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HDMI Matrix Switches

Brian

Brian

Administrator
Staff member
Does anyone have any experience of these?

I am thinking of purchasing a device with 4 inputs and 2 outputs so that I can connect one output to my TV, and the other output to my AV receiver. I don't want to connect directly to my receiver, as this would need to be turned on whenever I want to watch anything. I would like to be able to choose whether to watch straight to TV, or via AV receiver if I am watching a film, or perhaps a music programme.
 
Some (many?) AV amps support HDMI pass-through when in standby mode. Worth checking if yours does that before paying out.
 
I have just checked the manual for my Denon AVR-1311, and can find no reference to HDMI pass-through when in standby mode.
 
Have you tried it to see if it does 'pass through' in standby regardless of what it does not say in the manual.
 
I have just tried this, and my TV is not seeing any output from the AV receiver HDMI connection, so it does not seem to pass through.
 
I use an HDMI/Optical switch (4 in 1 out) to feed the HDMI to the TV and the digital audio to the AV amp. I also connect analoue audio out from the TV to the same logical input on the AV amp to use instead of the digital audio when appropriate. I also use AV2 on the TV to feed my stereo hi-fi amp. SCART out on my PVRs go through a SCART switch box to feed my bedroom TV, the stereo hi-fi amp, the AV amp, the HDD/DVDR recorder, the wireless video sender and the wireless headphones.

Food for thought? :)
 
brian said:
Does anyone have any experience of these?

I am thinking of purchasing a device with 4 inputs and 2 outputs so that I can connect one output to my TV, and the other output to my AV receiver. I don't want to connect directly to my receiver, as this would need to be turned on whenever I want to watch anything. I would like to be able to choose whether to watch straight to TV, or via AV receiver if I am watching a film, or perhaps a music programme.
Click to expand...


Are you prepared to have the TV speakers on as well as the surround speakers when you listen via your amp? The alternative is to have a mute symbol on-screen, or to turn the TV volume to zero each time, not ideal.
 
Mike0001 said:
Are you prepared to have the TV speakers on as well as the surround speakers when you listen via your amp? The alternative is to have a mute symbol on-screen, or to turn the TV volume to zero each time, not ideal.
Click to expand...
I sometimes leave the TV speakers on at a lower volume, and sometimes turn the volume to zero. This takes less than 3 seconds from my normal listening level, and is not a problem.
 
gomezz said:
I use an HDMI/Optical switch (4 in 1 out) to feed the HDMI to the TV and the digital audio to the AV amp. I also connect analoue audio out from the TV to the same logical input on the AV amp to use instead of the digital audio when appropriate. I also use AV2 on the TV to feed my stereo hi-fi amp. SCART out on my PVRs go through a SCART switch box to feed my bedroom TV, the stereo hi-fi amp, the AV amp, the HDD/DVDR recorder, the wireless video sender and the wireless headphones.

Food for thought? :)
Click to expand...
I am currently using a 3 way HDMI switch to connect my HDR-FOX T2's to my TV, and a 3 way Optical switch to connect them to my AV receiver. I was thinking of using the HDMI matrix switch to replace both of the above, and do away with the optical connections altogether.
 
Further to my "home theatre" (in quotes because enthusiasts would not recognise my set-up as home theatre at all), I decided I needed a means of routing the HDMI from several sources to the TV and the Qumi (projector), and sound from several sources to the self-powered speakers I acquired for projection. Of course, the TV has three HDMI inputs, but the sources (2 HDRs and a Blu-ray) only have one output each.

Looking around I found a 4-input, 2-output HDMI matrix switch (with remote control) which can send any of the inputs to each output, including the same input to each output if desired (I don't actually need both outputs running at the same time, I'm not likely to be watching something on the screen and something else on the telly, but no matter).

Not only that, but the matrix switch includes an audio stream decoder for output A, which is presented on a pair of RCAs. These connect straight to my active speakers, and sound fine. That solves the audio routing too!

