The first time I needed to hook up my Xbox 360, HTPC and Blu-Ray player to my old HDTV which had just 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 didn’t know how to call it for me to google it. Actually, I came up with “HDMI hub”, which I borrowed from a network hub that could split network signals for a number of computers. I was also considering “HDMI adapter” and “HDMI splitter”. Unfortunately, none of them were the usual names.
This kind of product is really commonly called an HDMI switch or HDMI switcher. Not surprisingly, there isn’t any official name for it, but you can get names more commonly used than others by the majority of the users. So understanding the right names help you research them better and find better prices before you decide to purchase one.
After reading this short article, you will get a much clearer picture of the common names of the numerous HDMI gadgets and what they do.
1. HDMI Switch, HDMI Switcher, HDMI Selector
These are the names of an HDMI input switch, which draws data from a number of HD gizmos, and output to only 1 HDMI port on an HDTV, lcd screen or projector. This is what you need when you want to connect your PS3, BluRay, HD PVR, etc all to a single HDMI port on your HDTV because your HDTV only has just one port left.
A 3×1 or 3 port HDMI switch takes 3 HDMI signals and outputs to 1 port. So on and so forth.
Although they are also sometimes labeled as “HDMI splitters”, they shouldn’t be, because they do not split signals but rather they converges signal into 1 port.
2. HDMI Splitter or HDMI Amplifier
In contrast, they are the names of an HDMI output switch, which gets signals from just 1 HD system and outputs to 2 or more HDTVs or monitors. This is just 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 signals into different streams, hence the names.
A 1×2 or 2 port HDMI splitter draws HD signal from 1 device and outputs to 2 screens.
3. HDMI Matrix or HDMI Distributor
They are combining the functions of input and output switches, they receive various HD signal and output to a few displays. They 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 data coming from several gizmos.
A 4×2 HDMI matrix takes HD signal from 4 input sources and output to 2 HDTVs.
4. HDMI Adapter or HDMI Converter
They’re very general names, which, however, generally mean a much simpler device that links HDMI port to another video port such as a VGA or DVI port.
An HDMI to DVI adapter means it gets HD data from an HDMI port and outputs to a DVI port.
Summary
So how will you find the right product you need? Try these simple advised keywords when you are doing your research:
HDMI Switch: Connecting many different HD devices to 1 HDMI port on your HDTV.
HDMI Splitter: Connecting 1 HD device to 2 or more HDTVs.
HDMI Matrix: Connecting several HD gizmos to several HDTVs.
HDMI Adapter: Connecting HDMI port to another type of video port.
Now you know the magic words, it will be much easier for you to get your desired HDMI gadgets, enjoy.
Tags: hd system, hdmi switch, network hub, network signals