Related
hi
i dont know if this has been covered (the search didnt find anything relevant)
is there a hack / way for video or tv out on this device??
thanks
zohaer21 said:
hi
i dont know if this has been covered (the search didnt find anything relevant)
is there a hack / way for video or tv out on this device??
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am also interested by that.
Any ideas?
Basically, I would like to know if TV out is possible to connect it to my car entertainment device that I am planning to buy :
Din 1, 7 inch with DVD, GPS, Bluetoth, USB.
This will transform this device to a mobile device with a large screen from where I can surf, chat, play games etc...(launch all apps from the HTC HD2)
Any ideas?
It's not possible. Sorry, but it really is that simple.
Thanks for the answer.
Is this because of the harware that does not support it or is it because there is no driver developped by HTC?
i really think thats a driver problem only Maybe there is a way to stream video signal over wifi or bluetooth? it's kinda strange thing to do but i think it's possible using a software?
I read in a forum that via the 3,5mm jack it might be possible to video out (it was for another phone).
If Hardware does not support it via micro USB, we are stuck I guess,
If it is a driver issue, xda gurus might develep one,
If micro USB does not support it, what about the 3,5 mm jack?
I am not an expert at all, but I am just brainstorming...
Any thoughts?
This is the message I got rom HTC Support
Thank you for your enquiry about HTC HD2
To answer question 1 and 2, the HD2 does not support video out as it does not have a built in video out socket nor would you be able to achieve this via the 3,5mm jack.
It is not a built in function to handle this via bluetooth I could only suggest you try to look up some 3rd party program, but I could not provide support for this.
Best regards,
Dennis
HTC
Well actually, the HD2 does support video out! Using myMobiler you can display in full screen on your PC what's going on on your HD2. And if in turn, you connect your PC to your TV you could also watch your HD2 on your 50'' Full HD TV screen
OK, I'm joking here, the quality would be terrible, but still, it goes to show that it's possible to have video come out from the micro USB port and be displayed on a much larger screen, so maybe someone will go one step further!
pat12 said:
Well actually, the HD2 does support video out! Using myMobiler you can display in full screen on your PC what's going on on your HD2. And if in turn, you connect your PC to your TV you could also watch your HD2 on your 50'' Full HD TV screen
OK, I'm joking here, the quality would be terrible, but still, it goes to show that it's possible to have video come out from the micro USB port and be displayed on a much larger screen, so maybe someone will go one step further!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mon pot
I basically wanted to connect my HD2 to a Car Entertaniement device which has a 7 inch touch-screen, 'genre auto-radio', (7 ' Din1, DVD, GPS, Bluetooth, USB) in order to take advantage of all features/applications from the HTC (Google maps, dictionnaires, enclyclopedia, 3G, opera, chat etc).
Mymobiler will not help at all.
The HTC Touch Pro supports the video-out; The HTC DH2 does not support it as it is now. I have seen on http://wmpoweruser.com/ a guy making a video out cable for this LG eXpo. Check the video. Why can't we do it?
It shouldn't be difficult to make a video out cable...
Via a redfly?
If you were really committed, you could grab a Celiocorp Redfly, wait until they release the HD2 driver, then use the media cable to output to video...
Then, for the transmission of the video, you could use either bluetooth or micro-USB.
So it's technically possible with the right hardware...
The closest thing you'll get to TV out on the HD2 is the ability to set it as a media server, but that will require some kind of media browser client. I've done this with my PS3 and a Nokia N95, but the software is currently under development for the WM platform.
See here...
http://mobileosgi.blogspot.com/2009/08/dlna-media-server-for-smart-phones.html
Incidentally, they use a PS3 on the demo video, but that is not required. Also, you can use this to stream video, not just pictures.
problem is
phones that output through the 3.5 jack have an extra connector inside the socket to carry the image channel so there is no way to adapt a standard 3.5 output to carry video regardless of software. (not taking mine apart to look if its 2 or 3 chanel of course hehe)
as for through the usb im less sure but i'd guess it would only be able to send to host devices and not client peripherals. course, I'd be more than happy to be told otherwise.
samsamuel said:
I'd be more than happy to be told otherwise.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i wish some one finds out how to do this.. but i just did a quick search on google and what i found out was that none of the snap dragon processor based winmo devices do video out
guess ill be keeping my iphone 3gs (cos i need video out )
i just played with the hd2 today and boy im gonna miss not having it
zohaer21 said:
i just did a quick search on google and what i found out was that none of the snap dragon processor based winmo devices do video out
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The processor has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not the device can output video. It needs specific hardware to do this and it is not included in this device, neither through the USB port or the 3.5mm jack socket.
