dr_st wrote:mydreamlaptop wrote:... would you really trust your presentation to a "very cheap" adapter containg active electronics which "generally" works very well?
Yes. And if you think it's a problem, then do keep in mind that the sh*tty VGA cables/connectors and the crappy projectors themselves are about 10 times more likely to fail / cause issues than those active adapters. And this is from experience. You are really presenting a non-issue as an issue here.
mydreamlaptop wrote:Somebody will "borrow" the adapter.
There are two ways around it. You can attach them permanently using a fairly simple security device (I've seen it done), or you can carry one of your own (most people carry power bricks and external mice, it's not a big deal to carry a small adapter).
Don't get me wrong - I would like to have VGA if possible. It is certainly easier to not
have to use adapters. But if tradeoffs are required, then in today's world, I would rather lose VGA than most other ports (Network/USB3/DP).
Damaged VGA cables don't completely fail – at first one component of the color signal might go out, causing e.g. pinkish/bluish color cast. The show can still go on. The owner would have to repair it eventually but in the heat of the moment, an off-color presentation is usually acceptable.
Whereas, a damaged digital cable just stops working.
Crappy projectors can die for any reason. What signal the projector takes is beside the point.
Security device: OK, let's say you have a Mini-DisplayPort → VGA adapter permanently attached to your projector setup. Somebody comes along with a VGA laptop (or HDMI or Mini-DVI or anything else). Now what?
Carry your own: Of course it's not a big deal to carry a small adapter. It's a big deal to
lose a small adapter. It is a weak link – a single point of failure. Forget your adapter and you're dead in the water in front of many/important people.
None of those other things you carry are absolutely needed in a presentation. Forgot your power brick? Your ThinkPad has all-day battery life, you'll be fine for a 1-hour presentation.
Forgot your mouse? Come on, your ThinkPad has a touchpad AND a trackpoint.
Tradeoffs? Not really. There is plenty of room for Ethernet/USB3/DP/VGA on a laptop sized 13 inches and up. The only reasons not to have ALL of these ports are extreme thinness and/or cost-cutting. If a product doesn't meet my needs, then I don't buy it. Simple.
bgx wrote:been fine?
"i forget my adaptor".
"it is not the right adaptor"
"can you pass me ur adaptor?"
"the adaptor does not work".
i would prefer to avoid this problems. they can built the adaptor in the computer (i read it s what they ve done in the X250) that would be great.
And usb C with DP pathtrough and possibly thunderbolt - the future de facto standard i hope.
=> well, i read here a bad news:
"The only feature of DisplayPort that won’t work over the Type-C Alternate Mode is Dual-Mode DisplayPort (DP++), which means you’ll need to use active adapters if you want to plug the Type-C connector into an HDMI, DVI, or VGA socket."
http://www.extremetech.com/computing/19 ... every-hole
Agreed. The fruity company changed their adapter port way too many times.
Actually witnessing those users' troubles far too many times is part of the reason why I insist on native VGA in a laptop.
I was optimistic about DP over usb-C at first but now it looks less and less promising.
The ability to use a variety of completely passive adapters for all the major display standards was one of the great advantages of mini-DP++.
That would make sense. Reddit is an extremely popular site, so if a larger percentage of Redditors prefer 16:10 over the other aspect ratios then it's likely to win. Oh well.
Summilux wrote:Yes. Let them know that your laptop is equipped with HDMI and DP ports, and that if they don't have projectors with such native capabilities, you would like them to provide an adapter for the presenters' computers.
If in 2015 a venue is hosting, say, 10 presenters per room and per month, you can bet the manager of this facility has been requested HDMI/DP capability more than once per conference.
Any half-competent manager would realise that it is irresponsible to let such demand grow without providing a satisfying solution. Because his/her job is to maximise the conference flow. Users before hardware.
Thus there are two obvious options:
1) Provide adapters on request or leave them permanently attached onto the VGA cables. Buy some spares from different manufacturers just in case.
2) Replace the old projectors if funds are available.
