Screen with Multiple HDMI's ?

[Deleted User] · 23/03/05 - 11:48

Hi,

Does anyone know if any manufacturers are yet producing Plasma/LCD/DLP Rear Projectors with more than 1 HDMI in socket ?
Im looking to purchase a new set within the next 6 months or so and will be wanting to have a HDMI equiped DVD player as well as getting Sky's HD box next year.
I dont fancy swapping cables every time i want to watch a DVD so was wondering if any manufacturers have had the foresight to include more than 1 HDMI in.
I have looked into this a bit and havent been able to find any, the vast majority of manufacturers have launched / are launching screens with a single HDMI but none of them seem to have two.

Regards,

Andy.

[Deleted User] · 23/03/05 - 12:58

I haven't seen any devices (ie sources or displays) that have more than 1 HDMI but I'll have a scan through a couple of magazines I've got. HDMI is still relatively new but is certainly the connection of the future, so I'm sure over the next year or 2 you'll start to see higher end sets drop the various analogue connections.

Dunedin

[Deleted User] · 23/03/05 - 16:54

Im pretty sure there aren't any screens with multiple HDMI inputs as yet.
AV amps with a couple of inputs and one output are starting to appear, though only on high-end stuff at the moment.
There are HDMI splitters available though.....

[Deleted User] · 24/03/05 - 00:02

mountfa wrote:

Hi,

Does anyone know if any manufacturers are yet producing Plasma/LCD/DLP Rear Projectors with more than 1 HDMI in socket ?
Im looking to purchase a new set within the next 6 months or so and will be wanting to have a HDMI equiped DVD player as well as getting Sky's HD box next year.
I dont fancy swapping cables every time i want to watch a DVD so was wondering if any manufacturers have had the foresight to include more than 1 HDMI in.
I have looked into this a bit and havent been able to find any, the vast majority of manufacturers have launched / are launching screens with a single HDMI but none of them seem to have two.

Regards,

Andy.

Hi Andy,

I do not know of any TV with dual HDMI inputs - however, by the time Sky start to transmit, I would imagine that 1 or 2 manufacturers would announce a new model with this.

If you can't wait, have you thought about an HDMI Splitter? Try www.gefen.com - they have 2 models a 2x2 and a 6x2 - these are 2 HDMI inputs to 1 or 2 HDMI outputs or 6 HDMI Inputs to 1 or 2 HDMI outputs. Both also have RS232 if you want that too

Cheers,
Daz

[Deleted User] · 04/04/05 - 16:25

There doesn't seem to be much demand for multiple HDMI inputs at the moment, as there are other ways to connect equipment together under the current HDTV Ready standard.

In the future, I'd sugges the following connection

Sky HD to Plasma via HDMI (for HDCP)
HD-DVD to Plasma via Component (HDTV Ready products *have* to have HD Component inputs)

[Deleted User] · 16/04/05 - 17:06

NEw toshiba LCD have 2 HDMI inputs and Panny 8 series PDP panels should be able to support at least 2 (no confirmation yet) US Pioneers have 2 so its coming but soon enough AV amps will offer HDMI switching, see www.avforums.com for the latest info and options

[Deleted User] · 18/04/05 - 11:38

Try http://www.zektor.com
they have a HDMI switch box device.

[Deleted User] · 26/04/05 - 09:01

The Hitachi 7200 series of Plasma TVs have 3 HD Ready Inputs.

These are not multiple HDMI but they do the same job. They have 1 HDMI, 1 DVI (with HDCP) and 1 HD set of Components. The screen resolution is well within the realms of HDTV and the suggested high street price of the 42" is just £2,500.

David (2) · 26/04/05 - 10:57

I would also insist up on getting the equipment with at least one DVI connection - a sort of rival standard that is already in use. Chances are that some equipment will use DVI, while some needs HDMI.

