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Comment by jcampbell1 | Hacker News Reader

> Power cord required (not shown).

What the hell is this about a "power cord". The specs and details are totally not clear. Is this not powered by HDMI? If it requires a power cord, these images are deceptive marketing.

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Only MHL HDMI is capable of providing power, AFAIK. 'Regular' HDMI is capable of data transmission only.

A power cord is included in the box, according to The Verge. You can power it either via one of your TV's USB ports, or an A/C jack: http://cdn2.sbnation.com/entry_photo_images/8651957/2013-07-...

"The power adapter is an optional requirement. In fact, most modern TV's with HDMI 1.4 or higher spec are supported. The Chromecast can draw power from the HDMI port it's plugged into. If your TV doesn't support that, there's also a USB cable and power adapter included in the box. I have a 2012 LG LED and a 2013 Lenovo 27" Monitor with HDMI input and the ports power it with no cable."

Source: http://www.amazon.com/review/RBCJ03NLRAHIF/

It's pretty [1] standard [2] to not include cords in product pictures.

1. https://www.apple.com/appletv/

2. https://www.apple.com/imac/

Yeah, but this is the size of a USB stick, with that comes the expectation/assumption that there is no power cord.

Really funny. Everybody else does it. Even though two devices are not comparable in form factor. Why it is in minuscule fine print though? Please ...

Really not a problem.. The power cord is only required on certain HDMI ports.. and it likely won't be needed on future/modern HDMI ports.

Why is this even an issue?

"Everyone else does it" has never been a reason, only an excuse.

This isn't even the same as devices that always require AC power but don't show a cord. It's basically a method of providing backwards-compatibility with HDMI ports that don't provide power, but if you're using the state-of-the-art TVs they show the product with, there's no power cord necessary.

It seems pretty clear from the first picture that it's a male HMDI plug on one end and a female plug (which looks like the standard Android phone USB plug) on the other end. I don't see any images of the device plugged into a TV without a power cord (correction: there is one animation in the Plug and Play section if you mouse over). The images are just of the device on its own, so it doesn't seem deceptive to me.

You comment made me curious: is it possible for things to be powered by HDMI? There is definitely a 5V pin as part of the HDMI spec, but I can't find a good source for details.

The 5V pin delivers 50mA. Enough to be tantalizing, insufficient for current reality.

> I don't see any images of the device plugged into a TV without a power cord.

From the "Plug and Play" section:

http://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/assets/common/images/ch...

The only place I see any mention of a power cord is in 10px #d1d1d1 font on a white background.

Correction noted. I hadn't moused over that spot.

Well this is disappointing.

If your t.v. has an HDMI port it more than likely has a USB as well. Not a big deal.

Neither of my TVs have USB, but both have HDMI. I'd hazard a guess that the older "brand new HD" TVs that came with HDMI first will need external power, while modern ones won't need it.

Actually, many (perhaps even most) TV USB ports don't provide power (or good enough quality power) for anything beyond basic thumb drives. It's also possible for ports not to offer power unless the right handshake is made by the device. Also, some TVs have a USB port which is only for diagnostic use, and can provide unsteady/harmful power output.

However, I'm guessing this device ships with a USB cable + wall wart for everyone else.

It does....

> If your t.v. has an HDMI port it more than likely has a USB as well.

This is probably true for current new TVs, but HDMI ports were common on HDTVs before USB ports were, and not everyone replaces their TV every year.

If your TV is capable of powering via HDMI it doesn't require a power adapter. You can't really blame them for that if the TV is out of date.

Just like, pretty much every, android device it uses a USB charger. Many advertisement related images don't include cords and the like for prettier pictures. Using HDMI to power things is a tricky thing, many monitors and TVs din't supply power over HDMI and among those that do (especially Sony TV iirc) they provide less-than ideal amounts of power.

A lot of new HDTV's however have HDMI and a USB port (generally near each other).

It would be a bit messy but perhaps you could have it plugged into both at once and then you won't need an ungainly power cable to a socket.

On recent HD TVs that's true, but if you go back more than 2-3 years (or didn't buy a giant 55" set) then it's quite likely you'll have to resort to the AC adapter.

Which is exactly what they've accounted for here, and why they've given both options.

The question is - do you have to resort to the AC adapter if you have one of the newer HDMI ports?

The fine text on the linked page says "Power cord required" (emphasis mine).

It uses a USB cable that is indeed not shown in the marketing images, but it is mentioned in the product description.

I think it can be connected like this with the TV's USB port:

http://cdn3.sbnation.com/entry_photo_images/8651907/2013-07-...

Yep, or a regular USB power adapter which I think someone mentioned is included.

Does anyone know if this is actually powered solely by HDMI:

www.roku.com/streamingstick

It is, but only works on a TV that supports MHL HDMI. The chromecast stick works on any HDMI port because it doesn't rely on the port for power.

it's too bad it can't use MHL power where available and fall back to external. Seems like an obvious feature.

It is but it's MHL

Lots of Smart TVs also have USB -- how much power does this draw? Could it not have a USB power-slurper that you could plug into the USB port of the TV fr power?

Yes, you can do precisely that. As posted above, the setup instructions show options for either connecting to a TV's USB port or using a USB wall charger: http://cdn2.sbnation.com/entry_photo_images/8651957/2013-07-...

It does.

The Samsung TVs can supply something stupid like 300ma. Enough for a USB stick, but not a spinning disk that is host powered.

sucks. Just bought 3 units. Didn't see it requires a power cord

Does it honestly change anything? It's not like your TV doesn't require a power cord...

Did you spot any cable during the presentation from the dongle to the wall or a power strip?

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