Telling others how to spend their money? Not all institutions are operated on a for-profit basis. The lead time before a presentation is nothing compared to the lead time of a building renovation.
I can decide what laptop I buy. I can't decide what projector equipment other people buy. It would take a majority of people to influence them.
Summilux wrote:HDMI is the new VGA.
Then there will be both HDMI and VGA for at least 10 years.
Summilux wrote:
Checking the Apple line-up (which is the new Thinkpad), none of them have VGA ports. Asus laptops, including those with discrete graphics? None are fitted with VGA. All have HDMI ports.
The reality is that manufacturers, and end-users as a result, have moved on. And conference rooms have no choice but to follow suit.
You're not going to tell all these people that they should have bought a proper laptop with a built-in VGA port if they wanted to make a presentation.
A basic VGA to HDMI adapter costs less than 15€. A basic 10 metre HDMI can be had for 15 to 25€. It is certainly within the means of an institution to spend a dozen of euros per projector-equipped room to adapt to this reality. If they're too cheap for that, they certainly won't be seen as user-friendly and will lose both credibility and competitivity in the process. Any serious institution would want to avoid that.
Where do people prefer to work/present for: places that acknowledge current standards and get on with the times, or places that enforce retrograde connectivity? What does that tell prospective applicants/lecturers about those places' respective mentalities?
That's what stands behind the presence, or absence, of a little VGA-to-HDMI adapter.
And when a new standard replaces HDMI, well, people and conference rooms will have to adapt again. Just like they had to previously adapte from overhead projectors to video projectors.
Blame the conference room managers. They didn't do their job properly.
Did the fruity company ever use VGA ports? I've never seen a laptop from them with one.
Usually someone who uses a laptop without VGA for presentations carries an adapter for VGA. All the time they use it normally it is fine, but the one time they forget it, it creates an incident.
Personally I would avoid laptops manufactured without a VGA for now until projectors adapt. During the transition to HDMI (if it even happens), I would look for a laptop that has both VGA and full-size HDMI.
jcvjcvjcvjcv wrote:Even universities that have newer projectors often opted to only put on a VGA cable, even if the projector has DP / HDMI. In bigger rooms, you even can't just fit a DP / HDMI cable to it yourself, if the projector is 4 meters off the floor and 8 meters from the front of the room. Let alone 30 meters..
Not to mention bureaucratic processes...
Dante of the Inferno wrote:The top 5 ports (in order) are USB A, full-size Ethernet, SD Card Reader, USB C, and full-size HDMI. Finally, 4 out of 5 voters don't want an optical drive or ultra-bay at all. It seems VGA and discs are have been deemed utterly obsolete, even to corporate professionals.
No it's not. For all we know VGA could have been #6. Seeing how full-size HDMI made it to #5. Finally, there is no evidence that all these voters are corporate professionals. These surveys are open to any and all interested persons on the Internet.
pianowizard wrote:dr_st wrote:Interesting. It seems that most people just don't realize that a DP++ can output HDMI, but not vice versa, so it's always better to have a DisplayPort than HDMI.
Most people simply have never heard of DisplayPort. Even Apple laptop users don't know what their video output interface (Mini DisplayPort) is called. When they finally hear the term "DisplayPort", they don't realize it's a proper term, but instead think it just means display port.
In terms of adaptability and highest resolution supported, DisplayPort > HDMI > DVI > VGA.
It's not about adaptability. It's about being able to immediately make a presentation on a big screen TV when you don't have an adapter. In terms of native cables that are easy to find, projectors will have VGA cables already attached, and HDTVs will have full-size HDMI cables already attached. Why isn't Mini-HDMI preferred? It's smaller and allows more room for other ports on a laptop. But it requires a specific cable that isn't very common.
Full-size HDMI has the advantage of ubiquity. Most HDTVs have HD video sources (DVR, blue ray, game console, etc) connected with a HDMI cable, which you can then use to plug in your laptop.
When you have a room full of people for your presentation, the last thing you want is to make them wait while you try to get the correct cable/adapter.