id="mod_37452039">There are many who know the problem: Your LED TV is slowly growing old and when you purchased it, nobody expected that there would be so many HDMI devices to be connected to it one day, true? There is a BluRay player, a Playstation, an XBOX, an Apple TV, a satellite receiver. Today, all these devices connect to the TV set via a so-called HDMI port. The HDMI port can be deemed the equivalent to what was once the SCART connector in the analog world. And once again, there are far too few of them on the TV set!
Problem: Not enough HDMI ports - Too many devices
Especially old TV sets often feature very few HDMI ports, sometimes only one. Today, this often leads to problems in practice. After all, who wants to crawl behind the TV set every time in order to re-plug devices? No one! But that doesn't necessarily mean you need to buy a new TV set. In order to get more HDMI ports, it is often sufficient to acquire a cheap HDMI switch or HDMI toggle that allows you to connect multiple devices to the same HDMI port!
In the following, we briefly explain how this works:
Solution: More HDMI ports with switch
Connect several devices to one HDMI port without re-plugging
1. Count your devices! How many HDMI extensions are needed?
HDMI switches/toggles are practical but they aren't magic. Who would like to expand his television by ten HDMI ports should better acquire a new TV set. However, minor HDMI expansions can be done easily. In practice a ratio of 3: 1 has proven feasible, i.e. 3 devices can be attached to one HDMI port.
HDMI Splitter vs. HDMI Switch Switch _ Splitter!
Caution: Do not confuse HDMI switches with HDMI splitters! HDMI splitters generate multiple outputs from one output signal (e.g. multiple monitors connected to one single HDMI output)! Our case is different, here the task is to toggle the video output of several devices to one output, not vice versa!
2. Wiring / connection of devices via HDMI switch
To get more HDMI ports, you need an HDMI switch. This switch is looped in between the TV set and the devices to be connected to it. Use the remote control of the switch and the switch itself to toggle between the signals from the different devices.
Smooth operation requires the HDMI switch to meet the following minimum criteria:
Transfer rate of at least 2.25 Gbps for easy full HD resolution
Manual and automatic toggle function
Explicit Full-HD support!
Depending on the manufacturer and its features, an HDMI switch will cost about US$30.
3. Comfort - more HDMI ports, less mess
You have already a lot of remote controls at home. Therefore, when selecting an HDMI switch, you should make sure that it will work without remote control in everyday operating conditions if possible. For example, switches that automatically detect the last active signal have proven functional.
Example: The satellite receiver sends its image via the HDMI switch to the TV set. Now, if the BluRay player - which is also connected to the switch - is turned on, the switch automatically toggles to the latter. If the Blu-ray player is turned off, the image automatically toggles back to the sat receiver. Such partially "smart" switches increase comfort considerably and should be preferred with respect to cheap switches in every day life.
Overview: Which devices are suitable for HDMI expansion?
Most HDMI devices can work with HDMI switches. Nevertheless, there are some limitations that you should know. Devices that require high-speed HDMI with a transfer rate of 10.2 Gbps (e.g. 3D BluRay Player, 4K contents) tend to be unsuitable for HDMI switches because in this case, extremely powerful studio equipment is required. For home use, it is preferable to connect devices with high-speed HDMI specification directly to the TV set.
The following devices should better be connected directly to the TV set:
Blu-ray player with 3D contents
Playstation 4
Xbox One
Equipment that displays 4K contents
The following devices are suitable for use with HDMI switches.
DVD players, HD-DVD players, Blu-ray players
Camcorders, Digital cameras
Satellite receivers
PC, Mac, Notebook, Tablet
XBOX 360, Playstation 3
How many different devices (PlayStation, XBOX, DVD Player, Receiver, etc.) are connected to your TV?
1-3
4-6
More than 6 devices
See results Special cases / FAQ:
Question: Can I upgrade my TV with 2 HDMI switches?
Answer: In principle, yes. If you have a TV with 2 HDMI inputs, you may for example connect 2 HDMI splitters to it, which in turn provide a total of 6 HDMI ports. However, in such configurations you can easily loose orientation.
