HDMI Switch with 1 input and 2 outputs

DanLane

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Hi,

I have one output on my Onkyo 605 and two displays (TV and projector). I don't really need have any practical need for both the displays to be on at the same time.

I picked up a £100 HDMI distribution box that takes one input and gives multiple outputs simultaneously but some of my equipment is having trouble figuring out which resolution to use and just plain doesn't work :(

I think I need a simpler device that literally acts as a switch (preferably IR controlled) but all the switches on the market seem to be 2 input / 1 output :(

So, does anyone know where I can get a 1 input - 2 output HDMI switch?
 
Hi,

I have one output on my Onkyo 605 and two displays (TV and projector). I don't really need have any practical need for both the displays to be on at the same time.

I picked up a £100 HDMI distribution box that takes one input and gives multiple outputs simultaneously but some of my equipment is having trouble figuring out which resolution to use and just plain doesn't work :(

I think I need a simpler device that literally acts as a switch (preferably IR controlled) but all the switches on the market seem to be 2 input / 1 output :(

So, does anyone know where I can get a 1 input - 2 output HDMI switch?

I was in the same boat last week, having purchased an 805 and needed a splitter.

I found this:http://hdcable.co.uk/products/hd-switches/hd3to2switch/

which I bought, as it states hdmi 1.3 and was £59.99. it came next day and works a treat - my output from 805 goes into input 1, and then two outs to tv and pj. It comes with remote which I don't use as i'm only using hdmi input 1.
It's handy to have extra inputs as i only have 1 spare on the 805.

It's now tucked away, velcroed to the back of my av cabinet out of sight.

Looks like the price has risen though and now out of stock!!

Other boxes cost upwards of at least £175 that I've seen, so this is a bargain.

Good Luck:thumbsup:
 
Hi,

I also need to do the same with my 805, could you let me know what
you have going through the 805 HDMI inputs.

I currently have
PS3
Ep35
Laptop
all going through the HDMI inputs on the amp which would then need to
go into mentioned splitter to output to proj and tv but not at the same time.

Thanks
 
Anyoner know of anything cheaper that works?

The original idea of a simple 'switch' sounds good.

Are we being ripped off? Surely it can't be that expensive!

Just to throw the cat among the pigeons...

My new set will feed my plasma and projector (both in the same room, never on together). Is it acceptable practice to literally pull the HDMI cable going to the plasma out of the back of the amp, and plug in the HDMI going to the projector? I appreciate that I may haveto have the projector & TV turned off when I do this, but is there any reason it shouldn't work?

Steve W
 
Thanks but the device you linked to is a splitter/distributor... what I really need is a switch so I can switch between the TV and the projector as they both accept different resolutions.

I'm reliably informed that this works in "reverse" since it's a very basic switch but TBH if I have to get up to press a button I might as well swap the HDMI cables over.

What I need is a single input, dual output switch that allows me to choose one output or the other via IR remote control. Just a simple switch that routes the signal accordingly and NOT something that sits in the middle and "spoofs" HDCP and resolution negotiation on behalf of my devices.
 
Anyoner know of anything cheaper that works?

The original idea of a simple 'switch' sounds good.

Are we being ripped off? Surely it can't be that expensive!

Just to throw the cat among the pigeons...

My new set will feed my plasma and projector (both in the same room, never on together). Is it acceptable practice to literally pull the HDMI cable going to the plasma out of the back of the amp, and plug in the HDMI going to the projector? I appreciate that I may haveto have the projector & TV turned off when I do this, but is there any reason it shouldn't work?

Steve W

thats what i do the now, i have a 10m hdmi connected to my projector and a short hdmi connected to my tv, i just plug the cable for what i want use into the amp, making sure it switched off first, i have purchased a cheap splitter which they say should work as they say it allows you to split sky hd to 2 hd tvs, it has a male connector which will go into the back of the amp and it has 2 female connectors into which you plug the 2 hdmi cables from your sources. It only cost £20 and it should arrive tomorrow, i will let you know if its any good and it works ok. If its not too good its not much of a risk at £20.
 
Hi,

I also need to do the same with my 805, could you let me know what
you have going through the 805 HDMI inputs.

I currently have
PS3
Ep35
Laptop
all going through the HDMI inputs on the amp which would then need to
go into mentioned splitter to output to proj and tv but not at the same time.

