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Planning a more complicated setup for your home or event entertainment system? An HDMI Splitter or HDMI Switch might not work for you if you want to connect multiple input devices to several output displays. What you need is an HDMI Matrix Switch. In this article, we’ll be talking about what an HDMI Matrix Switch is, how different it is from splitters and regular switches, and the best HDMI Matrix Switches you can buy.

Modern A/V devices usually have one HDMI port that can support both audio and video, but what would you do if your sound system requires an Optical audio input? 

This dilemma often occurs with people who have an older sound system model and a new A/V device or TV. 

You may also experience this if you’re planning to use your optical sound system with new gaming consoles such as Playstation 5 or Xbox Series X. 

Did you know HDMI Switches (also known as HDMI Hubs) are slowly becoming an essential tool in building gaming setups? However, choosing an HDMI Switch for gaming may be tricky since there are a few factors that you should consider. But before we dive into those, let’s have a quick overview of what an HDMI Switch is and what you can do with it.

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.

Are you still wondering which is the best HDMI splitter for dual monitors? Of course, you don’t want your awesome dual monitor setup wasted just because of an HDMI Splitter! But did you know there are many things to consider when buying one? 

We made this list to help you better understand what you should know and consider before getting an HDMI Splitter, and which one may be the best for you so you can avoid easy-to-make mistakes. In this article, we'll describe what an HDMI Splitter is and how it works, as well as what factors you should consider before buying one.

Do you know how to connect your eARC soundbar to your TV? The good news is that it’s pretty simple, as long as you have the right cables for your devices. Soon you’ll be able to enjoy the premium sound that only eARC soundbars can offer.

Before we walk through how to set up your eARC soundbar, let’s review why this was such a great purchase in the first place, and what you’ll need to have to ensure that everything works.

What is eARC?

eARC stands for Enhanced Audio Return Channel. It’s an upgrade from its predecessor, ARC. eARC is an advanced feature of HDMI 2.1 connection that allows sending and receiving of audio from an audio source to an audio receiver (like from your TV to your soundbar), at a much faster rate than HDMI 2.0’s ARC. 

One common issue with ARC connections is 5.1 audio. If you’re watching a movie through your Blu-ray player or online streaming site that streams 5.1 audio, but your TV doesn’t have a 5.1 passthrough feature, your soundbar will still be receiving 2.0 audio since it cannot transmit 5.1 audio. 

This means that a great amount of quality will be lost if your TV doesn’t have this feature. This compatibility issue has been fixed with eARC’s technology upgrades. Through eARC, it’s now possible for older TV models without a 5.1 passthrough feature to transmit high-fidelity audio formats.

How different is eARC from ARC?

The main difference between eARC and ARC is the bandwidth. The HDMI ARC technology is implemented in HDMI 2.0 and can support a total bandwidth of 18 GBPS. On the other hand, the eARC feature is implemented in HDMI 2.1 and can support a total bandwidth of 48 GBPS. eARC allows you to transmit audio from your TV to your soundbar with very high quality. 

What is eARC soundbar?

An eARC soundbar is basically a soundbar with eARC connection. This type of connection allows your soundbar to receive high bitrate formats such as Dolby® TrueHD, Dolby Atmos®, DTS-HD Master Audio™, and DTS:X®. In short, having a TV and a soundbar interconnect with an eARC transforms your home into a home theater. 

With a larger bandwidth as compared to ARC connections, you’ll be able to hear a more complete, vibrant, and resonant sound. With eARC, you’ll hear your favorite songs like never before and watch movies in a totally new and more immersive way.

How to setup eARC soundbar

Connecting eARC soundbar to a TV isn’t that hard, especially if your TV and soundbar can readily support the eARC connection. Simply follow the steps below and soon you’ll be able to listen to that high-quality audio you’ve been craving.

1. For safety purposes, make sure that both your eARC soundbar and TV are powered off. Next, prepare your ultra high-speed HDMI 2.1 cable.
2. Position your soundbar in your preferred area. Here are a few tips for proper soundbar placement.
1. Remember, the best position for your soundbar is at ear level. You could place it above or below your TV, however, the most common area for a soundbar is below. 
2. Do not place your soundbar behind your TV as this obstructs sound waves, causing a decline in sound quality. 
3. If your soundbar has an upward-firing speaker, avoid placing it directly below your TV as well. 
4. For soundbars with side-firing speakers, make sure there’s nothing on its sides that can block the sound.
3. Once you’re all set, connect your soundbar’s HDMI eARC-supported port to your TV’s eARC port with your ultra high-speed HDMI cable. This step pretty much does most of the job. If your TV doesn’t have a marking for an eARC-supported port, you may try inserting it into a regular HDMI input port. If you have other audio or video sources you’d like to connect, like your Playstation, Xbox, or Blu-ray players, you may now connect them as well.
4. It’s now time for you to power up your soundbar and TV. You might have to set up your TV for the eARC soundbar to become the primary audio output. Open your TV’s settings and navigate to the audio settings. 

