These cheap USB-to-HDMI adapters are terrible, and yet incredibly useful :: ./techtipsy

These cheap USB-to-HDMI adapters are terrible, and yet incredibly useful

2026-06-22

#hardware

In 2023, I ordered a cheap piece of crap USB to HDMI adapter. From time to time, I dabble with computers, but I don&rsquo;t<br>always have a convenient display at hand. Capture cards aren&rsquo;t anything new, but the good ones a bit expensive for a<br>hobbyist like myself.

The adapter sucks, and somehow it&rsquo;s been one of the most useful tools that I own.

The way that it works is also brilliant: the adapter acts like a webcam on your machine. This means that you can open<br>any app that can show webcam output, such as Cheese, and use your<br>laptop as a crappy portable display. It also works in VLC, but I&rsquo;ve had a much better and easier experience with Cheese.

Don&rsquo;t expect any crystal clear output or high refresh rates.

But it gets the job done. Quick UEFI settings tour, OS installation, or general troubleshooting, it&rsquo;s fantastic for those<br>use cases. I have had a few displays that are picky about display resolutions and things like outputting anything at<br>all, such as the LattePanda V1, and somehow this adapter makes it work quite reliably.

When I checked the price for the adapter I ordered, I found that somehow it has gotten cheaper. Don&rsquo;t see that happening<br>much lately.

Lattepanda IOTA connected to my laptop via the USB to HDMI adapter.

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