Thanks

I have sky HD and HD dvd going into the 805, and the 805 hdmi out going into input 1 on the hdmi switcher with hdmi out 1 to tv and hdmi out 2 to pj.
It works fine, although screen takes around 5secs to get signal.

You can watch both displays at once if you need to as you cannot switch between outputs on the switcher so both are always on.

Hope that helps:)
 
I have this exact same problem at the moment... I have a 5:1 switch at the moment but since buying that I've upgraded to an HD LCD so now need to split the output to 2 devices. I'm currently swapping the cables between TV and projector as needed, but it's a pain.

I bought one of these. Described as "HDMI Splitter replicates single output into two outputs" which I thought would do the trick, converting my switch to 5:2. Unfortunately, it works the other way, 2:1 and as such is useless for me. :(

So I'm also back to searching for a low-cost HDMI switch - someone must make one!
 
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Hello DanLane

I take it you have the Onkyo set to 'Pass Thru' rather than 'Process' on HDMI - otherwise its the AV Amp that's struggling with the Displays.

An HDMI Output 'Selector' most likely doesn't adhere to HDMI.orgs rules - which is why the 'Licensed' Manufacturers tend to provide a Distribution Amp (DA), Matrix Switch or combined Switch/DA.

Plugging and unplugging cables is asking for problems in terms of wear and tear on the Cables and Chassis sockets.

A decent quality reliable 1x2 HDMI DA ought not to cost a fortune - see http://www.octavainc.com/HDMI distribution amp_splitter 2 port.html

Best regards

Joe
 
Hello DanLane

I take it you have the Onkyo set to 'Pass Thru' rather than 'Process' on HDMI - otherwise its the AV Amp that's struggling with the Displays.

An HDMI Output 'Selector' most likely doesn't adhere to HDMI.orgs rules - which is why the 'Licensed' Manufacturers tend to provide a Distribution Amp (DA), Matrix Switch or combined Switch/DA.

Plugging and unplugging cables is asking for problems in terms of wear and tear on the Cables and Chassis sockets.

A decent quality reliable 1x2 HDMI DA ought not to cost a fortune - see http://www.octavainc.com/HDMI distribution amp_splitter 2 port.html



Joe, $200 (probably at least £150 if you buy it in the UK) isn't a fortune, as you point out. But if you're A/V amp is, for example, an Onkyo 605 at £400, it may well be seen as an extrmerely substantial part of your budget, out of context with the price of other interconnects, etc.

Thanks for your comments about wear & tear on cables. I personally would be plugging/unlpugging once a week. Surely that shouldn't have a massiveeffect, especially if you're careful. Any other problems likely to arise?

This raises the question - if the only problem is wear and tear, why aren't there more purely mechanical switches out there. They'd cost pounds instead of hundreds of pounds.

Many thanks. Best wishes.

Steve W
 
I have this exact same problem at the moment... I have a 5:1 switch at the moment but since buying that I've upgraded to an HD LCD so now need to split the output to 2 devices. I'm currently swapping the cables between TV and projector as needed, but it's a pain.

I bought one of these. Described as "HDMI Splitter replicates single output into two outputs" which I thought would do the trick, converting my switch to 5:2. Unfortunately, it works the other way, 2:1 and as such is useless for me. :(

So I'm also back to searching for a low-cost HDMI switch - someone must make one!

How much are you willing to spend for a "low cost" switch?

Have you seen this: http://hdcable.co.uk/products/hd-switches/hd3to2switch/

I have two hdmi sources going into my 805 with the output going to this and then to my pj & TV.
Works a treat.
Was £59.99 when I bought it.

Also 2 spare inputs for anything else i may need in future.:)
 
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Hello DanLane

I take it you have the Onkyo set to 'Pass Thru' rather than 'Process' on HDMI - otherwise its the AV Amp that's struggling with the Displays.

An HDMI Output 'Selector' most likely doesn't adhere to HDMI.orgs rules - which is why the 'Licensed' Manufacturers tend to provide a Distribution Amp (DA), Matrix Switch or combined Switch/DA.

Plugging and unplugging cables is asking for problems in terms of wear and tear on the Cables and Chassis sockets.