The audio settings menu varies depending on your TV’s brand and model, but commonly, you have to change the audio output to HDMI and set its output settings based on your preference. Some TVs directly include an eARC mode, all you have to do is put it on. For some TV models, you may bypass the TV’s speaker and directly use the eARC speakers as your main audio output.

Photo by Jako Janse van Rensburg, via Unsplash

Have issues with your eARC soundbar?

If you’re having issues with the sound that’s supposed to be coming from your soundbar, you may try the following steps.

1. If you’ve already tried turning your TV and soundbar on and off and the soundbar still doesn’t connect properly, you may try changing the bitstream audio output settings on your TV from “PCM” to “Auto” or “Bitstream”. Most TVs set PCM as default; this automatically converts audio to 2.0.
2. Once you’ve tried that and you’re still encountering the same problem, try checking your network especially if you’re streaming audio through an online site. If the signal is weak, consider using an ethernet connection from your internet router to your TV or soundbar.
3. If the problem persists, you may want to try using a different HDMI 2.1 cable; and if that still doesn’t work, you may have to reach out to either your TV or soundbar’s manufacturer/distributor.

Another tip you may find useful is to double-check if you’re connected to an eARC-capable HDMI port, and also to check if your TV is eARC compatible.

We hope that this answers all your questions about how to connect eARC soundbars to your TV. And if you’re already set with your eARC soundbar, we hope you enjoy the new experience it brings to your movie nights and everyday watching experience. Make sure you check out other good tips on our blog for how to make installing HDMI electronics easier!

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What are you looking for today: an HDMI splitter, a switch, or a matrix? We know how tricky it can be to keep terminology straight, and that’s why we’re here to help. To us, these are similar sounding tools with very different uses.

So let’s break it down so that you can find the best HDMI solution for your particular needs.

First, all three of these devices deal with High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) cables. These are audio/video cables capable of transmitting high-definition video and sound. They are often the cable of choice for many different installations, including home theaters, places of worship, and businesses that utilize video.

HDMI signals begin at a source–a computer, BluRay player, cable box, etc., and it ends at a display–a TV, monitor, or projector. An HDMI splitter, switch, or matrix allows you to control how many sources and displays you can use.

The biggest difference is between an HDMI splitter and switch, so we’ll begin there.

What is an HDMI Splitter?

An HDMI splitter allows you to take a signal from a single source and send it to multiple displays. This might look like a video being broadcast from a computer to 5 monitors throughout a building, or like a camera feed being sent to monitors throughout a church. Browse popular HDMI splitters including 1x2, 1x4, 2x2, and more.

It’s important to note that splitters support a single video feed. They won’t allow you to extend a computer monitor, for example, with different content on each monitor.

What is an HDMI Switch?

An HDMI switch, on the other hand, is designed to take multiple HDMI SOURCES and send them to a single display. Perhaps in your home you have a BluRay player, 2 video game consoles, and a streaming device. An HDMI switch allows you to connect all of these sources to one projector, even if your projector only has one HDMI input.

As the name implies, an HDMI switch lets you toggle between multiple sources, often with remote control, with each having a full-quality audio/video stream.

The best way to decide between an HDMI splitter vs HDMI switch is to think through their names and your needs. If you need to split one signal to multiple displays, that’s a splitter. If you need to connect multiple sources and switch back and forth between them, that’s a switch. Browse popular HDMI switches including our 8K 2x1 HDMI Switch, 4K HDMI 2.0 4x1 HDMI Switch, and more.

What is an HDMI Matrix?

But what if you want to do BOTH? What if you want to connect multiple sources, and split their signals to multiple displays? That’s where an HDMI matrix comes in.

With an HDMI matrix, you can connect multiple sources to more than one monitor. Some matrix units can even allow you to select which source goes to which monitor in the network, with different outputs on each display. You can put the computer on display 1, the BluRay on display 2, and the video games on display 3. And, with the right matrix, switch them around by remote control.

We hope that this helped clear up the differences between the HDMI splitter, switch, and matrix. What isn’t confusing is where to find the BEST ones.

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