It is 100% impossible to implement a "fix" for this with software because the device simply does not have the hardware required.
Actually, Snapdragon processors DO support TV-Out. The Acer s200 (neo touch) and Toshiba TG01 both run on Snapdragon and support TV-Out. What I think the problem is, is that the hardware is there, but HTC just haven't implemented it. Meaning that they simply have not connected the function. Which is actually a shame as this was the only thing the pushed me away from this spectacular device and choose the Omnia B7610 instead, because it is a better all round device.
ayilm1 said:
Actually, Snapdragon processors DO support TV-Out. The Acer s200 (neo touch) and Toshiba TG01 both run on Snapdragon and support TV-Out. What I think the problem is, is that the hardware is there, but HTC just haven't implemented it. Meaning that they simply have not connected the function. Which is actually a shame as this was the only thing the pushed me away from this spectacular device and choose the Omnia B7610 instead, because it is a better all round device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need a lot more than just processor support for TV out functionality, so the hardware is not there. Some of it is, but only 1 small part.
Exactly! That's why I was disappointed with the HD2. Seeing as Acer and Tosh both implemented the tv out functionality from the core, why didn't HTC do the same? Surely it wouldn't cost them THAT much more would it?
As far as I understand, this is a hardware related issue and not driver related? If it is driver related, I am sure one day this driver would be coded and made available in this forum.
I was palnning to video out to my car DVD entertainment touch screen device in order to be able to use google maps, opera, dictionnaries etc..
This plan will ne be feasible then...
You can use the hd2 as an usb-stick. With that function i can view movies and listen to music on my Alpine touchscreen radio.
Hi!
I am developing an application which connects a Wiimote to a bluetooth enabled android phone/device.
I did this by interfacing with the native bluez bluetooth library directly, rather than via the Android API. The reason for this is that Android API doesn't support HID devices, which a Wiimote is.
A problem now is that on some devices, mostly those sold by HTC, my app simply doesn't work. After calling the hci_get_route(NULL), this function should return an id of the first bluetooth device available (most likely 0), but instead returns ERNODEV (-1) as if no bluetooth device is available.
I suspect it has something to do with our beloved HTC grossly modifying something in the libbluetooth library to make this fail to work.
Has anyone ever done this kind of bluetooth interfacing?
How could I make this work?
Rooting the phone and replacing a library or two would be fine too.
For a list of working and non-working devices, check out the 2nd post of this thread.
HTC support
I just sent a customer service message to HTC about this issue. I hope they can get back to me with a "we'll work on it" message, or something. I really want this on my incredible. I'm new to coding like this, but could you disguise the Wiimote as another kind of device?
Just a response from someone equally interested in a solution. I'm trying to set up a bluetooth keyboard (Freedom Pro) with my gsm Hero running the 1.5 based MCR 3.2. Available drivers (Freedom's own, BlueInput & KeyPro) should work with 1.5, but HTC devices, especially the Hero, seem to be lacking something that is present in most 1.5 builds.
Investigating, I find the same issue of no route to device, because there is no known device. AIUI when bluetooth is turned on hciattach is used to establish a link to the hardware. At that point an hciconfig should list the hci0 device as present but down. However I find this list remains empty at all times.
I found this for keyboards.
Since I can't post the link, it's called "KeyPro for Android"
Google "keypro android" and click the first link.
Maybe that could help. It says it works with any android device above 1.5, however, I did read that some keyboards use a different type of bluetooth profile, SPP rather than HID.
I haven't heard back form HTC yet either.
EDIT: Upon reading your post again, you have tried this. Sorry, my bad.
Thanks for looking though The Freedom Pro is switchable between spp & hid profiles, so I figured I was safe, lol. Not with HTC's butchered 1.5 bt it seems.
Did you ever try to use the most likely id 0 on an HTC device? Even though the call to get the id fails?
