When you search to buy the best HDMI switcher, you’ll see devices called “HDMI Switch”, devices called “HDMI Splitter”, and those that mix it up and say they’re a Switcher AND a Splitter. If you’ve bought bad HDMI splitter before, then this highly recommended Orei product will work for you. An HDMI cable has 19 wire pairs that terminate in the same number of pins on the HDMI plug. Each of these wires transmits different information electronically via digital signals. This includes not only audio and visual data but also information about the specific devices and commands you might find on a remote control. This means you will need additional cables for each device you intend to output the source to. Although passive and active HDMI splitters work slightly differently, this basic principle is the same. There can be some confusion around HDMI splitters. Sometimes, a similar technology, the HDMI switch, is confused for an HDMI splitter. An HDMI splitter splits a channel from a common source to multiple outputs.

HDMI splitters that send two, three, four, or more signals from a single HDMI source are available, but for consumers, two is usually enough. Splitters with more outputs are primarily for business and commercial use, where one source needs to be sent to multiple TVs or projectors. To compensate for this power loss, active HDMI splitters add power to the HDMI signal. This is done by using an external power source (usually a As previously mentioned, when you split any electronic signal, the resulting signals will be weaker than the original. Splitting it more than twice will make the signal too weak. Further, a weakened signal, even one that is good for short lengths, may be more susceptible to interference over longer runs of cable. But how will you switch between these three devices? There are three options, depending on the HDMI switcher you buy:

How we picked the best HDMI splitters

The main reason for buying an HDMI switcher is that you no longer have enough ports on your TV. Therefore, it would be annoying to run into the same problem two months after you buy the switcher… power outlet) to power the signal. The original signal is passed through an electronic component called a transistor. This signal acts as a gate, allowing and restricting the wall power source (significantly reduced from the 120 or 240 volts that come out of the wall) as the signal passes through it. You can think of it as a megaphone but for electricity. When Would You Use an HDMI Splitter? There are a number of factors that you want to think about, the first being splitter or switch. If you’re going from one source to multiple displays, you want a splitter. If you are connecting multiple content sources to one display, you need a switch. Once you have that nailed down, you’ll want to consider the following. Inputs and outputs First, you need to make sure your HDMI Switcher supports 4K and HDR (as do the PS4 Pro, PS5 and XBOX Series X). To set it up, hook up the external source to either the display device or the audio device on a different channel. It’s generally a good idea to use the device with the most HDMI ports as the central device. Then, connect the display device and the audio device on the HDMI ARC or eARC ports.

This means you would not be able to immediately tell what is happening with the audio or visual information by looking at the electrical pulse pattern. HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is a proprietary audio/video interface for transferring uncompressed digital video and audio data from an HDMI compliant source devices. From a display controller, you can send the output to a compatible computer monitor, video projector, digital television, or digital audio device.

HDMI Splitters: A Buying Guide

Many of us have more than one TV screen in our house these days. It could be one TV in the living room and another one in the bedroom, or maybe you have a small one in the kitchen, or a 4K projector somewhere along with a regular TV… you get the point. You can use an HDMI switcher with two HDMI outputs to send the same HDMI signal to two TVs or a video projector and TV, but you can use an HDMI splitter if you don't need a switcher. So a switcher lets you switch between different HDMI signals, while a splitter lets you split one HDMI signal out to several screens. Manual Switching: You switch between the HDMI input ports by pressing a button on the switcher itself.

If possible, you should connect the PS4 Pro or PS5 directly to your TV’s HDMI port, and then use a switcher for the other devices you want to connect, on a different TV port. If that’s not possible, it’s a matter of trial and error. In my personal testing, the Belfen 4K HDMI Switcher worked flawlessly with both the PS4 Pro and the PS5, and I’m assuming the two top ones will manage it as well – but you won’t know for sure until you try, unfortunately. For passive HDMI splitters, that is the long and short of it. For active HDMI splitters, there is another step. However, with multiple screens comes the problem of using your media devices – such as streaming devices, gaming consoles, DVD players, etc. – with those multiple tellies. Without buying multiple devices, that is… Housed in a heavy duty material, the product uses low power voltage, small power supply, yet delivers great picture quality. In a way, it’s functions like a HDCP device on the input side, and then transmits that signal to multiple HDMI devices.So the first step is to look at the number of HDMI devices you want to connect to your TV now. But then, I would recommend you add at least one (or even two) free HDMI ports, to future-proof your switcher. Using an active HDMI splitter for longer cable runs should help eliminate this problem. However, if the problem persists, you may want to upgrade your HDMI cable to one that is better shielded, or another type like directional cables which we’ve talked about before. A shielded cable has an extra layer of material (usually a metal alloy or carbon allotrope) that deflects radio waves. There are, however, a few products that can serve as BOTH an HDMI Switcher and Splitter, meaning their HDMI ports can serve as either Input or Output. But to keep things simple, it’s usually best to buy a product that fits your specific need. In this article – we’re looking at HDMI Switchers (and one that does both). With audio, for instance, the voltage of the signal directly translates to how far the speaker cone is pushed from its resting position and the changes in voltage create the motion of the speaker cone. This means more voltage equals louder sound. I decided to include this Fosmon HD8062 in this review because of its price for its value. It has 5 additional HDMI ports and an infrared remote to switch between them. It works like a charm.