method and one of the chips will take more power in than they could handle from 3rd party docks. This could damage the switch and Nintendo will not warranty damage cause by 3rd party docks. I am also seeing things that say nothing is wrong with using 3rd party docks. Use at your own risk I assume.
@username LG V20 (2017 phone) can send video out via HDMI and be charged via USB-C. When I’m away from home for work/vacation I use a dongle like this, connect to the tv, use a bluetooth or USB wifi keyboard and can watch apps. Bought mine for $12 in Hong Kong in 2018.
Does USB-C input mean that I can plug my charger into the dock and charge my laptop? Alternatively, can one dock plug into the other to use both at once?
@communist@DoctorOW Plenty of the other brands are also droping ports in the bid to make laptops ever thinner. I am fortunate that Work sprung for the upgraded Thinkpad that includes a HDMI port built in.
@daggar@decoratedwarvet@katbyter@scbysnax You missed some of my favorites!
STFU, CYA, LOL, ROFLMFAO, WWJD, SMH, YOLO, LMK, AFAIK, AFLAC, FWIW, EOD, EOBD, ASAP, SCUBA, RADAR, GUI, IMO, IMHO, IMNSHO, FTW, FYI, ETC…(not an acronym but an abbreviation)
@daggar@katbyter@scbysnax@Trinityscrew, OK, TS, but BTW, I did includeded, FYI, but decided to leaveth out, FYFI!! LOL, aka, LOFL!! How You Like Me Now!! Don’t answer that; my dog & me don’t like FN rejection!! No, not Sammydog, but Quasimodo!!
@daggar@katbyter@scbysnax@Trinityscrew, /look, I just post east of the 39th parallel!! All of those names are via meh!! Sid you mean FYI¿…I’ve not heard of YFI!!
I have no idea of what I would use any of these for right now. But give me a week or two, and I am sure I will need one of these (but I still don’t know which one! and I sure don’t need extra unused computer parts lying around.) Meh, in the meantime.
@tweezak Well, HDMI = 20 years ago, DisplayPort = 10 years ago, I’ve noticed a new trend in some recent monitors to have USB-C port directly. Since you plug in the monitor to AC power, some monitors even provide enough power back through the USB-C cable to power the laptop. In other words, AC power to the monitor, one cable between monitor and laptop. Power goes in, video goes out, and also you usually get some USB ports on these higher-end monitors, so they’re basically a hub. Hubba hubba.
Can I use one of these on a Chromebook to use with an external screen? Does the Chromebook need a special feature or will any Chromebook with a USBC port work? And will it work if the Chromebook is closed or does it need to be in the open position? TIA!
Question:
Is there an hdmi port?
Answer:
There is no HDMI port on this Chromebook. But you can use a USB C to HDMI adapter.
HP Team
Manufacturer · April 4, 2020
so according to HP offcial amazon account, YES this does work with your chromebook
@communist There’s the problem I mentioned. That’s a different x360. There are so many variations but I will assume if it is true for that model, it is also true for my higher end version.
Would love confirmation on whether or not the laptop has to be open. I haven’t used an external monitor in a long time, but any MacOS/Windows laptop I’ve had in the past could be used with an external monitor while the laptop was closed. Is Chrome OS different?
For those with questions about these, I’m going to guess this is the same product sold under a different brand name. Lots of info and reviews on Amazon.
According to reviews and questions answered, the one on Amazon works on all kinds of devices including Chromebooks, Macbooks, MS Surface and Android phones.
I’m tempted to pull the trigger based on my assumption that they are equivalent to what Meh has.
So the purpose of this is to give you back the ports you need because the devices no longer have them? My MacBook Pro still has a DVD-R! I like having the ports. What is the point of taking them out if you just have to carry around another device to put them back because you actually need them?