Maybe you could use also the Android API to synchronize if a device is present and then use the id that Android API gives you?
Just some thoughts since I would love to see that App running on my Desire with Snesoid
Edit: Double post
tobren said:
Did you ever try to use the most likely id 0 on an HTC device? Even though the call to get the id fails?
Maybe you could use also the Android API to synchronize if a device is present and then use the id that Android API gives you?
Just some thoughts since I would love to see that App running on my Desire with Snesoid
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Believe it or not, I actually tried this. Unfortunately, the next command (to bind the bluetooth adapter) also fails, and of course every command after that one because the adapter is not bound.
Thanks for the idea anyway.
usb
does the wii remote have usb connectivity? could it be possible to have the communication pass through that connection rather than bluetooth? one advantage of this would be increased battery life and probably better compatibility across models.
i'm sure some people would prefer bluetooth, but i figure i'll always be using it very close to my phone so i can see the screen, so the wired option is actually a bit more attractive (considering battery performance).
i know ps3 has usb connectivity as well, you just might need an adapter (mini to micro).
rubber soul said:
does the wii remote have usb connectivity? could it be possible to have the communication pass through that connection rather than bluetooth?
[snip]
i know ps3 has usb connectivity as well, you just might need an adapter (mini to micro).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm pretty sure the first answer is no - our wii is round at a friend's atm. However even if it was yes, you'd need more than an adapter. USB operates with one device as master & the other as slave. To allow you to connect slave devices to your phone it would need to be in host mode. Some mobile phone hardware implementations support this, however I don't know of any mainstream Android kernels which do. Even if you workaround that, you're left with the huge issue that slave devices can assume it's safe to draw power from the USB bus which could do nasty things (tm) to a lower power device like a mobile. This can be worked around via a powered hub, but it all gets very messy.
I looked into this a few months ago, hoping I'd be able to use a usb keyboard with my Hero. I ended up with a BT keyboard instead. Of course that doesn't work either but for completely different reasons, as hinted at by this thread. Hopefully a 2.1 ROM will solve that, but that's the subject of numerous other threads.
Uh, just throwing stuff out, what if you have a pc with two bluetooth adapters, it connects to the wii mote, and then broadcasts that in someway the android api can understand?
Also please actually try working on something with a rooted phone, the HTC EVO 4g is rootable, and I will make man love(no homo) if you get it working.
Either one works lol.
Using a PC as a proxy is kind of useless. If you have a wiimote connected to a PC, you might as well play games on the PC itself (there are nes/snes/sega/etc emulators for PCs too).
At this moment, rooting doesn't help with the problem either.
@1 True
@2 That sucks.
Do we think that this will/could be fixed in HTC's Froyo update for 2010 devices? Not looking for definite answers, just a ponderin'.
well if you send the null pairing code to the wiimote from the default bluetooth pairing screen.. it will fail to communicate with the wiimote too
waffles004 said:
Do we think that this will/could be fixed in HTC's Froyo update for 2010 devices? Not looking for definite answers, just a ponderin'.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doesn't it work in stock/vanilla Eclair? I thought the main problem was with Cupcake, though HTC seem to have done weird things to every stock firmware. I read that removing Sense from a 2.1 HTC ROM breaks bluetooth. Go figure. And there was I thinking Sense was a gui enhancement
I contacted HTC about their bluetooth issues and just received this response
My name is Courtney, and I would be glad to assist you today. I understand that you are unhappy with the Bluetooth connectivity on your HTC EVO. HTC is aware of the problems occurring with the EVO and Bluetooth. We are currently investigating this issue and are working on a solution. As soon as we have an update, we will inform our customers. Thank you for contacting HTC America Technical Support. If you need further assistance, please feel free to contact us via email or at 1-866-449-8358. We are open 7 days a week from 6 a.m.-1 a.m. EST. You can also check out our Community and Support pages at htc.com/us and our pages on Facebook and Twitter.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I contacted HTC about this issue with my incredible and I basically got the same answer except the guy was more knowledgeable and said that other people were complaining about certain bluetooth issues. I think they know what they did and are waiting to fix it in Froyo to be easy for them. No worries though, should be comin' in a few weeks. I can't freakin' wait. I have soooooooooo much Pokemon and Mario to play.
does anyone know if this works on samsung galaxy s, i dont have my phone yet to test, but as soon as it arrives (sometime next week) i will test this.
