But generally speaking, when looking for an HDMI Splitter, it’s best to look for a product with One Input port and Two (or more) Output Ports – which is usually designated as “1×2”. Performance-wise, the Kinivo delivers great streaming, and you can’t really go wrong with this switcher – especially if you need 5 ports (now – or for future-proofing). It is cascaded (4x levels), meaning - it has the ability to further signal splitting from the outputs, if required. While switching between three devices is enough for some – these days, needing to switch between 5 different HDMI devices isn’t that far-fetched. The picture-in-picture (PiP) preview mode alone almost had us, but the switcher is held back by having only four inputs and no HDMI audio splitter.

It supports several Dolby audio formats and can output 4K content at 30Hz to up to eight devices, while the lighting panel on the back will help you keep track of which ports are in use. You should get a splitter that supports the HDMI version of both your input device, such as your computer and the display you wish to attach to it.This means the two HDMI ports on one side can serve as either Input or Output, and the same goes for the single HDMI port on the other side. This process is ideal for people who own desktops and has the advantage of also splitting the audio signal between two HDMI displays.

Zettaguard is a brand known for its HDMI switches, but its range of HDMI splitters is equally impressive. But other than that, the modern Playstations are very fussy about the switchers (and even HDMI cables) they “agree” to work with. This means you would not be able to immediately tell what is happening with the audio or visual information by looking at the electrical pulse pattern. An HDMI splitter takes an HDMI video output from a device, like a Roku, and splits it into two separate audio and video streams. Just as with a switcher, if one video display device is a lower resolution than the other, the output for both may default to a lower resolution.

If, however, you have a setup involving long cable runs, then you should use an active HDMI splitter. If you have more than two screens that you want to duplicate the signal to, you’ll obviously need more than two output ports. Unlike an analog signal, the information is encoded before being sent through the wire and decoded at the other end. If your home entertainment setup is a bit more complicated than just one media device and two screens – the TESmart Splitter/Switcher will give you more options.