@katbyter That was one of the features I really liked when I bought my HP Spectre x360 ultrabook several years ago. It has 1 USB A, headphone/mic/speaker jack and 2 USB-C which was pretty new at the time. I’m still rocking that machine and have zero complaints. If I do need to plug into a monitor I would need a cable anyway so this is really not much more to carry.
@katbyter yes, new macbooks come with only usbc, my model has 4 and a standard headphone jack. One usbc is usually power…these would be an auto-buy for me if I hadnt already spent way too much on a collection of dongles
Can a mod tell me why I can’t edit my posts? I just edited a post and want to make a correction but the edit option is gone from two different posts in this topic. No idea if the edit option will be available for this post. Maybe there is a time limit for editing?
Well, I am editing this post right now, so I’m guessing I can’t edit either of the previous posts because there is a time limit. Yes?
@uscpsycho My experience is that:
You get 5 minutes from when you first posted to edit and re-post. If you are in the middle of editing when that expires, you can finish editing, but it will not accept any of the latest edit.
@phendrick@uscpsycho Yep, that’s exactly right. I knew about the time limit but also realized that while I had it open, I could still finish it without the limit affecting it. After that initial edit period, only a small number of uber-Elite Guardians of the Force, also known as moderators, have the ability to edit or delete. They will sometimes fix obvious typos if something is the title or first post.
What I do if I find a mistake or want to add more info, is just Reply to my existing comment.
Weren’t these called MHL (Mobile High-definition Link) cables? I bought an MHL with my Note 4 to connect my phone to a tv to watch movies on vacation.
I bought a LG V20 in 2017 and bought a HDMI dongle like Meh’s in 2018 and it works great with the V20. I don’t bring my laptop on vacations and hook up a USB Logitech keyboard/trackpad and I can watch movies, YouTube, Netflix, Amazon whatever apps my phone has.
Hmmm… maybe getting these will make me turn on, for the first time, the Surface Book 3 that’s been sitting on my coffee table charging for the last ten days.
I already have a USB-C to 2xUSB3 and Ethernet. Since the SB3 charges via a separate connector, I’m guessing/hoping that I’ll be able to plug that adapter into one of these to get HDMI and wired Ethernet at the same time.
If I plug a USB-C charge cable into the female port it will power anything plugged into the dongle, including whatever the male usb-c connector is plugged into (my phone, for example)?
If the male connector is plugged into a powered port (thunderbolt 3) it will power everything plugged into the dongle including something plugged into the female port (my phone)?
Or does power only travel one way on the female port?
Can I use this to attach two hdmi monitors to my computer vs. buying a port replicator. One to the dongle, and the other to the hdmi port already there
@aldwardo The Raspberry Pi 4 USB-C port is only for power in to the Pi. It doesn’t do data, or provide power to external devices. So none of these devices are useful with a Pi-4.
Kinda pointless mentioning 4K support if it only goes up to 30Hz. Unless you need it for displaying powerpoint slideshows in 4K, it’s basically useless unless you enjoy having a disgusting display experience.
@rlui0514 I wouldn’t. There are a lot of unusual requirements Nintendo has in place for everything to work correctly, so unless you want to risk damaging your Switch, I wouldn’t risk it.
Not that it matters any more since they’re sold out, but as @communist mentioned above, “USB-C” isn’t much more than a physical standard. Any particular feature (video, speed, power) may or may not be supported by a device or cable. If you want the HDMI to work, your source device has to support video over USB-C. Also, if you use a dongle in the chain for charging, it will steal a little bit of power, and your device will charge just a bit more slowly or annoyingly complain about it. (Unless you have a charger with enough capacity.)
There are some USB to video adapters that work more universally, but they have a DisplayLink chip. Those are more expensive, performance is limited, and DRM is not supported.
I’m wondering if I can chain two of them together via the type c input, and use the outputs of both at the same time. Any guesses before I take the plunge?