All I can say is that my wii controller is working really well on cyanogen on my evolution now!
One of the biggest features I'm looking for in either the EVO or Streak (still not sure which I'm going with, gotta wait another month for the Streak to come out) is to have the Android desktop/UI/home screen sent out via HDMI. What I would hope to do is:
- be using the phone
- dock it (with HDMI to display)
- have the display show up on the TV (preferably fitting the aspect ratio and resolution of the display, though not necessarily a requirement)
The thought then would be to use a mouse and keyboard via either Bluetooth or USB (in host mode, obviously), and use the phone on the larger display to function basically as a netbook replacement (web browsing, music/videos, light gaming, light office prod. stuff).
I've seen other people on here asking around if it was possible, which it looks like it ISN'T out of the box...but maybe a developer looking for something to do might pick up on this post. You'd make a lot of people very happy!
I am also very interested in this.
So basically something like this?
http://sven.killig.de/android/N1/2.2/usb_host/
I think a good example would be the functionality that matches the current Touch Pro/Fuze TV-Out functionality... Unlike the HDMI output restrictions that are currently on the Evo device, I am able to use the entire OS (Winmo) to select start, programs, play programs, games (Tony Hawk), etc. The TV acts a full clone to what is on the phone screen itself..
I am looking for similar functionality so I can play a movie, nav, on a HDMI connected slate while the Evo is out of site (examples - vehicle screens, portable screens ). Obviously there would no input commands from the screen attached device, but a bluetooth air mouse could help out with that.
Yeah... would be nice, imagine HID bluetooth devices(wii mote controller) hook the phone to a tv, and play some classic games...
RIGHT ON
techwerkz said:
So basically something like this?
http://sven.killig.de/android/N1/2.2/usb_host/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, as far as input goes, but it would also need software (or a core OS update?) to push the display out via HDMI, at the same time.
I was really interested in this as a possibility, and certainly took notice of the nexus one with host USB capability. Bear in mind the Nexus One was not pushing the device's display out, it was running an X server, but still a neat idea.
I know that currently only the HTC software can push anything out of the HDMI port, but I expect it is simply a matter of applications knowing to take advantage of it, probably not even drivers.
A quick google of htc evo hdmi API gets you sprints android development site, which says the guide includes info on how your applications can take advantage of the HDMI port. I haven't messed with the android API much yet, but the only issue would be for someone to write an application that can grab the entire display, and then push it out to the port via the API.
http:// developer.sprint.com/site/global/develop/mobile_platforms/android/android.jsp
laydros said:
I was really interested in this as a possibility, and certainly took notice of the nexus one with host USB capability. Bear in mind the Nexus One was not pushing the device's display out, it was running an X server, but still a neat idea.
I know that currently only the HTC software can push anything out of the HDMI port, but I expect it is simply a matter of applications knowing to take advantage of it, probably not even drivers.
A quick google of htc evo hdmi API gets you sprints android development site, which says the guide includes info on how your applications can take advantage of the HDMI port. I haven't messed with the android API much yet, but the only issue would be for someone to write an application that can grab the entire display, and then push it out to the port via the API.
http:// developer.sprint.com/site/global/develop/mobile_platforms/android/android.jsp
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only thing I'd worry about there is that it isn't actually "grabbing" the screen (as in screen captures, polling it for changes, etc) because that could absolutely kill performance. That's why I wonder if it wouldn't require driver access or update, in order to actually "push" the display out the HDMI port (note: I'm not a developer, so I can only do my best to keep up with what potential issues might be. )
Any update on this?
I noticed if you read further down on the USB Host Mode page, there's info on a USB TV driver (TV IN sadly), an X11 driver (not sure which way they mean), and also DisplayLink although I think that is some kind of device you need to buy. If I could X11 remote host my Android that would be PIMP but I doubt I'll get that lucky!
