Hdmi Switch
If you are into electronics and high definition TVs, then you must have heard of HDMI. You might probably even know what it stands for (if you don’t, it’s High Definition Multimedia Inteface).
HDMI works by encoding video and audio into digital data, via the TMDS (Transmission Minimized Differential Signaling) protocol. This data is sent via a copper cable to the receiver, who decodes the data into video and audio.
HDMI works better than previous V/A interfaces because it features a much greater bandwidth, and suffers from less electromagnetic interference. In fact, it’s the best interface available to the public right now. HMDI supports a bandwidth of 10.2 Gigabits per second, which is the equivalent of 340 MHZ.
All the latest devices that transmit video and audio support HDMI, because it allows them to get a better, brighter video resolution, and to support up to 8 channels of digital audio.
In the same manner, some receivers need an HDMI input in order to get the benefits of an emitter that features HDMI interface.
Most people are happy with just one receiver, which is usually a high definition TV or monitor. One reason for this is because they’re expensive, like plasma TVs or Liquid Cristal Display (LCDs). Another reason is because the receiver is almost always in the same place. Also, all receivers serve the same function, so having many of them is redundant.
However, emitters are different, and each serves a different function, so most people have several of them.
In those cases, an HDMI switch is recommended. An HDMI switch is a device that has several HDMI inputs and one or more outputs. If your receiver has only one HMDI input, then you should get an HDMI switch with two or more inputs, so that you don’t have to connect and disconnect cables every time you want to use a different emitter device.
An HDMI switch will be categorized by a multiplication format, such as “2x1”. The first number of the HDMI switch will tell you how many inputs it has. The second number will tell you how many outputs it has.
The most common HDMI switch design is the 2x1 design. This HDMI switch lets you select which signal out of two sources you want to send to the receiver. However, as more and more emitter devices that support HDMI are released to the public, the 4x1 HDMI switch becomes more popular as it allows a much more reasonable expandability.
There are even some other formats in the market. The strangest ones have more than one output, which allows you to select both the signal and the receiver you want. One example of this format is the 2x3 HDMI switch.
Finally, HDMI switches are really easy to use once installed. They usually have big recognizable buttons and some can even be used with a remote control.
