Know The Difference: HDMI Switcher v.s. Splitters v.s. Matrix v.s. Adapter
Aug0
The first occasion I needed to connect my Xbox360, HTPC and Blu-Ray player to my old HDTV which had only one HDMI port left, I didn’t know what device I should be looking for. I knew what I wanted it to do for me, but I did not know how to call it for me to google it. Well, I came up with “HDMI hub”, which I borrowed from a network hub which could split network signal for many computers. I was also considering “HDMI adapter” and “HDMI splitter”. Unfortunately, none of them were the popular names.
This kind of product is in fact commonly called an HDMI switch or HDMI switcher. Of course, there’s no official name for it, but there are names more commonly used than others by most of the users. So understanding the right names help you research them better and find better prices before you decide to buy one.
After reading this post, you’re going to get a much clearer picture of the common names of the many HDMI gadgets and what they do.
1. HDMI Switch, HDMI Switcher, HDMI Selector
They’re the names of an HDMI input switch, which takes signal from a number of HD devices, and output to only 1 HDMI port on an HDTV, display or projector. This is what you need when you wish to connect your PS3, BluRay, HD PVR, etc all to a single HDMI port on your HDTV as your HDTV has only one port left.
A 3×1 or 3 port HDMI switch draws 3 HDMI signals and outputs to 1 port. So on and so forth.
Although they are also sometimes called “HDMI splitters”, they really should not be, because they don’t split signal but rather they converges data into 1 port.
2. HDMI Splitter or HDMI Amplifier
In contrast, they are the names of an HDMI output switch, which receives signals from just 1 HD system and outputs to 2 or more HDTVs or monitors. This is what you’ll need when you need to output the same HD signal to 2 or maybe more HDTVs. In a sense, they split or amplify the data into various streams, hence the names.
A 1×2 or 2 port HDMI splitter takes HD signal from 1 device and outputs to 2 screens.
3. HDMI Matrix or HDMI Distributor
They’re combining the functions of input and output switches, they receive many different HD signals and output to a few different displays. These are rarely used by average consumers but more commonly used by electronics stores or exhibition hosts who need to display many screens simultaneously with HD signals coming from several electronics.
A 4×2 HDMI matrix draws HD signal from 4 input sources and output to 2 HDTVs.
4. HDMI Adapter or HDMI Converter
They’re very general names, which, however, normally mean a much simpler device that hooks up HDMI port to another video port such as a VGA or DVI port.
An HDMI to DVI adapter means it gets HD signals from an HDMI port and outputs to a DVI port.
Summary
So how will you find the proper product you need? Try these simple recommended keywords when doing your research:
HDMI Switch: Connecting various HD products to 1 HDMI port on your HDTV.
HDMI Splitter: Connecting 1 HD device to two or more HDTVs.
HDMI Matrix: Connecting various HD products to multiple HDTVs.
HDMI Adapter: Connecting HDMI port to another kind of video port.
Now you know the magic words, it will be much easier for you to get your desired HDMI gadgets, enjoy.