I desperately want to do this myself (TV OUT from Android), whether it be HDMI or USB or whatever. I need to output the OS and apps (for demo purposes).
i was thinking the same, somewhere along the lines of PdaReach for palm devices. but the monitor being an actual TV for entertainment purposes. ...trying to get my extra ten dollar fee to use. so if and when netflix decides to make a platform for android devices we could hence watch movies on our televisions via our phones streaming to the TV
hexydes said:
Only thing I'd worry about there is that it isn't actually "grabbing" the screen (as in screen captures, polling it for changes, etc) because that could absolutely kill performance. That's why I wonder if it wouldn't require driver access or update, in order to actually "push" the display out the HDMI port (note: I'm not a developer, so I can only do my best to keep up with what potential issues might be. )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The framebuffer is unprotected on stock Evo's & rooted Evo's alike, so if you just grabbed every frame as it went through the framebuffer and outputted it to the display, it could be done easily on any Evo. That is unless HTC plugged the unprotected framebuffer bug on a new update.
In any case, it wouldn't be that hard, it'd hurt performance a little, but I don't know for sure. An app wouldn't be that hard to make, think a high speed screenshot app, talk to the devs of ShootMe about how they grab from the framebuffer.
Geniusdog254 said:
The framebuffer is unprotected on stock Evo's & rooted Evo's alike, so if you just grabbed every frame as it went through the framebuffer and outputted it to the display, it could be done easily on any Evo. That is unless HTC plugged the unprotected framebuffer bug on a new update.
In any case, it wouldn't be that hard, it'd hurt performance a little, but I don't know for sure. An app wouldn't be that hard to make, think a high speed screenshot app, talk to the devs of ShootMe about how they grab from the framebuffer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That IS Genius!! Is anyone going to do this, or do I need to? (I have no Android programming skills sadly!)
I finally got a working HDMI cable from Sprint. My Amzer cable is bad apparently!
I'm happy now!
But still, ANYONE want to embark on this project??
jigglywiggly said:
Yeah... would be nice, imagine HID bluetooth devices(wii mote controller) hook the phone to a tv, and play some classic games...
RIGHT ON
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now THAT would be awesome!
i hope someone figures this out because i really need HDMI out on slingplayer to work
I wonder if we can just find the piece of code that the stock Youtube & HTC Gallery uses to take advantage of the HDMI and then implement it as a system service? Or at least have HTC tell or post on their website how to implement the code in their app, especially for the slingplayer!
Ill buy someone an HDMI cable if they're willing to work on this lol
skewbasteve said:
I wonder if we can just find the piece of code that the stock Youtube & HTC Gallery uses to take advantage of the HDMI and then implement it as a system service? Or at least have HTC tell or post on their website how to implement the code in their app, especially for the slingplayer!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Easy, it's all right here!
docs.google.com/ View?id=dhtsnvs6_57d2hpqtgr#4_HDMI_output_support_82321908
(I can't seem to post a link so you'll have to copy/paste this one)
skewbasteve said:
I wonder if we can just find the piece of code that the stock Youtube & HTC Gallery uses to take advantage of the HDMI and then implement it as a system service? Or at least have HTC tell or post on their website how to implement the code in their app, especially for the slingplayer!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That won't work. It's already in the Evo developer docs as posted by the person above me. All it does is take any VideoView object in any app and broadcast it over HDMI unless you specifically tell it not to in the application manifest.
There is no way to run that as a service. As of yet I've tried the following:
Copy frames via CLI from /dev/graphics/fb0 (the main screen framebuffer) to /dev/graphics/fb1 (the HDMI framebuffer) to see if it is possible to work it like that. It isn't.
Symlink the two framebuffers so in theory whatever happens to one, should happen to the other. It doesn't work either. It does do something since it breaks HDMI output, but it doesn't display the screen. This could be because the resolution doesn't match one of the TVs supported resolutions.
I'm still going to try a custom kernel once I get my build environment set up (hopefully tomorrow) with a few changes, but I can't promise anything. Anything more complicated than Java is a little over my head, but I can do a little.
I'll keep you posted.
Regards,
Jesse C.
I'm willing to put $10 towards the bounty.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
So, I've been playing with my Evo for the last month or two, and i've finally come to the conclusion that there are enough things that I'd have *occasional* use cases for that I can't do with the stock firmware. So, I'm thinking about rooting my phone and trying another rom.
I found the list of roms in the wiki, but as someone else pointed out, it doesn't really go into what makes the different roms different. and the pages for the individual roms don't always have the info I'm looking for.