What is this trickery? This item actually was delivered in a timely fashion. Meh used USPS Mail Innovations and it even beat out an item being delivered by FedEx! Hopefully an end to Pitney Bowes, or is this just another experiment to play with our expectations? (Love you Meh)
Digipower Type-C Hub with 100W Type-C , 4K HDMI and USB3.0 Ports
Digipower Type-C Hub with 100W Type-C, 2x USB2.0 and 1x USB3.0 Ports
Digipower Type-C Hub with 100W Type-C, VGA and USB3.0 Ports
What’s in the Box?
Price Comparison
From $39.99 to $60.67 for Singles at Amazon | $39.99 for DigiPower USB C to Multiport Adapter VGA | $48.15 for DigiPower Type C Hub with HDMI | $60.67 for DigiPower Type C Hub USB 2.0 and 3.0 Type C
Warranty
90 days
Estimated Delivery
Tuesday, Sep 21 - Monday, Sep 27
OM NOM NOM NOM
Keep your Dongle to yourself!
Hubba hubba, meh! Any port in a storm!
Well this was a nobrainer for someone with a bunch of spare computer parts lying around. One with HDMI because modern. Oh and one with VGA because you can never have enough 15 pin stuff.
/giphy annoying-overwrought-dandelion
next up
type c only macbooks
Very disappointed in timing. I bought two dongles which only had VGA and HDMI for $30 off Amazon. I coulda had more for less. I blame you, meh for making me go to bed mad.
@yankees177, hey, don’t gota bed mad, just gota bed!!
Anyone know if the HDMI one works on a Nintendo Switch?
@m2pt5 I just rolled the dice and guess I’ll find out soon if the Switch will recognize the ports.
@camilos @m2pt5 That would be cool but I would say pretty unlikely.
@m2pt5 I would avoid that. Look it up, non certified Nintendo docks can brick your Switch. There are special power requirements for it to play on the tv and it does some weird power management with those docks that can brick your system if done wrong.
@m2pt5 it looks identical to a Chinesium one I bought off Amazon when switch first came out. I use it all the time, and it’s never given me an issue. I don’t use the Nintendo power brick with it; I use an Anker 60w wall wart with an anker C to C cable. Not sure if that makes a difference.
@m2pt5 @tenaciousderick why would it brick the device. Wouldn’t it just not recognize it and that’s it?
@camilos @m2pt5 @tenaciousderick Nintendo did some updates to get people to buy there certified stuff. IDK if there was a real reason for the update, but one day an update came out and suddenly 3rd party dongles started bricking the switch that worked the day b4.
@camilos @m2pt5 There were some reports that Nintendo did not use a standard USB C power delivery method and one of the chips will take more power in than they could handle from 3rd party docks. This could damage the switch and Nintendo will not warranty damage cause by 3rd party docks. I am also seeing things that say nothing is wrong with using 3rd party docks. Use at your own risk I assume.
/giphy sedate-wry-rake
Whaaaa?! These are actually modern!
Oooooo! That’s fun!
4 please!
/giphy courageous-unified-brush
This is totally the sort of thing that’s for me, but somehow this is not for me. I may have reached the fabled cable saturation point.
/giphy you lie!
I want to want them. But then I’d need to buy a new laptop or upgrade my computer. Then I’d have to find a use for them.
@jake5snooze, <–what he said!!
USB-C to HDMI might work with cellphones, is that correct?
for streaming? maybe?
@username depends on the phone
some phones support it
some dont
usb-c is a mess right now with all phones using it to charge but only some phones can output video
@username LG V20 (2017 phone) can send video out via HDMI and be charged via USB-C. When I’m away from home for work/vacation I use a dongle like this, connect to the tv, use a bluetooth or USB wifi keyboard and can watch apps. Bought mine for $12 in Hong Kong in 2018.
Does USB-C input mean that I can plug my charger into the dock and charge my laptop? Alternatively, can one dock plug into the other to use both at once?
@nickm461 yeah, the input is meant for charging.
Does this solve some sort of rich person problem that me and my decade-old laptop don’t understand?
