HDMI SPLITTER QUESTION!

[sw3ll3r3]

Alright, I have been having an issue and it is so annoying I hope someone can help me.

I have a Sony DH550 receiver. I am a huge gamer, but when I have friends over we like to game and listen to music. In order for us to do both I have to unplug my Xbox from the back of the receiver and run the HDMI to a port on my TV so we can use the Receivers USB port for music. It doesn't allow the USB port to work while another input on the receiver is active, drives me nuts.

So, I was looking at HDMI splitters and I figures this might be the best route, until I thought to myself "how will the splitter prioritize my outputs?". The plan was to take a 1 in 2 out splitter, plug the Xbox into the in and then run an out to the TV and the receiver, this way I could simple switch between the two without unplugging cables. But since both of my outs will be powered simultaneously how will the splitter decide which one to use?

 

[LA-384]

Maybe i'm misunderstanding the question, but doesn't a splitter do exactly what it says? split the signal . So both outputs would receive a signal simultaneously, one goes to the tv the other to the receiver. You switch the receiver to usb, so it doesn't play the audio from the xbox.

A different approach could be to connect the xbox to your tv and connect the tv to the receiver via a optical or coaxial cable. That way you can still play audio from the xbox over your home cinema, if you want to.

 

[sw3ll3r3]

Maybe i'm misunderstanding the question, but doesn't a splitter do exactly what it says? split the signal . So both outputs would receive a signal simultaneously, one goes to the tv the other to the receiver. You switch the receiver to usb, so it doesn't play the audio from the xbox.

I'm not going to lie, I feel pretty dumb for asking now that you said that. Yes, I believe you are correct.

 

[LA-384]

Haha don't worry, i'm not entirely sure myself, but it's the most logical thing for a splitter to do. To my limited knowledge, there is no real reason to be able to turn an output on or off since you could simply turn to a different channel on the receiver/tv to "not show" that particular output.

 

[levofcainta]

New game consoles can play both music and games simultaneously.

 

[BMXTRIX]

A HDMI splitter will send audio and video to both locations at the same time without issue.

Perhaps a bigger issue may be that you may lose audio quality, most likely down to stereo, when the splitter is connected to the television. Since the TV may only handle stereo or basic surround, any higher audio than the TV can accept will be what is delivered. This is the 'lowest common denominator' issue associated with audio and HDMI.

Instead of the splitter, you could use the S/PDIF connection on the gaming system to connect audio only to your A/V receiver, then use the HDMI to connect video to the display. The S/PDIF connection should be able to be configured to always deliver proper surround sound to the A/V receiver.

 

[Jeffrey S. Albaugh]

It would help if you send a diagram showing all of your hardware. Or take pictures of the back of all your system.
Otherwise, if your TV has Digital Optical Audio out, connect it between your TV. If your hardware is connected with HDMI, (your A/V receiver). When you switch TV inputs, the picture will show up on your TV. The Optical Audio will play the sound of whatever HDMI you select on the TV. You must have HDMI switching on your A/V Receiver. Do not connect the HDMI's out of your equipment to the TV. Connect it to the HDMI on the back of your A/V Receiver.

 

[BMXTRIX]

It would help if you send a diagram showing all of your hardware. Or take pictures of the back of all your system.
Otherwise, if your TV has Digital Optical Audio out, connect it between your TV. If your hardware is connected with HDMI, (your A/V receiver). When you switch TV inputs, the picture will show up on your TV. The Optical Audio will play the sound of whatever HDMI you select on the TV. You must have HDMI switching on your A/V Receiver. Do not connect the HDMI's out of your equipment to the TV. Connect it to the HDMI on the back of your A/V Receiver.

Yeah, that's pretty much exactly what he said won't work because he wants to listen to something different than what the TV is showing. The receiver would need to support breakaway audio from the video, which isn't something most do these days.