The suggestion that was made to that user was CyanogenMod. If nobody comes up with a better suggestion, that's probably where I'll start.
So, here's what I'm looking for, in a roughly prioritized order:
1) A non-lobotomized bluetooth stack. Specifically, in addition to the profiles included in the stock rom, I'm looking for SPP and HID (for keyboards and real gamepads)
2) I know the USB controller is OTG capable. It would be really nice to be able to use it as a host port. Things I could reasonably see myself wanting to connect: HID devices, storage, and USB->serial cables.
3) Unlocked wifi tethering and wireless access point. It's not something I see a regular use case for, especially since I have a standalone USB cellmodem, but there have been times where it would have been nice. And it's bad enough that Sprint's milking me for an extra $10/month for the privilege of having a 4G capable phone. I'm not about to spend an extra $30 to pay them to unlock it for me.
4) 4G/WiMAX. Not that Sprint has any 4G towers up around me yet. *grumble* one of the store reps I talked to a while back said they'd been told by Sprint that *hopefully* we'll have some towers by the end of the year. But not to quote them on that.
5) HDMI out. This is one of those things I'd rarely use, but it'd be nice. The current firmware only supports HDMI for certain apps (slideshows, movies on the SD card, youtube) and that's okay. It'd be nice to just send all video to the HDMI port instead of (or in addition to) the LCD, but I'd be happy with what I've already got.
I know Cyanogen doesn't (yet) support 4G and HDMI and it doesn't have the Sense UI (which I'm not sure why I should care about) but if it's a good fit for the other three points, that might be a fair deal.
So, what do you all think? Is CyanogenMod a reasonable fit for me? Can you suggest anything that might fit better?
Thanks.
Personally I keep a known good nandroid backup of the stock firmware with all my applications and settings intact and a known good copy of Cyanogenmod with my stuff.
I can't bring myself to keep using the stock Evo firmware due to the bugs in the media layer (audio files restarting from the beginning whenever I pause them and leave the audio player application for an extent of time is a huge problem when most of the media you listen to are long format podcasts, oh and Last.fm can't play a song all the way through without jumping to the next one). On the other hand I do have decent 4G coverage here in the Twin Cities area which I can't utilize while using Cyanogenmod.
You may want to look into doing the same. When you need 4G or HDMI out you can load up a nandroid backup of the stock firmware and otherwise use something like Cyanogenmod. That way you have access to all the capabilities of the phone (although admittedly not in a convenient way).
Please be gentle with me, it's my first time, etc etc...
I have a tandem bicycle, and me and the g/f often go off on longish daytrips. It is in the design of most tandems that the shorter person has to go on the back. This means that they can see nothing forwards at all. As she does the navigating this means I have to keep up a constant commentary of what junctions and landmarks are coming towards us while she tries to tally that with the OS map.
I have a pair of HD2s and an old Touch HD with plenty of spare batteries, car holders etc.
I would love to find a way to use a remote camera on the front of the tandem and let her use one of the HD2s as the screen, especially as it has CoPilot live on it which would make the navigation much easier. (I know I said rear view in the title, but I suspect fewer people would look at the thread if I tried to put what I really want up there, and it's no different really.)
I understand that the 'phone's usb ports don't have the required hardware / software to allow me to plug a usb webcam into them.
I suspect that the way forward is to use one HD2 on the front as a bluetooth camera and give her the other as the display, but I doubt that this will be easy, and it will use way more power than a hardwired system which is an issue on a 'bicycle. It already weighs 1/5 tonne with the two of us and some touring gear, so adding a big central power supply would be a shame but is probably inevitable.
There was a brief thread on this on XDA dev in about 2005:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=243337&styleid=15
but it never went anywhere and will now be completely out of date.
Hopefully someone can help or point me in the right direction. Sadly I have no coding skills at all, so it needs to be off the shelf h/w or s/w...