A decent quality reliable 1x2 HDMI DA ought not to cost a fortune - see http://www.octavainc.com/HDMI distribution amp_splitter 2 port.html

Best regards

Joe


Thanks for the response Joe,

The amp is definitely passing the signal through unprocessed, to explain my problem some more:

* Most of my sources are set to "up to 1080p/24" or "Auto-negotiate video mode".

* When using my TV as the display (via the AV amp) the sources negotiate 1080i/60

* When using my projector (again, via the AV amp) they negotiate 1080p/24

* When both the projector and TV are plugged into an "HDMI Distribution Amplifier" (yet again, with the output of the AV amp as the source) it appears that the HDMI Distribution Amp sits in the middle and negotiates a resolution with the devices that is not supported by my TV (even when the TV is the only device connected).

Unless the Octava box you linked to has some magic voodoo to get around this problem (it certainly wouldn't be too hard for the DA to negotiate a resolution with each device then negotiate the lowest acceptable res with the sources and this would solve my issue as both sources are never powered on at the same time) then my options appear to be:

* Buy a new TV that supports 1080p/24.
* Buy a cheapo HDMI switch that is so simple it works in reverse and deal with the fact that these don't have IR)
* Use a distribution amp and manually change the settings on my sources each time I switch display (I suppose I could set a macro to do this on my remote... but eugh!)
* Manually swap the HDMI cable (last night one broke... I don't think I want to continue doing that for very long)

Surely I can't be the only person in this situation?!
 
How much are you willing to spend for a "low cost" switch?

Have you seen this: http://hdcable.co.uk/products/hd-switches/hd3to2switch/

I have two hdmi sources going into my 805 with the output going to this and then to my pj & TV.
Works a treat.
Was £59.99 when I bought it.

Also 2 spare inputs for anything else i may need in future.:)

But that's an input switch, the output side of things has no switching at all :(
 
But that's an input switch, the output side of things has no switching at all :(

it's 3 inputs into TWO outputs, so you can connect to 2 displays
 
Thanks for the response Joe,

The amp is definitely passing the signal through unprocessed, to explain my problem some more:

* Most of my sources are set to "up to 1080p/24" or "Auto-negotiate video mode".

* When using my TV as the display (via the AV amp) the sources negotiate 1080i/60

* When using my projector (again, via the AV amp) they negotiate 1080p/24

* When both the projector and TV are plugged into an "HDMI Distribution Amplifier" (yet again, with the output of the AV amp as the source) it appears that the HDMI Distribution Amp sits in the middle and negotiates a resolution with the devices that is not supported by my TV (even when the TV is the only device connected).

Unless the Octava box you linked to has some magic voodoo to get around this problem (it certainly wouldn't be too hard for the DA to negotiate a resolution with each device then negotiate the lowest acceptable res with the sources and this would solve my issue as both sources are never powered on at the same time) then my options appear to be:

* Buy a new TV that supports 1080p/24.
* Buy a cheapo HDMI switch that is so simple it works in reverse and deal with the fact that these don't have IR)
* Use a distribution amp and manually change the settings on my sources each time I switch display (I suppose I could set a macro to do this on my remote... but eugh!)
* Manually swap the HDMI cable (last night one broke... I don't think I want to continue doing that for very long)

Surely I can't be the only person in this situation?!

Someone please tell me this issue has been overcome by now? I have exactly the same issue and cannot find anything that will do the job! Having to install an HDMI wall plate in my AV unit and manually swap the cables!
 
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I bought one of these for £32

Neet® - 2 Way HDMI SPLITTER BOX 1x2 Port - Active: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

works a treat but did need to plug in the power adapter for it to work properly, which I was hoping not to do.

I received mine yesterday, but to be honest I'm sure the picture isn't as good on my 32" TV so I'm sending it back.

This is frustrating. Like the first poster I don't see the need for these things to split the signal so it views on two displays at once, or the need to run an extra HDMI cable to the splitter.

Out of interest, the NEET box also has four very bright red LED lights, which I think would be distracting especially in the dark if viewing a projector. Would need to be masked.

Like the first poster, I just want a simple switch, not even with IR, but just so I can manually switch from one output to another. Ideally this would be connected via a very short HDMI cable that was part of the actual unit, so cutting out the need for extra linking.

What I don't want to lose is any visible signal quality because I feel this should be a simple switching operation without any processing or the like, but maybe I'm not appreciating the digital process.

