Review: HTC TV Out ACT100 Cable
Posted on Tuesday, Jun 30, 2009 by HobbesIsReal
I have the Sprint Touch Pro, and one of the unique features that I have been dying to play with since I got it was the TV cable feature. With such a small screen on my phone being shown on a big screen like a TV, I wasn’t expecting much. I was pleasantly surprised to be surprised by what I found once I got my hands on the HTC TV Out ACT100 Cable.
Want to see what I found? Then take a look inside at the full review of the joys a simple cable can bring to you…
The HTC TV Out ACT100 Cable feels like a well-built cable. On one end of the cable you plug it into the ExtUSB port at the bottom of your phone. This has a box with another handy ExtUSB port off to the side. At the other end of the cable you will find your normal RCA plugs (Yellow for video and red & white for stereo audio) that you would plug into your TV.
With having 5 ft from end to end, you should have enough room to comfortably use the phone while it is connect to your TV.
What is nice, is that as soon as you plug the HTC TV Out ACT100 Cable into your phone, it recognizes it and launches the TV out program automatically.
As you can see, you have several options that include a PowerPoint Presentation (a feature I think I might be using in the near future for work), Photos and Videos, Internet, and You Tube.
The photos and videos section is just what you would think, plus some extras. You can share your photos or videos that you have taken with your camera. You can even show digital movies that you might have on your phone. But what is cool, is that you can take live pictures, including the streaming preview of the room. This could then be used as a nanny cam if hooked up to a VCR or DVR.
It was kind of cool to browse the net and see it on the TV. I could see myself using this on vacation in a hotel that charges $9.99 to $19.99 a day for internet service, so I can look up the local show times and the whole family can see. The text is very clear and very easy to read. If I did not know the picture was coming from my cell phone, I never would have ever guessed that. Here is what the WMExperts website looks like:
If you like YouTube, you will love this. Watch videos with your friends or family. If the YouTube movie is really optimized, you will see the low quality of the video on the TV a lot more than on your phone, but if the video is of good quality, then the picture is perfect. Here is a video from You Tube:
You also don’t have to worry if you travel abroad or don’t live in North America… you can configure it to work just about anywhere:
Summary
There is no doubt that the quality of the video on the TV exceeded all of my preconceived misconceptions of what it would look like. This cable is fun, entertaining, and actually very useful. This is a must have accessory for all HTC Touch Pro series phones owners. You get get it for $19.95 from the WMExperts Store.