Thanks for reading
ed.
wow...thats one big project you are thinking off...ok, all things cut short, your best bet will be a Bluetooth camera or a wi-fi camera/webcam. for the former, it can be done, but there arent custom drivers that you can just download to support it. even Bluetooth keyboards only recently started working with the HD2. However, what you can do, that will definitely work is a wi-fi based camera. im sure you are familiar with these. these camera have their own IP address and transmit the feed live via a wireless connection. from my experience, it works quite well, but it really depends on the gear you are using. if you are using a good wifi camera(im not familiar with the brands,but obviously the mid ranged ones will be considered good. If you cant find standalone cams, then buy a small wifi surveillance cam), then there will be a stable and lag free transmission. However, to get smooth feed, you need a good network connection. It will be best if you have a fast data or broadband connection on your phone. 3-4MBPS+ will be fine. Then of course, u need to enable your phone as a modem to connect to the camera. I have tried wifi cameras using a wi-fi connection, both on my PC and my HD2. It works smoothly. The cameras were fixed on R/C helicopters and worked at a range of 20m from the modem. Then again, i really have no idea how well it will work for your case. It should be ok, but not sure about 'good'. You can try!
Alternatively, a more compact method will be to disassemble your HD2 right down to the camera and remove the lens cover. Then, disconnect the actual camera from the phone. Get the correct ribbon cable from your local store. I do not know the specifications of the particular cable, but you try going to a smartphone repair shop that sells replacement cameras for the HD2 and take a look at the ribbon cable. Then, you can search for longer ones or manually solder low resistance jumper wires from the connections(there a alot of connections mind you). If you want to do this, please get info on proper disassembly instructions and do alot of research!.
i really admire your endeavor and although it may be hard, best of luck to you and hope you succeed, should you undertake this. Nevertheless, just some small advice...If you are also considering about the budget factor, i think it could be equally expensive or cheap to buy a purpose built remote camera which can connect to a screen.
-cheers
A wi-fi camera on a helmet would give flexibility as to what you were able to view ie could move head to point camera in the direction that one wanted to view
Good luck
Thankyou both!
Sorry I've been a bit slow replying, home internet connection has been intermittent for a week or so...
Kawshigan, can you clarify something for me, when you talk about "fast data or broadband connection on your phone. 3-4MBPS+" are you saying that I should be sending the data via the cellular network? If so that is not going to happen. I don't know where you live but here in Canterbury, a small city in the most populated part of the UK about 50 miles from London, 3G is a dream. There is a 3G service of course, but it is so weak that it is unusable even in the town centre, so trying to use it away from the town for my project will be impossible (and would be very very expensive as we get only 500MB / month here cheaply.)
If you mean forming a wifi connection between the two phones, which I suspect IS what you mean, then surely the speed of the connection is whatever hardware can do, allowing for distance which is about 3' in this case.
I agree that a ready-made system should be a similar price but they do not seem to exist. There is something in the US but it is very expensive ($600?) and is intended more for recording accidents really. certainly it has no nav function. I'm too new here to post links but if you Google on "cerevllum.com" you'll see it, beautiful, expensive & only half the tool I need.
It seems such an obvious thing to do with a smartphone (the rear view camera I mean) as mirrors on bicycles don't work well, and most of the components seem to exist, it just needs someone to tie them together.
I suspect that putting an external camera on my Touch HD is beyond me. My soldering skills are ok, but surface mount stuff is beyond me, not least because I'm 45 years old and my eyesight isn't up to it anymore...
But then again, even as I type this I realise what you actually mean, is to mount the HD2's own camera remotely at the front of the bike and run a long ribbon cable to the rear handlebars. Now THAT is a GOOD idea. Probably I'd start with the Touch HD as my HD2 is still my everyday 'phone and I hope to keep it that way for ever. When I get some time I'll pull the Touch apart and see if it is possible. How long could the cable be before s/n & voltage drop problems etc became too much, I wonder?
The helmet cam doesn't really work as the problem is not so much positioning a camera, (I can do that on the handlebars) but how to get an instant display of what the noggin-cam is seeing onto the screen of a smart phone? The problem with the helmet cam is that I think the viewer would have the same problem that you get watching YouTube videos where the camera is bouncing around and rarely pointing in the right place all the time. The Tandem has good suspension at both ends so it would be ok on the 'bars I think. ( Google on "VCA 2010 Race" for an amazing video that shows this problem a little, and no, we don't do that on the Tandem...)
So when you remoted the CMOS sensor...
Did you end up giving the "extra long ribbon cable" idea a try and if so how did it work (or not. Interested in how it came out.