Dave

[Deleted User] · 26/04/05 - 15:27

Correct me if im wrong though but both Component and DVI inputs only carry video and not audio.
As far as im aware HDMI is the only HDTV compatible connection that carrys both audio and video.

Thats why im interested in having 2 HDMI's as i dont want to have to have the sound going permanantly through the hi-fi for 1 source.

Id much rather have two HDMI's that can carry both the audio and the video from the source components to the screen.

Peej Kerton · 26/04/05 - 15:44

I cannot see what benefit you would have out of HMDI being on a DVD player as DVDs are only standard definition. You wouldn't get any extra quality out of it surely?

I can understand wanting more than one for future expansion (ie a bluray or HD-DVD player)... Please clarify this for me if I'm wrong.

[Deleted User] · 26/04/05 - 16:02

Not quite true, some DVD Players do some jiggery pokery to increase the number of lines far beyond the current standard. This may sound like it wouldn't work very well, but according to the reviews in the press on a Samsung model that does this - it's a vast improvement.

[Deleted User] · 26/04/05 - 16:04

Whilst i havent tried it, i have read in numerous technology magazines that even with a standard (i.e. not HD) DVD player if it has a HDMI out and you use that rather than component or RGB to connect to your screen you get a big difference.

Obviously it also helps to future proof for Blue-Ray as you say but i believe there is a benefit to connecting existing DVD players via HDMI where possible.

[Deleted User] · 26/04/05 - 16:04

mountfa wrote:

Correct me if im wrong though but both Component and DVI inputs only carry video and not audio.
As far as im aware HDMI is the only HDTV compatible connection that carrys both audio and video.

Thats why im interested in having 2 HDMI's as i dont want to have to have the sound going permanantly through the hi-fi for 1 source.

Id much rather have two HDMI's that can carry both the audio and the video from the source components to the screen.

You're right, but HDMI was never intended to carry audio. Therefore, QED advise that if you try a HDMI cable beyond 7 metre (perhaps if your Plasma is mounted on the wall and your equipment is stored away) you'll suffer audio break-up.

Many companies are now selling Video only HDMI cables for lenghts above 10 metres. Keep this in mind

[Deleted User] · 07/05/05 - 12:45

Jay23Sx wrote:

Not quite true, some DVD Players do some jiggery pokery to increase the number of lines far beyond the current standard. This may sound like it wouldn't work very well, but according to the reviews in the press on a Samsung model that does this - it's a vast improvement.

that jiggery pokery is called scaling and the screen will scale to native anyway...HDMI DVD players waste your HDMI sockets either buy a better display with better scaling, buy a proper external scaler, DVDO, Lumagen etc. Dont think that a DVi/HDMI DVD player suddenly improves the quality of picture, chances are if it does the display has crap analogue processing (Digital is cheaper, more secure, more compressed NOT BETTER by default)

[Deleted User] · 10/05/05 - 14:30

Don't some plasma screens have room for expansion input boards so you can buy an extra HDMI board for around £100 to slot into the screen.

[Deleted User] · 11/05/05 - 09:51

hardynr wrote:

Don't some plasma screens have room for expansion input boards so you can buy an extra HDMI board for around £100 to slot into the screen.

Do you have any examples of screens that provide this sort of facility ?

[Deleted User] · 11/05/05 - 10:06

Yes, the old Hitachi

Dan27 · 11/05/05 - 10:10

You chaps should take a look at some of the screens for sale over in the US.. Amazon for example have a LCD Sharp screen similar to mine, but instead of 1 x DVI, 1 x Component and 2 x Scart, it has 2 x HDMI and 2 x Component. We can only hope the advent of HDTV and its rise in popularity will ensure that great screens like this are launched over here..

[Deleted User] · 11/05/05 - 13:15

Here you go the panasonic ones do see the pdf guide:

http://support.panasonic.co.uk/catalogues/pdf/BUSINESS%20PLASMA/plasma%20catalogue.pdf

hope this is of some help.

Hey there!

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