This isn't a Linux problem or question, but if someone could assist me, I'd greatly appreciate it.

My aunt's old flat screen tv only has an HDMI port. I want to watch videos with her using my USB thumb drive (that has some mkv vidoes on it).

I have searched the auction site as well as Amazon, but I can't find the right adapter. The usb end needs to be female. If anyone can help me find one, I'd greatly appreciate it. She has an Amazon account, so that would be more useful, but either site is certainly acceptable...

Regards and much thanks in advance!

Michael

Addendum: I just found this. Do members think it would do the trick?
https://www.amazon.com/VAKABOX-Digit...7046892&sr=8-8

If the TV doesn't have a usb and support for usb files then you can't easily use it. If you have a supported phone to tablet or laptop that has hdmi out then you can move the files to one of those.

I have a Samsung S10 with usb to hdmi and it works pretty good on an old plasma tv but goes in and out of sync on my older tv.

I know nothing about apple products so that gizmo you have may work.

That gizmo uses usb for power. I could use that because the phone uses a lot to power hdmi output.

I agree with jefro that will not work.

If your Aunt's TV isn't smart you need some device that outputs HDMI video or use an Amazon Firestick or Roku device and share your files from a PC running Windows or linux over a wireless network.

I guess they have some really cheap android tv gizmos like $30 at amazon that can run things like kodi and some have a usb port.

Well, I have a laptop that has an HDMI port.

Perhaps I can play the videos on the laptop and somehow connect it to the tv to view it on the tv?

I know my laptop has an hdmi port. It's an HP Pavilion 17-g161us.

I dunno if my aunts laptop has the hdmi port though. I may have to take my laptop to her house to watch videos.

I don't suppose there is a way to connect the usb port on her laptop to the hdmi port on the tv is there?


Thanks everyone for your prompt and courteous replies. Saved me some money that's for sure!

Regards,

Michael

1 members found this post helpful.

There are USB hdmi adapters that work with the laptop. Amazon has many choices. Just make sure it supports the desired operating system.

Well then I'd just use an HDMI cable, no?

2 members found this post helpful.

This sounds a little familiar:
https://www.linuxquestions.org/quest...ow-4175707740/

Again, an HDMI port is not magic; if it isn't a smart TV, all the HDMI port is would be for video/audio. How, exactly, do you think an 'adapter' is going to be able to:

• Mount an external file system
• Read the files
• Decode the video/audio stream

...all without some sort of software???
Did you bother to read the description, look at the questions asked (and answered), or even think about the fact that the item in question is *ONLY A CABLE*??

Some relevant questions from the page you posted:
"Would you be able to plug a usb web camera into this and output to the hdmi?"
"NO, this product is to synchronize the video on the mobile phone and tablet to the TV,"

"I want to connect a thumb drive to my tv. it is an older model tv. it has 3 hdmi inputs but no usb input. will this work for my application?"
"Most likely not. Physically, the cable ends in USB-C, which is not the USB-A that your USB drive is looking for. Even if you add the correct adapter, the TV will be looking for an HDMI video feed and will not have the ability to send\recieve USB MCS storage protocol."

Since a webcam provides a simple video/audio stream and that won't work, what makes you think it'll somehow mount a USB stick and let you browse/play videos?
So your goal is to watch movies at your aunts house...and you have a laptop with an HDMI port....and your thought is to somehow shove a USB thumbdrive into the HDMI port on the TV, rather than to just plug the laptop into HDMI??? USB is *NOT VIDEO/AUDIO*.

The obvious solution is to bring your laptop...it's a laptop...it's portable. Since you're bringing something with you either way (USB drive or laptop), why does it matter? And not sure why you post on a Linux forum, in the Linux Hardware section, about an old television, and you rarely post back to any threads you've opened, unless you want to be insulting.

HDMI is a propitiatory hardware that uses encryption for devices to send and receive audio/video.
Even if you do find some adapter, it will probably not have the needed encryption for the devices to send data, nor the capability to play a media file.
So you will need a computer with an HDMI port and the software to play the media. Then it is just a matter of connecting it to the tv and getting the computer to output to the TV. This should just automagically work with most Linux distos. I used a RaspberryPi for years running Kodi as a media center connected to the tv over HDMI.

If a laptop has full hdmi output then one might expect that putting a usb in that laptop and connecting to the TV should work in windows usually.
Might have to double check that you have something like VLC to play the files.

If you have linux then you may have an issue with sound on some distros. Better to test your laptop at home if possible. Bring a HDMI to HDMI cord with you to her. Then you have some ability.

I think a laptop is more likely to work than a phone but my mothers very old tv had wifi so I could cast to it.

Should work in Linux as well, but with one caveat, and that is having the HDMI port plugged in (and selected for input on the TV) first, before powering up. Have seen several instances where the HDMI port won't be active, because it didn't sense a display. After that, it's just like Windows...extend/clone the desktop, bring up any app you want.
The sound issues I've seen have usually been to do with the HDMI port on the laptop...some do not provide sound, but video only, and the HDMI standard allows this. This would be a question that's answered by looking in the manual for the laptop.
Much more likely to work than having a magic cable that somehow makes a USB stick turn into a full-blown movie player. Any Roku/Fire/Chromecast device will work just fine.