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Can Laptops take HDMI INput?

rabb1t
Level 7

‎06-20-2013 01:52 PM - last edited on ‎03-06-2024 06:39 PM by Community Admin

Hi hi peoples. I have a somewhat sad story, so sorry for that 😞 I've been homeless for almost 5 full years now, and, as silly as this may sound, the prospect of not being able to play Destiny is really depressing. I've missed several gaming things over the years, and this may be just another one of those things. 😞 The reality of my life though seems like I'm not going to recover anytime soon, even more so within the next 6 months since it's already been 5 years. 😞

What I'm wondering though is what kind of options I have. There is a coffee shop that doesn't mind me hanging around, and typically I'll stay most of the day and play my games or watch shows on my ROG G73 laptop. It does have an HDMI, but from everything I can find it looks like the information only goes one way. (That being as an HDMI out to show my laptop on a different monitor.) Is there a way to make that flip the reverse way? Could it be an HDMI input from a PS3 or PS4 and allow the monitor to work like a regular monitor? Would there be a chance the newer ROG G750 Laptops could do it? Or is something like a regular monitor my only option if I really did decide to do console gaming at the coffee shop? 😞

Don't really expect anyone to answer, as it's in some ways a very silly question, and it seems from everything I can see HDMI seems to go one way, so it's probably not doable.
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xeromist
Moderator

‎06-20-2013 02:36 PM

No, unfortunately laptops are not designed to be used as displays and there isn't a setting you can change. There are some monitors that are designed to be portable in the size range of a notebook screen but I'm not sure you want one more thing to haul around. One option might be a USB video capture device. I'm just not sure which (if any) would allow you to just monitor in full screen with relatively low latency.
A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a work station…
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rabb1t
Level 7

‎06-20-2013 05:01 PM

Yeah, I saw those in the lower price range, but I had doubts that a console would work with a USB connected monitor. I even have some doubts that a HDMI -> DVI would truly work. (Tried it once and it didn't quite line up right.)

I'll probably just have to consider a fairly expensive smaller monitor (no clue why they cost more than regular sized ones, you'd think there'd be more travel size ones these days) and just do that. If I decide to do it.

My PS3 has already spent more time in storage than I had it out, and that's a 1st generation launch console. (Had to camp for it and it took a few weeks, but I got it.) I've been really sad about the thought of missing out on PS4 games as well. Taking it in and out of storage to play for a few hours every few days is not a great solution, but it's looking like it might be the only realistic one for me if I don't want to continue missing out on console stuff. 😞
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rabb1t
Level 7

‎06-20-2013 09:24 PM

For those people may know in a similar situation... my searching led me to HDTVs with DVD combos which were smaller. I may have found one that works that does not have a built-in DVD player. This Naxa 1506 one is small enough it shouldn't be cumbersome, and more importantly has a native HDMI input. I am concerned that it's only 1366x768 and the PS3/PS4 may not be able to natively output that res, so it might need to take 1920x1080 and smoosh it down (causing possibly bad distortion), but it seems to be one of the only ones that fit all the criteria. (Small size, HDMI input, correct aspect ratio.)

I'll ponder it some and see if I really want to do it. It's a small enough investment it's not a big deal, and though the PS3 weighs a ton, I could test it out with that. (Though my unit isn't wireless, so I'd probably have to wipe the system with the current OS info since it's at least 3 years behind, and not update after.)

It's sad to hear laptops don't go both ways. I mean, I guessed that what with equipment all having dedicated in / out ports, and really probably less than 1/4 of 1% of laptop users would want HDMI input, but it's sad there are so few options.
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Speeddymon
Level 7
In response to rabb1t

‎12-12-2013 12:23 AM

Hi Rabb1t, I wish I had found your thread before now. I hope that this helps you, because im afraid that xeromist is incorrect. There are laptops that have HDMI inputs on them. The Alienware M17x and M18x models have 2 HDMI ports. One for input and one for output. You can find out more info by searching on google.
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xeromist
Moderator

‎12-12-2013 02:32 PM

Good find. That's the first time I've heard of a native HDMI input in a gaming laptop. I'm not an Alienware guy so I wasn't aware.

I suspect it might also be possible to have a Thunderbolt dongle that accepts HDMI (since some laptops now have Thunderbolt) but I'm not sure if such a thing exists.

The problem is that both of those solutions would be specialized and expensive. The Alienware machines are much more expensive than even the G750 he mentioned. Unfortunately rabbit's original hope that you could reverse *any* laptop HDMI port in software isn't possible.
A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a work station…
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