This will usually be labeled as such next to the port itself. To set it up, hook up the external source to either the display device or the audio device on a different channel. It also synchronizes your devices so that they all have one master volume. 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. This allows for an HDMI signal to be split multiple times with some splitters having as many as eight outputs. It also means that you will be less likely to pick up radio frequency interference.
As previously discussed, a passive splitter will technically mean a reduction in signal strength. The reason lies in how digital audio and video signals work compared to their analog counterparts. An analog signal, like those you would get out of RCA cables, takes a media source and converts into an electronic signal that directly represents that source. 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. Video is a little bit more complicated, but the same basic principles apply.
In theory, you can look at the voltage pattern and be able to have a rough idea of what will be displayed. With digital signals, this is not the case. What this means overall is that if you weaken the strength of an analog signal, there will be a weakening of the resulting output. The sound will be quieter, and you might get some issues regarding the color of the picture.
With a digital signal, this is not the case. Unlike an analog signal, which communicates not only through the frequency of electrical pulses but also their voltage, a digital signal communicates only through the frequency of electrical pulses.
With a digital signal, there are only two states: high and low. Unlike an analog signal, the information is encoded before being sent through the wire and decoded at the other end. One of the most common problems on setups that use HDMI splitters is that some of the displays do not match the resolution of the other displays.
For example: one display may support up to p resolutions, while the other display may support 4k. Since the EDID Extended Display Identification Data handshake requires the splitter to send out an identical signal to all the displays, when the splitter detects that one display only supports up to p, it then sends an identical p signal to all of the 4k displays.
Most of the time this goes unnoticed. But for people that want to get the most out of their expensive TV's this is very noticeable. Especially when watching 4k content since the lower resolution will make all the other displays look inferior. The way a downscaler works is that it receives a 4k signal, and "downscales" it into a p signal. This way, the splitter is forced to send a 4k signal to all the displays because it thinks that all of the displays are 4k.
Here is a video explaining more about the Echo Downscaler by Sewell. The new model of the Echo is a Downscaler AND Upscaler, meaning you can also "Upscale" a video signal that is only p and turn it into a 4k signal. Even if none of your current sources are 4K, your next sources certainly will be. HDMI 2. If you're on the fence about needing a switch, consider this: HDMI ports on TVs and other gear were not built for repeated connection and disconnection.
Yanking that HDMI cable out every time you want to switch sources is putting wear and tear on your cables and gear. A switch will decrease that wear and tear, extending the life of your gear as well as easing the hassle of using your AV system. Maybe that TV is in a different room, or maybe in the same room you have a TV to watch during the day and a projector to watch at night. A splitter will duplicate a signal and send it out through multiple HDMI cables. Some splitters are also switches, with multiple "ins" and multiple "outs.
If you want two displays going at the same time, keep in mind the maximum resolution for all is whatever the lowest resolution display is. The splitter won't convert the signal to p just for that TV. In theory you shouldn't have copy protection issues… in theory.
You should be able to send any content you want through a splitter to multiple TVs. That's not a guarantee you'll be without issues, though. HDCP " handshakes " are black magic that sometimes can only be resolved by dancing around an HDMI logo painted on your floor in unicorn tears. This is especially true of older displays and sources. Make sure before you buy it that it passes HDCP. They'll usually say in the product description. Though there are some unpowered splitters on the market, you're probably better off getting a powered one.
They're only slightly more money, and there's a better chance your setup will work without dropouts or connectivity issues. Here's where I mention that some products at Amazon and elsewhere are mislabeled. In the link for splitters above, for example, a few switches showed up, and one I'm looking at you, Techole is a switch, not a splitter, even though the words "HDMI splitter" appear in its description. But now that you've read this far, you know the difference and can shop with confidence, right?
Get CNET's comprehensive coverage of home entertainment tech delivered to your inbox. Splitters, and many switches, will be labeled in their name with the number of inputs and outputs, respectively, separated by an "x". So a "1x3" splitter will have one input sent to three outputs.
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