Are you looking to duplicate your display for your gaming needs? Whether you’re holding a gaming tournament in your home, organizing a large-scale gaming event at big trade shows, or even if you just simply want to let others watch while you're playing your games in your room,  buying an HDMI Splitter might be great! While it may be tempting to choose a basic HDMI Splitter, streaming games on a secondary display may require more than what the usual splitters can offer.

In this article, we’ll be discussing what type of HDMI Splitter you should use and why. Continue reading to have a better understanding of what is the best HDMI Splitter for gaming.

What To Consider When Buying An HDMI Splitter For Gaming

First of all, especially if you’re hosting a gaming event, the latency of the player’s display on the bigger screen must be kept to a minimum. You don’t want your players rejoicing over something and the crowd only catching on after a few seconds! 

Secondly, when streaming high-intensity games, these usually require HDMI Splitters that can support transferring of large video bandwidth, higher resolution quality, and better audio formats.

Lastly, exciting games also tend to have excellent graphics. Using an HDMI Splitter that cannot cope with the game’s graphics may result in a poor viewing experience for your audience.

For these reasons alone, you’re going to want to use Active HDMI Splitters for gaming environments. 

Why You Should Use Active HDMI Splitters

To emphasize the need for Active HDMI Splitters, let’s discuss first how Passive HDMI Splitters work. Passive splitters use their own energy to push digital signals. Sounds great, right? However, this “energy” can only do so much. When a Passive Splitter runs out of energy, the transfer of digital signals stops. With that in mind, streaming games on a secondary display will require a lot of energy because of their high graphics and audio formats – especially if they’re going to travel for a long distance ` 20 feet or more).

Active HDMI Splitters use an external power source to help push digital signals at a much faster and more stable rate. Active splitters can send digital signals even with a distance  of 30 feet and even more without the signal losing any quality. Having this feature makes sure that the games you are playing stream simultaneously and seamlessly to a secondary display. Using Active HDMI Splitters can also let you stream games better in 4k at a refresh rate of 60Hz, or 1080p at 120Hz. 

Another thing about gaming is the sound. Sound effects make games a whole lot more intense and enjoyable. In gaming events, it's great if everyone feels like they're part of the game as well! Active HDMI Splitters can support duplicating and transferring higher audio formats, such as DTS-HD and Dolby Atmos.

What HDMI Splitter To Buy

OREI UHDS -102A: 1X2 HDMI SPLITTER

Are you looking for something you can use for 2 displays? Perhaps in your gaming or living room? 

Get zero to minimal latency with OREI UHDS-102A! With an added option to down-scale video resolution, you can now stream 4K on one monitor and 1080P on another. 

It also has an EDID Management Switch which lets you easily manage audio signals. Set it on “TV” to immediately copy the supported audio from HDMI output 1 to the other. Set on “STD” to automatically detect the supported audio signals by both displays.

Device Specifications:

INPUTS	1 x HDMI Type A
OUTPUT PORTS	2 x HDMI Type A
VIDEO BANDWIDTH	600 MHz / 18GBPS
VIDEO RESOLUTION	4K / 2K @ 24Hz / 25Hz / 30Hz / 60Hz
HDMI AUDIO FORMATS	LPCM, Dolby Digital/Plus/EX, Dolby True HD, DTS, DTS-EX, DTS-96/24, DTS High Resolution, DTS-HD Master Audio, DSD
OPTICAL AUDIO FORMATS	LPCM [2.0/2.1]CH, Dolby 5.1, Dolby True HD, Dolby DD+, DTS 5.1, DTS-ES 6, DTS-HDMA 5.1, DTS HD-HRA 5.1

OREI UHDS-104: ULTRA HD 1X4 HDMI SPLITTER

Quadruple the number of display outputs you can stream onto with OREI UHDS-104! It packs the same punch as OREI-UHDS-102, but with two additional output ports so you can stream on more monitors. It also features the same EDID Management Switch, however, there is no option to down-scale one output; this means that you’ll be getting the same resolution for all display outputs. 

Device Specifications:

INPUTS	1 x HDMI Type A
OUTPUT PORTS	4 x HDMI Type A
VIDEO BANDWIDTH	600 MHz / 18GBPS
VIDEO RESOLUTION	480i~1080P @ 50Hz / 60H; 4K x 2K @ 24Hz /30Hz; 4K x 2K @ 60Hz
HDMI AUDIO FORMATS	LPCM 7.1CH, Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-HD Master Audio

OREI HD-108: 1X8 HDMI POWERED SPLITTER

If you need something that can stream to more displays, you ought to check this one out.

Stream stunning lossless images and audio transmission to as many as 8 HDMI monitors simultaneously. OREI HD-108 is a dependable distribution amplifier-powered HDMI Splitter that can send digital signals up to 4k@30Hz. It can also support deep colors at 30-bit, 36-bit, and 48-bit per pixel.

Device Specifications:

INPUTS	1 x HDMI Type A
OUTPUT PORTS	8 x HDMI Type A
VIDEO BANDWIDTH	2.97 GBPS
VIDEO RESOLUTION	4K x 2K @ 30Hz; 1080P @ 120Hz; 1080P 3D @ 60Hz
HDMI AUDIO FORMATS	DTS-HD, Dolby TrueHD, LCPM 7.1, DTS, Dolby-AC3, DSD

OREI UHDS-108: 1X8 HDMI USB POWERED SPLITTER

For a more powerful HDMI Splitter that you can use to split 8 screens, the OREI UHDS-108 may be a better option. It has a much higher video bandwidth as compared to OREI HD-108, and it also comes with an EDID Management Switch. 

Device Specifications:

INPUTS	1 x HDMI Type A
OUTPUT PORTS	8 x HDMI Type A
VIDEO BANDWIDTH	594 MHz / 18 GBPS
VIDEO RESOLUTION	480i ~ 1080P @ 50Hz /60Hz; 4K x 2K @ 24Hz/30Hz; 4K x 2K @ 60Hz
HDMI AUDIO FORMATS	PCM 2CH, LPCM 7.1/5.1CH, Dolby Digital, DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital+, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio, Dolby Atmos, DTS:X

OREI HD-1016: 1X16 HDMI USB POWERED SPLITTER

If you’re planning to go all out and stream to 16 different monitors simultaneously, the OREI HD-1016 is a great option. Get the same lossless image quality and high audio signal quality on all your monitors by powering them with this reliable device. OREI HD-1016 also comes with an EDID Management Switch. 

Device Specifications:

INPUTS	1 x HDMI Type A
OUTPUT PORTS	16 x HDMI Type A
VIDEO BANDWIDTH	250 MHz / 18 GBPS
VIDEO RESOLUTION	480i ~1080P @ 50Hz / 60Hz; 4K x 2K @ 24Hz / 30Hz, 4K x 2K @ 60Hz; 4K @ 60Hz 4:4:4
HDMI AUDIO FORMATS	PCM 2CH, LPCM 7.1/5.1CH, Dolby Digital, DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital+, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio, Dolby Atmos, DTS:X

Start planning your gaming events better with the top 4K HDMI Splitters for gaming. Help the people at the back experience the same excitement as all the people at the front! Take note that the optimal distance between your monitors and HDMI Splitters is around 30 feet. For distances more than this, consider getting an HDMI Extender Splitter. 

Find the best HDMI hubs for gaming in our shop! Be sure to check out more good reads in our blog to learn more about HDMI.

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