@DoctorOW new laptops have gotten thinner and lighter, and also dropped most ports. Some only have a couple of USB-C
@DoctorOW its a Apple problem
on all new apple laptops have usb c and a headphone jack
nothing else, not even hdmi or ethernet
so if u own a macbook, you need these type of dongles
@communist I thought about making the joke Macbook specific in my original comment. Unfortunately they’re just leading the way.
@DoctorOW, <<–what Doc said!!
@communist @DoctorOW Plenty of the other brands are also droping ports in the bid to make laptops ever thinner. I am fortunate that Work sprung for the upgraded Thinkpad that includes a HDMI port built in.
I miss PCMCIA just because it has the best jumbled up letters ever.
@scbysnax WYSIWYG
@katbyter @scbysnax People Can’t Memorize Computer Industry Acronyms
@daggar @katbyter @scbysnax, yeah, OMG, BTW, FYI, DIY, FBI, BB King, Doris Day, DA CIA, & JSYK, I NEVER FN USE FN ACRONYMS!!
@daggar @decoratedwarvet @katbyter @scbysnax You missed some of my favorites!
STFU, CYA, LOL, ROFLMFAO, WWJD, SMH, YOLO, LMK, AFAIK, AFLAC, FWIW, EOD, EOBD, ASAP, SCUBA, RADAR, GUI, IMO, IMHO, IMNSHO, FTW, FYI, ETC…(not an acronym but an abbreviation)
@daggar @katbyter @scbysnax @Trinityscrew, OK, TS, but BTW, I did includeded, FYI, but decided to leaveth out, FYFI!! LOL, aka, LOFL!! How You Like Me Now!! Don’t answer that; my dog & me don’t like FN rejection!! No, not Sammydog, but Quasimodo!!
@daggar @decoratedwarvet @katbyter @scbysnax
It’s Trinity’s Crew, not Trinity Screw, YFI.
@daggar @katbyter @scbysnax @Trinityscrew, /look, I just post east of the 39th parallel!! All of those names are via meh!! Sid you mean FYI¿…I’ve not heard of YFI!!
A “Dongle” or two to play with?
Why does this remind me of a Chuck Berry song?
@phendrick
@phendrick,
@phendrick bless you for that! I had almost forgotten about “My Dingaling”! I’m fixing to play with it now!
I have no idea of what I would use any of these for right now. But give me a week or two, and I am sure I will need one of these (but I still don’t know which one! and I sure don’t need extra unused computer parts lying around.) Meh, in the meantime.
@phendrick, <<-- what phen said, I think!!
@decoratedwarvet @phendrick I thought about this too, then remembered that one of these dongles may save my life one of these days.
Basically necessary for any new laptop if you want to connect a monitor or multiple peripherals.
@alose laughs in Dell Precision, but weakly because it’s so heavy
VGA, eh? Now you’re talking my language, Meh. Got anything in a sexxxxay SCSI?
@UncleVinny I’m holding out for 9-pin serial.
HDMI is such old news. What I’m looking for is display port. Get with the times already.
@tweezak Well, HDMI = 20 years ago, DisplayPort = 10 years ago, I’ve noticed a new trend in some recent monitors to have USB-C port directly. Since you plug in the monitor to AC power, some monitors even provide enough power back through the USB-C cable to power the laptop. In other words, AC power to the monitor, one cable between monitor and laptop. Power goes in, video goes out, and also you usually get some USB ports on these higher-end monitors, so they’re basically a hub. Hubba hubba.
What is that cord hanging off the back with no label?
@brettpeirce is it the dongle’s dingle?
(It’s the USB-C you connect to the computer)
@brettpeirce, well, it sure ain’t
My Ding-a-ling
@brettpeirce @decoratedwarvet “We did it in the kitchen
We did it in the hall
I got some on my finger
And wiped it on the wall”
@brettpeirce @Kyser_Soze,
Can I use one of these on a Chromebook to use with an external screen? Does the Chromebook need a special feature or will any Chromebook with a USBC port work? And will it work if the Chromebook is closed or does it need to be in the open position? TIA!