All this for £33 delivered, and it's a little tiny thing no bigger than a thin paperback. Brill!

http://r.ebay.com/TABvAh
 
I was enquiring about HDMI Matrix Switches a while ago. A Marmitek Connect 540 has since been purchased to connect various items to a TV, and also an AV receiver. It generally works OK, but there are issues with the sound. When the HDR-FOX T2 is set to Multi-channel output, there is no sound to the TV. If set to Stereo, there is sound to the TV. Both sound outputs are OK via the AV receiver, so there may be HDMI compatibility issues with the Samsung TV.
 
I have not tried multichannel, 'cos I have no need of it. I will try it and report back (but the results may be irrelevant since I don't have any surround sound kit). Is that "no sound to the TV" regardless of whether the programme source is stereo or multichannel?

(I started a new topic for this, not realising there was an existing one - and they have now been merged.)
 
I don't use/need a matrix HDMI switch but do use a 5 input, 1 output unit. It is auto sensing with the bonus of having a remote control. Unfortunatly my AppleTV refuses to release the HDMI when put into standby so I have to manually intervene. The remote control is very useful!

It just works, which is probably the best recommendation one can give.

It is made by Kinivo, http://www.kinivo.com/
 
Black Hole said:
Further to my "home theatre" (in quotes because enthusiasts would not recognise my set-up as home theatre at all), I decided I needed a means of routing the HDMI from several sources to the TV and the Qumi (projector), and sound from several sources to the self-powered speakers I acquired for projection. Of course, the TV has three HDMI inputs, but the sources (2 HDRs and a Blu-ray) only have one output each.

Looking around I found a 4-input, 2-output HDMI matrix switch (with remote control) which can send any of the inputs to each output, including the same input to each output if desired (I don't actually need both outputs running at the same time, I'm not likely to be watching something on the screen and something else on the telly, but no matter).

Not only that, but the matrix switch includes an audio stream decoder for output A, which is presented on a pair of RCAs. These connect straight to my active speakers, and sound fine. That solves the audio routing too!

All this for £33 delivered, and it's a little tiny thing no bigger than a thin paperback. Brill!

http://r.ebay.com/TABvAh
Click to expand...


I used something similar for a while before getting the current amp. It had auto-sensing of inputs. It wasn't always reliable, ie, its auto-switching of inputs didn't always work. Also, the dreaded HDCP occasionally fouled it up.
 
No problems so far, although I don't use that room much. I fired up this morning to check the recording schedule for HDR1 and forgot to turn on the switch - the TV was reporting cable disconnected, but turning on the switch sorted it out straight away with no further intervention (it does not auto-sense, but it does remember what state it was in when turned off). I have tested the switch running the Qumi on one HDMI output, TV on t'other, and speakers driven from the audio decoder, with Blu-ray and HDR sources.
 
I was going to say something similar!

We have a Samsung TV in the morning room, and recently got a new Samsung for the lounge to replace an old Philips. We, also have an InfraRed remote control extender. This enables us to control the Humax, which in under the TV in the lounge, from the morning room. Straightforward stuff.

I am not able to alter the remote mode on the Samsung TV's as that option isn't available. So, when I use the Samsung TV remote in the morning room, the TV in the lounge also acts on the remote commands! I now only power on the IR extender when I know we want to watch something recorded.
 
You wouldn't need the remote extender if you used the WebIF virtual remote. My solution to the above is an HD-FOX and a network link.

Anyway, it's no great hardship for me to mask the HDMI switch IR receiver and switch it manually - it's not like I'm going to re-route every few minutes.
 
Wallace said:
I am not able to alter the remote mode on the Samsung TV's as that option isn't available. So, when I use the Samsung TV remote in the morning room, the TV in the lounge also acts on the remote commands! I now only power on the IR extender when I know we want to watch something recorded.
Click to expand...
The remote extender on the Logitech 900 is interesting. It has extenders on it, with this in mind, ie, identical commands going to different bits of equipment. The little fleas on the big flea are put next to the IR receivers on the appropriate bit of equipment and IR commands can be broadcast from the big flea, one small flea, or all. So, theoretically, you could control two mode 1 HDRs in the same room, by having them as separate devices HDR1 and HDR2 and directing commands to little flea 1 and little flea 2.
 
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