Can't believe nothing like this is available and for a decent price (£30 max for a simple job).
 
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Having scanned a number of sites and done lots of searching I've decided that the best option for my needs, which are similar to the first poster, is a simple gold-plated 1m HDMI extension cable with a female socket on one end and a male socket on the other.

Though I'll still need to plug the cables in and out I will be able to do so very quickly and easily without putting pressure on the device's HDMI socket and with much more ease and accuracy than fiddling about trying to get behind the unit itself (switching them would take a second and cause no damage if the socket was easily accessed, visible and you could hold socket and cable at same time).

This solution would then only risk wear and tear to my cables, which if that happens could be easily replaced cheaply.

I also hope the short run and single interface between connectors would minimise signal quality loss.

Out of interest, does anyone know if this also takes away the potential problem of needing to switch off the units before swapping the cables?

Obviously it would be more convenient just to switch them from the extender with the devices in stand-by mode (ie not unplugged from the wall, but not active apart from stand-by).

1M HDMI Male M to Female F Extension Cable Cord 1.3b on eBay (end time 09-Feb-10 11:39:26 GMT)

I think I'll give this a go because it is a very cheap idea that might kind of solve my problem better at least than some of the more expensive, more complicated options.

Any thoughts?
 
Last edited:
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The 'problem' is not with the technical abilities of a switch/manufacturer but with the requirements of HDMI.org and DCP - they pretty much preclude anyone producing the type of device you are seeking out.

Digital Content Protection - About DCP

HDMI is all about protecting the content your Source is outputting - its hard to properly protect that content if you have output selector switches.

In theory your Source should 'Hot Plug detect' when you disconnect your cable and re handshake with the new Sync (Display) device when you make the new connection - in practice it depends on the firmware the Source and Sync are running.

Joe
 
The 'problem' is not with the technical abilities of a switch/manufacturer but with the requirements of HDMI.org and DCP - they pretty much preclude anyone producing the type of device you are seeking out.

Digital Content Protection - About DCP

HDMI is all about protecting the content your Source is outputting - its hard to properly protect that content if you have output selector switches.

In theory your Source should 'Hot Plug detect' when you disconnect your cable and re handshake with the new Sync (Display) device when you make the new connection - in practice it depends on the firmware the Source and Sync are running.

Joe


Thanks. Before I start, this comment isn't aimed at you, but is just a general comment based on DCP.

Thanks for letting me know of the reason for the lack of these products – makes perfect sense now and the DCP thing is something I've encountered in other ways so I should have realised it was rearing its head here too.

Am I the only law-abiding consumer to be increasingly frustrated and annoyed by content protection overriding our ability to actually use a product we buy?

I'm told the reason my SKY HD box doesn't have a component option is also due to content protection issues.

So the result is I have a HD device with only one HD output (single HDMI) and loads of non-HD outputs that are practically useless unless you want SD signals, which kind of takes away the point.

I've also had issues with my projector being recognised by blu ray players over HDMI, meaning I've had to return players that simply don't recognise it as a copyright protection machine. And this is an award-winning projector that isn't old or out of date.

As the Blu Ray players also claim to downgrade content sent over their component sockets due to copyright protection these are rendered useless as an alternative. So a socket with perfectly good HD capabilities is actually effectively being downgraded for copyright reasons.

Isn't that slightly ridiculous? I'm all for copyright protection, but protection that targets people who break the law and doesn't cause a stream of basic problems for people who just want to watch legal disks over legal hardware without having to problem solve everything themselves.
 
I'm with you - its a crazy system/concept.

If someone wants to copy a Disc they will surely Rip it - not stream it in real time to a recorder.

By the end of 2010 all New BD players must drop analogue HD (Component) outputs!!!

Say Goodbye to Analog Ports on Blu-ray Players - CE Pro Article from CE Pro

We work with lots of customers who have fantastic 'pre HDMI' Display kit - its crazy to suggest we have to throw it all in a skip!

Joe
 
Joe Fernand said:
By the end of 2010 all New BD players must drop analogue HD (Component) outputs!!!

Joe

Does that go for optical audio as well do you know? That would cause me the biggest problem (ie need to start replacing things).

I'm hoping the next generation of blu ray players will solve a few glitches I've experienced with DCP and occasional freezing.
 

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