Hands On: Mission's USB Power Cable Lets You Plug Your Apple TV Directly Into Your TV Set

[MacRumors]

If you hate cord clutter, then you're going to want to watch our latest YouTube video, which highlights Mission's USB Power Cable for the Apple TV because it lets you plug Apple's set-top box right into a USB port on your TV.

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Priced at $24.99, the USB Power Cable from Mission is a neat little accessory that lets you do away with your Apple TV power cable. If you have a modern TV set that has USB ports, you can get away with plugging your Apple TV into your TV set rather than having a separate power adapter.

If you're thinking that there's no way a USB port can power an Apple TV continuously, you're partially correct. The USB Power Cable is actually a 2000mAh battery pack that is powered by the TV's USB port. It stores excess power from the USB port and then releases it when the Apple TV requires more power than the USB port can source.

So by default, the Mission Power Cable is using passthrough energy to power the Apple TV, and then backup battery power when power demands are higher. Mission says that it's able to run an Apple TV for hours without issue, and that was true in our testing.

The cable and the battery pack can be mounted on the back of the television set for a no-mess cordless look that's ideal for streamlining your entertainment setup, and it is universally compatible with TVs that have a USB port.

What do you think of this Apple TV cord management solution? Let us know in the comments.

Article Link: Hands On: Mission's USB Power Cable Lets You Plug Your Apple TV Directly Into Your TV Set

 

[nathan_reilly]

I think 1 wire is as bad as 2 wires. you can sheath two wires into one sheath. Make it wireless and I will be impressed. I am picturing museum installations or similar.

*edit* I also think this is just advertising, and not news.

 

[zorinlynx]

This has got to be the most convoluted product I've ever seen! Your TV needs power already. There's a power outlet nearby that it's plugged into.

Just run the ATV power cord along the same path? Why bother with all this? And it has a battery that can fail too!

 

[roland.g]

Solving a problem that doesn't exist. Cord clutter? Look at that brick you are introducing and bundling up in the process.

 

[cthompson94]

Pretty cool device, I just wonder how long it could continuously run say the Apple TV 4K, I clicked on the website to find out but even in the FAQ it just states "the cable is designed to always have sufficient power, even after many hours of continuous use". Also, since the battery power is getting charged via usb, how long it takes to charge back up from various battery levels

 

[Mr. Awesome]

Creative solution to a nonexistent problem

 

[BF1M]

Replace a cord, with a cord! What groundbreaking thing will they come up with next?

 

[ChromeAce]

The power adapter is inside the Apple TV. The cord simply plugs into an AC outlet. Replacing that with a USB cable does not “eliminate cord clutter.” The TV has to be powered by a wall outlet anyway.

 

[billychode]

The people who ooh and aah and clap after every sentence at WWDC would definitely buy this. I’ll take a power cord that’s bump free any day over this.

 

[bigcat318]

When I read the title I thought this was going to power the AppleTV over the HDMI cord and then I would be impressed.

 

[emmab2006]

Someone really spent time and money on developing this ? 2 Wires for 1 Wire device.. yea amazing, give the person a nobel price in the field of Idiocy.

 

[Phil77354]

I suppose this is a clever device, but I do not want more batteries (even rechargeable) in my house than are already present in too many darn things! I worry about the accumulation of batteries and battery waste in our society.

 

[jz0309]

Ever heard of a thing called power strip?

 

[thomasjpr]

I admire the engineering here, but this seems like a device in search of a problem. If the TV is wall-mounted, I just send a single extension cord up the wall and add a tiny power strip (which can be easily hidden behind the TV). It takes up about as much space as this much more expensive solution, and will be more reliable on top.

 

[jayducharme]

A power brick isn't a very good substitute for a slim AC cable and a slim HDMI cable.

 

[spencecb]

This makes no sense to me. Isn't it the exact same amount of cords? You are simply replacing the power cable with a USB cable and adding a power brick that looks to me bigger than the AppleTV...

 

[foobarbaz]

In the old days, you could plug in your computer monitor into your desktop. It's actually surprising that TVs don't have some outlets built in.

 

[spencecb]

I suppose this is a clever device, but I do not want more batteries (even rechargeable) in my house than are already present in too many darn things! I worry about the accumulation of batteries and battery waste in our society.

While I agree that this seems like a waste, I doubt there is any "charging" of batteries required. It sounds like it keeps itself charged and releases power to the AppleTV when needed.

Again, all that is being done here is replacing the included power cable with a power brick and a USB cord. That sounds like zero cable reduction, if you ask me!

 

[oneMadRssn]

More work and requires opening the ATV, but it would be better to just by-pass the internal ATV power supply instead. This system has too many inefficiencies. It's taking DC power, storing it in a battery, then discharging that battery and converting it to AC, which the ATV then converts back to DC.

To make it linear and only one wire, you do need a battery though.

USB outputs 5VDC, depending on the TV somewhere 500mA-2A.
The AppleTV power supply outputs 12VDC at 1.083 Amps. Stepped down to 5V, that's 2.6A.
So a single USB port will not supply enough power for an ATV. But even a regular 18650 cell will likely store enough power for the ATV for many hours, and will be MUCH smaller than this system.

 

[CWallace]

The only way I see this makes sense is for wall-mount TV installations that have a single recessed AC wall-socket behind the TV for the TV's power and someone wants to add an Apple TV to their installation without running a visible cable.

But one wonders in such a scenario is there even sufficient space behind the TV to mount an Apple TV and said battery? I am thinking such installations would probably favor flush-mounting the TV to the wall (like the LG Gallery series of OLED TVs).

 

[Phil77354]

While I agree that this seems like a waste, I doubt there is any "charging" of batteries required. It sounds like it keeps itself charged and releases power to the AppleTV when needed.

Again, all that is being done here is replacing the included power cable with a power brick and a USB cord. That sounds like zero cable reduction, if you ask me!

My point is that there is a battery in the device and even though it basically takes care of itself, it is still one more battery that I prefer to omit from my own setup. The battery still needs to be manufactured, and eventually this will get trashed, and in fact since the contained battery is maybe not as obvious as it would be in other devices, it might be more likely to get thrown into general trash rather than being recycled.

 

[mrat93]

Serious question… Why are there not USB-C ports on TVs to open the potential for USB-C power and video output? Most streaming sticks can be powered by TVs’ onboard USB ports.

 

[Ryanpei]

Let’s see. May 11. [does math]
This seems like a story that is running 40 days too late.

 

[Boyd01]

I don't really get this either. Why pay an extra $25 to get a cord with a big inline brick to replace the simple AC cord that you already have?

 

[shakopeemn]

Serious question… Why are there not USB-C ports on TVs to open the potential for USB-C power and video output? Most streaming sticks can be powered by TVs’ onboard USB ports.

Although that would be handy, how many opportunities / points for failure does one want to introduce to a TV?