Question: Does the HDMI splitter require additional electric power?
Answer: That depends. Most HDMI switches do not require a separate power supply but work with the 5V voltage supplied via the HDMI cable by the devices. In some cases, a switch may however require more power. Pay particular attention to the product description in such cases!
Question: Is it possible to connect multiple devices to different screens in order to achieve the possibility to toggle e.g. between Xbox and Playstation and between TV set and beamer?
Answer: Yes, that is possible. However, this will require an HDMI matrix instead of an HDMI switch. An HDMI matrix allows the inputs and outputs to be combined as desired.
What are your experiences with HDMI switches? Post them in our comments section below!
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sendingAUTHORTobias
2 years ago from Germany
Thanks! Glad to hear that :-)
Jim
2 years ago
Thanks this was very helpful
Aashutosh patel
2 years ago from Gujrat India
awesome one and so nicely explained tobias
NinetythreeProof
4 years ago
Great information on the topic.
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id="cnetReview" section="rvwBody" data-component="indepthReview"> The 2019 Samsung Notebook 9 Pro is perfectly fine.
At 2.8 pounds (1.3 kg), the 13.3-inch ultraportable two-in-one is one of the lightest in the category and it's thin at just 0.5 inch (14 mm) thick. Its battery lasted more than 12 hours, performance is right where it should be and its metal chassis gives it a premium look and feel. And, with a $1,100 price, you're not overpaying for what you're getting, either.
Still, there's something missing.
View full gallery Sarah Tew/CNET When Samsung first told us about the Notebook 9 Pro redesign at CES 2019, it kept hammering on how much work it put into the design. It had conducted a US-specific design study that influenced its choices on things like bezel design, profile taper and corner radii. That's exactly how it feels, too: A laptop designed by questionnaire and lacking any sort of personality.
Samsung Notebook 9 Pro (2019)
Price as reviewed $1,099
Display size/resolution 13.3-inch 1,920 x 1,080 touch display
CPU 1.8GHz Intel Core i7-8565U
PC Memory 8GB DDR4 SDRAM 2,133MHz
Graphics 128MB Intel UHD Graphics 620
Storage 256GB SSD
Networking 802.11ac Wi-Fi wireless; Bluetooth 5.0
Operating system Windows 10 Home (64-bit)
Form pulls ahead of function
Falling short of marketing hype happens, of course. (Just ask Apple how things are going these days.) The Notebook 9 Pro doesn't have any major issues caused by the design, but the design doesn't noticeably improve use, either.
For instance, Samsung used a full-size active pen instead of its compact and debatably more useful S Pen. The S Pen stores in the body of Samsung's other laptops including the new Notebook 9 Pen and never needs to be charged. The Pro's pen has no garage or holder and requires the unusual AAAA-size battery. The Pro's pen also lacks all of the S Pen's Air Command features that give it an edge over other pen-enabled two-in-ones.
View full gallery The Notebook 9 Pro's diamond-cut edges are its main distinctive design touch.
Sarah Tew/CNET Also sacrificed to the design gods are ports. The Pro has three USB-C ports (two are Thunderbolt 3), a microSD card slot and a headphone/mic combo jack. That's certainly not unusual for premium ultraportables these days, but it does mean you'll be carrying around adapters. The Pro can charge through all of the USB-C ports, however. Not that you'd know it was charging with the lid closed, though, since there are no indicator lights on the outside at all.
With the keyboard, Samsung enlarged the key caps and reduced spacing between them to improve the typing experience and appearance. There is not much travel to the keys, however, which doesn't help the experience at all.
The slim power button on the laptop's right side is also a fingerprint reader. Nearly flush with the body, it's tricky to use with the laptop sitting on a desk and I frequently had to swipe it a few times to get it to register. Maybe slender fingers work better, but it might have been best to place it up on the keyboard deck.
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How To Get More HDMI Ports - HDMI Expansion Made Easy