@uscpsycho
what model is your chromebook?
generally no, you need to keep the chromebook in open position
@communist I have an HP x360, which probably isn’t very helpful because that is a pretty generic model number with a bunch of variations.
Needing to keep the laptop open kind of defeats the benefit of using an external monitor. Blech.
@uscpsycho bingo
https://www.amazon.com/ask/questions/asin/B07VZ39199/2/ref=ask_dp_iaw_ql_hza?isAnswered=true#question-Tx26FG14E0L48CB
Question:
Is there an hdmi port?
Answer:
There is no HDMI port on this Chromebook. But you can use a USB C to HDMI adapter.
HP Team
Manufacturer · April 4, 2020
so according to HP offcial amazon account, YES this does work with your chromebook
@communist There’s the problem I mentioned. That’s a different x360. There are so many variations but I will assume if it is true for that model, it is also true for my higher end version.
Would love confirmation on whether or not the laptop has to be open. I haven’t used an external monitor in a long time, but any MacOS/Windows laptop I’ve had in the past could be used with an external monitor while the laptop was closed. Is Chrome OS different?
No mention of Power Delivery compliance (AKA PD.) I wonder if this works with PD style chargers.
For those with questions about these, I’m going to guess this is the same product sold under a different brand name. Lots of info and reviews on Amazon.
According to reviews and questions answered, the one on Amazon works on all kinds of devices including Chromebooks, Macbooks, MS Surface and Android phones.
I’m tempted to pull the trigger based on my assumption that they are equivalent to what Meh has.
So the purpose of this is to give you back the ports you need because the devices no longer have them? My MacBook Pro still has a DVD-R! I like having the ports. What is the point of taking them out if you just have to carry around another device to put them back because you actually need them?
@katbyter That was one of the features I really liked when I bought my HP Spectre x360 ultrabook several years ago. It has 1 USB A, headphone/mic/speaker jack and 2 USB-C which was pretty new at the time. I’m still rocking that machine and have zero complaints. If I do need to plug into a monitor I would need a cable anyway so this is really not much more to carry.
@katbyter yes, new macbooks come with only usbc, my model has 4 and a standard headphone jack. One usbc is usually power…these would be an auto-buy for me if I hadnt already spent way too much on a collection of dongles
@jchizmar @katbyter My latest laptop is too slim for an RJ-45, so I had to get a USB Ethernet adapter.
Can a mod tell me why I can’t edit my posts? I just edited a post and want to make a correction but the edit option is gone from two different posts in this topic. No idea if the edit option will be available for this post. Maybe there is a time limit for editing?
Well, I am editing this post right now, so I’m guessing I can’t edit either of the previous posts because there is a time limit. Yes?
@uscpsycho
yes there is a time limit on edits.
@uscpsycho My experience is that:
You get 5 minutes from when you first posted to edit and re-post. If you are in the middle of editing when that expires, you can finish editing, but it will not accept any of the latest edit.
@phendrick @uscpsycho Yep, that’s exactly right. I knew about the time limit but also realized that while I had it open, I could still finish it without the limit affecting it. After that initial edit period, only a small number of uber-Elite Guardians of the Force, also known as moderators, have the ability to edit or delete. They will sometimes fix obvious typos if something is the title or first post.
What I do if I find a mistake or want to add more info, is just Reply to my existing comment.
Weren’t these called MHL (Mobile High-definition Link) cables? I bought an MHL with my Note 4 to connect my phone to a tv to watch movies on vacation.
I bought a LG V20 in 2017 and bought a HDMI dongle like Meh’s in 2018 and it works great with the V20. I don’t bring my laptop on vacations and hook up a USB Logitech keyboard/trackpad and I can watch movies, YouTube, Netflix, Amazon whatever apps my phone has.
