Capability-chain resolver
Device, cable and protocol compatibility check: will these products, ports and protocols work together?
Choose the connection and the intended result to check device, cable and protocol compatibility. The tool shows every capability boundary that must agree across the chain.
The source, receiving product, selected ports, cable or adapter, intermediate equipment, software and requested format must all support the same capability.
No result changes the product or network. Confirm the exact model specifications before buying an adapter, cable, component or replacement.
Device and cable compatibility: why two things that fit may still not work together
Compatibility is decided by capabilities, not connectors. An HDMI plug can carry anything from a basic 1080p picture to 4K at 120 Hz with lossless sound, and which of those you actually get depends on the HDMI version of the source and the television, the rating of the cable and the setting chosen on the input. A USB-C port may carry only power, or data, or video as well, and two ports on the same laptop can differ. Bluetooth devices connect across versions, but features such as low-latency audio need both ends to support them.
Check the chain from the source to the screen or speaker. Look up the specification of each end, find the lowest common capability and remember that a cable, an adapter or a switch in the middle can lower it. For audio to a soundbar, the television port must be marked ARC or eARC, and eARC is what carries lossless formats. For a monitor on a laptop, the port must support video output, not just charging. When the result of the tool says a link will fall back to a lower mode, it means something in the chain does not support the better one.
If a setup that should work does not, test one change at a time: another cable, another port, then an update for each device. A device that works on its own but not in the chain points to one of the links between them.
Wireless links follow the same rule. A smart plug, camera or appliance that joins only a 2.4 GHz network will not appear on a router name that is 5 GHz only, and a router that merges both bands under one name can send the device to the wrong one during setup, so give each band its own name while you pair. A phone app may also need a minimum operating system version, and a hub may need to be on the same network as the phone. When a result mentions a hub, an account or an app version, check that item before buying, because it is the commonest reason that a device with the right radio still fails to join.
For wired video, a long or cheap HDMI cable is a frequent cause of a picture that drops out or a game that will not run at 120 Hz, and replacing it with a cable certified for the speed costs little. For audio, check the output format on the source: a console or streamer set to a format the soundbar cannot decode may give silence, and setting it to a simpler format restores the sound. Keep a note of what you changed and the result, so that you can undo it.