subject: Clarifying The Names - Hdmi Switch V.s. Splitters V.s. Matrix V.s. Adapter [print this page] The initial time I desired to hook up my Xbxo360, Home Theater Personal Computer and Blu-ray player to my old HDTV which had only 1 HDMI port left, I did not know what device I ought to be looking for. I know what I want it to complete for me, but I never understand how to call it for me to serch engine google it. To be honest, I came up with ""HDMI hub"", which I borrowed from a network hub which could split network signals for many computer systems. I was also considering of ""HDMI adapter"" and ""HDMI splitter"". Unfortunately, none of them had been the popular names.
Such a product is really commonly called an HDMI switch or HDMI switcher. Of course, there may be no official title for it, but you will find names much more widely used than other folks by the majority of the customers. So realizing the correct names help you investigation them greater and locate better rates just before you determine to purchase 1.
After studying this article, you'll get a significantly clearer picture of the regular names in the several HDMI devices and what they do.
1. HDMI Switch, HDMI Switcher, HDMI Selector
They would be the names of an HDMI input switch, which receives signals from numerous HD devices, and output to only one HDMI port on an HDTV, monitor or projector. This can be what you need when you want to hook up all your PS3, BluRay, HD PVR, etc all to a single HDMI port in your HDTV since your HDTV has only 1 port left.
A 3x1 or 3 port HDMI switch receives three HDMI signals and outputs to one port. So on and so forth.
Although they may be also sometimes called ""HDMI splitters"", they should not be, since they don't split signals but rather they converges signals into 1 port.
2. HDMI Splitter or HDMI Amplifier
In contrast, they're the names of an HDMI output switch, which receives signals from just 1 HD device and outputs to 2 or a lot more HDTVs or monitors. That is what you'll need when you desire to output the same HD signal to 2 or much more HDTVs. In a sense, they split or amplify the signals into numerous streams, therefore the names.
A 1x2 or two port HDMI splitter receives HD signal from one device and outputs to 2 screens.
3. HDMI Matrix or HDMI Distributor
They are combining the functions of input and output switches, they obtain multiple HD signals and output to numerous displays. These are hardly ever utilized by typical customers but a lot more frequently used by electronics retailers or exhibition hosts who have to show a lot of screens simultaneously with HD signals coming from some gadgets.
A 4x2 HDMI matrix receives HD signals from 4 input sources and output to 2 HDTVs.
4. HDMI Adapter or HDMI Converter
These are fairly common names, which, nevertheless, generally mean a much simpler device that connects HDMI port to one more video port this kind of as a VGA or DVI port.
An longest hdmi cable to DVI adapter implies it receives HD signals from an HDMI port and outputs to a DVI port.
Summary
So how are you able to locate the correct item you need? Attempt these straightforward proposed search phrases if you are carrying out your analysis:
HDMI Switch: Connecting numerous HD gadgets to one HDMI port in your HDTV.
HDMI Splitter: Connecting 1 HD device to two or a lot more HDTVs.
HDMI Matrix: Connecting many HD gadgets to many HDTVs.
HDMI Adapter: Connecting HDMI port to an additional form of video port.
Now that you simply know the magic words, it will likely be much simpler for you to locate your preferred HDMI gadgets, get pleasure from.