Hmmm… maybe getting these will make me turn on, for the first time, the Surface Book 3 that’s been sitting on my coffee table charging for the last ten days.
I already have a USB-C to 2xUSB3 and Ethernet. Since the SB3 charges via a separate connector, I’m guessing/hoping that I’ll be able to plug that adapter into one of these to get HDMI and wired Ethernet at the same time.
/giphy frightened-headstrong-egg
“Oh, and you get 2 of them for $20
That’s $12 each!
Wait…”
$12.50 with shipping unless you’re VMP, or whatever the other is.
@Kyser_Soze I think it’s just Mehmbership
One more stupid format, fuck!
/giphy nautical-humbling-wombat
“Input” is confusing me.
If I plug a USB-C charge cable into the female port it will power anything plugged into the dongle, including whatever the male usb-c connector is plugged into (my phone, for example)?
If the male connector is plugged into a powered port (thunderbolt 3) it will power everything plugged into the dongle including something plugged into the female port (my phone)?
Or does power only travel one way on the female port?
Data travels both ways on all ports?
They’ll be useful regardless.
/giphy rushing-generous-quicksand
Can I use this to attach two hdmi monitors to my computer vs. buying a port replicator. One to the dongle, and the other to the hdmi port already there
@synasoft
As I see it, yes
/8ball will this do that?
/giphy entertaining-vindictive-recess
/giphy loosely-negative-hole
2x HDMI, how outdated is VGA?
/giphy roasted-firm-carrot
@camilos Somehow still on almost every modern projector
@makhay true, but HDMI is there to keep it clean and simple.
Would these work on a raspberry pi 4?
@aldwardo < picks newly arrived pi 4 off desk > I hadn’t thought of that. Only one way to find out! I’m ordering one.
@aldwardo The Raspberry Pi 4 USB-C port is only for power in to the Pi. It doesn’t do data, or provide power to external devices. So none of these devices are useful with a Pi-4.
Something sorta useful, so of course it’s sold out by the time I see it.
Kinda pointless mentioning 4K support if it only goes up to 30Hz. Unless you need it for displaying powerpoint slideshows in 4K, it’s basically useless unless you enjoy having a disgusting display experience.
Does this work with the Nintendo Switch to replace the dock?
@rlui0514 I wouldn’t. There are a lot of unusual requirements Nintendo has in place for everything to work correctly, so unless you want to risk damaging your Switch, I wouldn’t risk it.
Ya filthy animals…
the one I wanted is all sold out before I could get back to purchase.
Ugh.
Odd that Meh sells out of something though…
@rustyh3 … only things I actually wanted to buy!
Not that it matters any more since they’re sold out, but as @communist mentioned above, “USB-C” isn’t much more than a physical standard. Any particular feature (video, speed, power) may or may not be supported by a device or cable. If you want the HDMI to work, your source device has to support video over USB-C. Also, if you use a dongle in the chain for charging, it will steal a little bit of power, and your device will charge just a bit more slowly or annoyingly complain about it. (Unless you have a charger with enough capacity.)
There are some USB to video adapters that work more universally, but they have a DisplayLink chip. Those are more expensive, performance is limited, and DRM is not supported.
I’m wondering if I can chain two of them together via the type c input, and use the outputs of both at the same time. Any guesses before I take the plunge?
Aww, nuts. I had hoped that the VMP stash would include all three options. Nope, just the 3x USB version.
You MoFo’s… I would have really liked 1-2 of the really likable items. Bitter, angry, F you
What is this trickery? This item actually was delivered in a timely fashion. Meh used USPS Mail Innovations and it even beat out an item being delivered by FedEx!
Hopefully an end to Pitney Bowes, or is this just another experiment to play with our expectations? 
(Love you Meh)
I only got one pack of each?
@MrMavin Did you get two total? That’s a two pack.
You would have chosen which ones you wanted when you ordered. Did you ask for 2 of one type or one of each type? There were actually three types.