A matrix is a recent invention that has come with the popularity of HD media services. A HDMI matrix switch is a must for a modern home with mul.ple multimedia sources (Dish TV, Apple TV, Sky Connect, Virgin, etc.) connected to your TV or entertainment set. A HDMI matrix allows you to keep your multimedia sources ac.ve simultaneously on all your television screens. This means that no matter how many independent televisions you have in your rooms, you can connect them all to your HDMI service/s and make it accessible with simple connectivity. You can share the same DVD content across all the televisions in your home or connect to different media services on each TV. This makes the device a very prac.cal choice for people living with a large family or even individuals who make use of a variety of streaming media services.
Why should you buy a Matrix? The benefits of your purchase:
• When you purchase or create an entertainment system (with satellite boxes, dvd players, streaming servers, etc.), you definitely want the content to be accessible through all the televisions. Therefore, it makes sense and seems pragmatic that you would purchase a matrix switcher.
• Now matrix switchers come in various sizes and prices. With a simple 2x2 matrix, you can handle two inputs and two outputs. But you are not restricted in size, as the HDMI matrix can go up to 32x32, meaning an ability to manage thirty two inputs and outputs simultaneously.
• A matrix controller system allows you to make your TV area more aesthetic, with no jumble of wires and ugly knots taking space around the television set. The matrix can even be hidden
Organically, e.g. in a pot or drawer, allowing the whole television setting to come off more stylish and become an impressive feature of your living room.
• Keeping everything connected to the matrix and organizing the set up means that there are no set top boxes blocking viewing angles.
• You no longer have to purchase a different tv box for different televisions in your home. On a single tv box connected to your matrix, will allow you to watch your favorite channels on all your televisions. You do not have to pay additional subscription fees or taking your box around the house to play in your room.
For a small home theater framework, the HDMI ports on the back of your home theatre receiver go about as a matrix switch. They enable you to connect to a few HDMI sources and yield each source to your television. Some AV recipients even permit two HDMI outputs for two sound/video zones, yet those have a tendency to be exceptionally costly receivers. In the event that you need your video sources to be accessible on displays across your home (or on the off chance that you have a media room), you should invest in a matrix.
Note: Matrixes are generally proposed to be installed and modified by a custom electronics (CE) proficient.
What is a suitable matrix size and type for your house?
As mentioned above, HDMI matrixes come in various sizes. A general 4x4 matrix allows you to have a maximum of four devices connected to a maximum of four television sets, while an 8x8 matrix allows you to pair up sets of eight devices and television sets, each.
M: Number of entertainment devices that you can connect to the matrix, technically termed number of inputs.
N: Number of televisions you can connect to your matrix, technically called number of outputs.
Hence, to choose a matrix size for your home, you must take in to account the number of television sets you have and the number of streaming devices you want to use.
Once you are finished with the size of your matrix, now you have to decide between the 4K and the 1080p resolution matrixes. If you are unsure about your choice, don’t worry as in the next paragraph we are going to discuss about this.
4K and 1080p are resolu.ons of display which you get from your streaming boxes. The 4K resolution became very popular in the last year. However, most of the people are still using 1080p as the resolution of their set top boxes and to be frank, very few streaming services offer quality content in 4K as of now. Therefore, naturally you are going to find more choices for 1080p matrixes in the market. If you are subscribed to a HD 1080p or 1080i streaming service, then you should opt for the 1080p matrix. However, if you have a 4K streaming service, like Amazon Fire, Nvidia, etc., you can go for the 4K matrix. But do note, that for viewing the 4K content, you also require a 4K television. So if you do not have a 4K resolution in your TV, you can just get a 1080p matrix and save from unnecessary expenses. Also note that to view 4K content, ALL the televisions in your house must be 4K capable, as you cannot choose
between 4K and 1080p in your matrixes. Even if one of the televisions in your set up is not 4K, all content resolution would be reduced to 1080p for all the televisions.
In general, for an average family a 4x4 1080p matrix would do the job very well.
What is the setup of and the mechanism behind an HDMI matrix?
Matrixes usually, irrespec.ve of their size and type, have a uniform mechanism which allows them to operate. For the input and output, a cable called CAT 5e/6 is required. This cable is going to connect with your entertainment boxes as well as all the televisions in your home. You can consider the matrix as a central hub through which all the content passes and is spread via the cable. Depending upon the number of devices you want to connect, you may have to purchase 2, 4, 8 or more CAT 5e/6 cable wires. Acer arranging the cables, you have to install the display receiver behind the televisions, to which the cables will then connect to. The display receiver is connected to the HDMI port of each television through a generic HDMI cable.
