![]() There will be a button on the top of some switchers you will need to press to change between each HDMI source device. Audio formats – Dolby Digital, DTS, DTS-HD Master Audio, Dolby Atmos etc.ĭepending on your external devices, you may not need all of these – but give it a little thought before making your purchase. ![]() Other Supported TechnologiesĪside from the supported image resolution, there are several other video and audio technologies that you should check that your switch will support. Make a list of your devices’ output resolutions and ensure that your new switch supports the highest resolution required. If so, your switch must be a 4K compatible HDMI switcher and pass 4K/60Hz or 4K/30Hz video for everything to work. However, newer audio-visual devices are more likely to output 4K resolutions. If your external devices only output 1080p video – like a standard Blu-ray player or older streaming sticks – then you only need a switch that supports 1080p. Image ResolutionĮnsure that the switch you buy supports the video resolutions you want to send. Yes, you can get HDMI switches with more than a single out – although technically, this is a different device called an HDMI matrix switch. Typical HDMI switches for home use have a maximum of 5 or 6 inputs, but if this isn’t enough, you can always buy two switches to connect even more devices. You may see this written as 3×1 (pronounced ‘three by one’) – indicating 3 HDMI inputs and 1 HDMI output. So, in this case, you might want a 3-in/1-out HDMI switcher. However, it might be an idea to have extra inputs as a spare for future purchases. If you just have a couple of devices to connect, a simple 2-in/1-out switch will be sufficient. The most important feature is the number of inputs. So, what types of HDMI switchers might you come across? Number of Inputs There are several features that you might need – and some that you don’t. If you take a little time to consider your options, you will ensure you buy the proper one for your needs. It’s important not to buy the first switch that you see. If it helps, check out the guide to HDMI splitters for more detail. When you see it written it down, it seems so obvious. So, if you get this mixed up, the clue is in the name.Ī switch accepts different input devices and lets you switch between them.Ī splitter takes the same video source and splits it to display on different screens. The seller will probably use both names because it is common for somebody to search for a splitter when they really need a switch – and vice versa. When you search for one of these in an online store, you may notice that some products use both terms to describe the same item.Īnd while some devices can perform both of these tasks in one box, not many do. ![]() This is something that many people get confused about, and they often get mistaken for the same thing, but a switch and a splitter do different jobs.Ī switch connects multiple devices to a single HDMI port on a TV, projector or soundbar, e.g., 3-in/1-out.Ī splitter sends the output of one device to multiple screens or projectors, e.g., 1-in/3-out. What’s the Difference Between an HDMI Splitter and a Switch? If you don’t have enough HDMI connectors on your TV, monitor, soundbar or projector – you can buy a switch that will allow you to connect all your devices in one go. This is the basic idea behind an HDMI switcher. You would then connect all four external devices to the inputs and have one HDMI cable to your TV from the switcher’s output.Īnd the best thing is that it still leaves you with a spare HDMI input on your TV. This will get annoying pretty quickly, not to mention it looks untidy too.ĭrum roll, please – step forward the humble HDMI switch.įor the above example, you would buy a switcher with four inputs and a single output. ![]() You could just leave two input devices disconnected – with the cables hanging loose somewhere around the back.īut if you do that, you must keep reconnecting things when you need the other devices. You have a TV with two HDMI inputs, but you want to connect:įour into two doesn’t go! So what can you do? Whether you need a switch depends on the number of HDMI sources you have and if you have enough inputs on your display device to connect them all. It is common to confuse an HDMI selector switch with similar devices like an HDMI splitter, HDMI matrix, or HDMI distributor – all of which are terms used to describe similar devices – but which do slightly different things. So, for example, you could connect your gaming console, Blu-ray player, and TV to the HDMI switch and then have the box select which device to display on the TV at any given time. An HDMI switch is a device that allows you to connect multiple HDMI sources into a single display port – and switch between them. ![]()
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