HDMI playback

From Symbian^3 onwards, Symbian devices can support the High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) for transmitting video and other content to an external display. The HDMI connection supports high-definition (HD) video up to 720p resolution (1280 x 720 pixels). Non-video content can also be transmitted to the external display.

Symbian^3 devices support HDMI version 1.3a. For more information about the HDMI specification, see HDMI on Wikipedia.

You do not need to modify your MIDlet for it to support HDMI playback. The device handles HDMI playback automatically.

HDMI playback behavior

When the device is connected to an external display with a HDMI cable, the device automatically routes content from its screen to the external display. How and what content is shown on the external display and what is shown on the device screen depends on the kind of content:

  • Video (HD or non-HD)

    In case of video, the external display shows only the video content, while the device screen shows only the MIDlet UI components. The video playback area in the MIDlet UI is left blank. The device is used to control the video playback on the external display.

    Video is always played back in landscape mode on the external display. The device screen orientation has no effect on the playback. To ensure good user experience, set the MIDlet UI orientation to landscape mode if the MIDlet renders any video content. To set the orientation, use the Nokia-MIDlet-App-Orientation JAD attribute:

    Nokia-MIDlet-App-Orientation: landscape

    HD video (720p) is shown on the external display in its original resolution, if the display uses 720p resolution, and upscaled by width, if the display supports a higher resolution, for example 1080p. Non-HD video is upscaled to the best possible resolution available on the external display. Non-HD resolutions include, for example, VGA (640 x 480), WVGA, 480p (720 x 480), and 576p (720 x 576). Videos whose resolution exceeds 720p are not shown on the external display (although audio is played back normally).

    Figure: Device screen and external display when playing back video

  • MIDlet UI

    If the MIDlet UI does not contain or is not playing back video content, the device screen and external display show the exact same content: the MIDlet UI components and whatever non-video content the UI might contain. What you see on the device screen is what you see on the external display. For example, if the MIDlet is displaying a still image, the MIDlet UI and the still image are shown on both the device screen and the external display.

    Changing the device screen orientation also changes the orientation of the MIDlet UI on the external display. You can use the Nokia-MIDlet-App-Orientation JAD attribute to fix the orientation to portrait or landscape mode on the device screen and external display.

    Figure: Device screen and external display when viewing non-video content

Audio and games

In addition to visual content, audio content is also routed to the external display through the HDMI connection, and played back normally provided the external display includes or is connected to speakers. Device audio is muted during the HDMI connection.

Game MIDlets use regular MIDlet UIs and thus behave as described above. With its support for both audio and MIDlet UI content, HDMI enables an improved mobile gaming experience by transporting games from the relatively small world of mobile device screens to the HD world of external displays.

© Nokia 2010.