Note that you may not feel comfortable using CAT wires and you might want an alterna.ve. Despite the fact that you can now send music dependably over mediums like Bluetooth and Wifi, this is not yet the situation with HDMI video-particularly in case you're hoping to convey HDMI video to TVs that are far from each other in various rooms!
CAT 5e/6 cabling is intended to push HDMI signals to long separa.ons regularly up to 100m, with no loss in video quality and no dormancy (which can cause a lag and result in asynchronous sound and video. In case you're truly not sold on introducing Cat 5e/6 cabling in your home, at that point you can simply procure the services of a professional CE for implemen.ng the framework in your house. That way all that is left for you to do is appreciate every one of your gadgets on each TV.
While a matrix may just be a simple forwarder of signals, the reality is that it is more complex than that. A matrix of any size consists of several parts which are all connected to each other and allow the device to fulfil its purpose. These parts include HDMI splitters, cross-point channel, switchers and a microprocessor to control all the parts. To protect the HDCP copy protection data, the device requires
considerable power, while the custom programming and IC do the heavy lifting for the whole internal program.
The parts which make up a matrix:
1. HDMI Input: This is where the connec.ons are made between your source and the matrix. The number of ports depends on the matrix you choose.
2. HDMI Output: This is where the connec.ons are made between your matrix and the tv. The number of ports depends on the matrix you choose.
3. HDMI Switch IC: This is the chip selector, which picks the source for each HDMI output and then balances the HDMI signal. The numbers of switches depend on the matrix you choose.
4. IR Detector: It receives your remote signals and allows you to control the matrix.
5. External PC Board: This holds all the ports and receivers.
6. Status LEDS: These may or may not be present on your matrix. They tell the current status of the matrix.
7. Buttons: These allow you to switch between your sources of devices.
8. Audio Button: Allows you to choose between two channel or multi-channel audio.
How to control the matrix and the connected entertainment devices?
Most modern matrixes are accompanied with two-path IR as standard. Each matrix framework is provided with an IR pack that you introduce with your network, so you can essentially utilize your Sky Box remote, for instance, at each TV associated with your HDMI matrix. You can likewise utilize your TV remote controls to control things like volume and turning on and off, as you ordinarily would. With the popularity of smart phones, matrixes have also come up with their own na.ve application in android and iOS playforms, which can couple with your remote control and give you even more functionality. The application and remote control come as complementary with the matrix. In
In case you're hoping to control your multiroom framework, set top boxes and other brilliant home gadgets, for example, lights, at that point you might need to investigate buying an external control application e.g. Simple Control, iRule, DemoPad or a widespread remote Logitech Harmony, One for All. These alterna.ves require that you program them. Professional frameworks for en.re home automation and control, as Control4, Crestron, RTI, Loxone, Savant, OnControls and Fibaro, will work consistently with a matrix network and your home gadgets, yet these are not accessible for property holders to buy. They require point by point programming information and must be installed by a professional.
Our recommended matrix in the market today:
The Brightlink 8x8 HDBaseT Matrix SET is our top product. It can cover HD videos from a variety of sources over single Cat6 cable with quite a rudimentary setup, allowing for usage by everyone.
This 8x8 HDBaseT Matrix SET over single Cat6 link and HDMI can support Eight Hi-Definition sources and connect them to any Eight HDTV shows, suppor.ng 1080p Full HD up to 4Kx2K and 3D, alongside multichannel sound, for example, Dolby® True HD and DTS-HD® Master Audio™. Utilizing our latest high tech HDBaseT chipset inside, the output distance can reach up to 228c over a solitary Cat5e/Cat6 cable. Each source can be directed to any display Utilizing the front board switches, IR remote control, RS-232 control through PC, and TCP/IP control by means of PC. This Matrix accompanies our 2 Way IR Control System so you can control the source or matrix from the entertainment devices and you can likewise control the display from the source (e.g. Turn TV on and off).
The matrix is an ideal choice to be used in casinos, sports bars, super markets, shopping malls, churches, data control centre, conference rooms, education and training, luxury homes, home theatres or anywhere you need a solution for your mul.ple HD display set up.
The matrix can be shipped and delivered for a cost of $35 (USD) in the USA, with an approximate .me period of four to seven business days. This set accompanies 2-YEAR FREE WARRANTY on Parts and Labor. In case of glitches or an out of commission switch, we will pay for return shipping.
