Sometimes the HDMI ports of a monitor or a TV are not enough for all devices, other times a single screen is not enough: HDMI switches and splitters are the solution to these problemsThere is one gadget that a home cinema enthusiast should never give up: the cable guide.With more and more devices positioned under the TV, in fact, the cables multiply but, while the power cables do not bother much because they all go downwards, the connection cables of the pay TV decoder (and possible decoder for digital terrestrial, if the TV is not very recent), soundbar or surround system, gaming console, all go upwards, that is towards the TV inputs.Keeping cables in order, especially the increasingly popular HDMI cables, is therefore not easy.In addition to the grommet, however, there are two other tools that can be very useful: an HDMI switch and an HDMI splitter.Sometimes confused with each other, in reality these two small devices do two opposite things.Here's what they are for and when it's useful, or necessary, to use them.The HDMI splitter is a small device that "splits", ie splits into two or more, the audio video signal it receives from the HDMI cable.In fact, an HDMI splitter is made in a very simple way: it is a box, often black in color, with an HDMI input and two or more HDMI outputs.The function of the HDMI splitter, also called HDMI splitter, is to multiply a single signal to send it to multiple screens.But what's the point of sending the same signal on two screens?It is mainly used to play video games better, for example when two are physically playing close together with the same console.For this purpose, however, not all HDMI splitters are the same: the best ones, first of all, support 4K at 60 Hz and, above all, are able to adapt the output signal to the capabilities of the screen independently.Thus, if the two monitors or TVs do not have the same technical characteristics, the HDMI signal will be adapted accordingly.With the same console, therefore, it will be possible to play at the same time with a 4K monitor at 60 Hz and a 1080p Smart TV at 50 Hz: the splitter will take care of the "downgrading" of the 4K input signal to the 1080p resolution output on a of the two lines, while it will leave the flow on the second output line unchanged.The HDMI switch does the exact opposite of an HDMI splitter: it groups multiple inputs into one output.What is all this for?To connect multiple devices to the same HDMI port.Sometimes the TV ports are few or, especially if the TV is old, there is only one, and in these cases the HDMI switch is the solution to be able to connect many different devices to the same TV port.Exactly how we change input on the TV, then, we can do the same thing on the HDMI switch.As in the case of splitters, however, not all switches are the same: the good ones support 4K with high refresh rate, but it should be noted that if the input signal is at low resolution or low refresh rate, the switch will not modify it and it will send as it is to the TV (which then, if necessary, will proceed to downscaling or upscaling).Another very useful function of the best HDMI switches is the auto detection of sources: when a device connected in input is turned on, the switch automatically switches the input on that device and sends that signal to the TV.The function of HDMI splitters and switches, therefore, is clear: the former multiply a single signal and send it to multiple screens, the latter group multiple signals and send them to a single screen.The splitter is therefore essential when we want to reproduce the same content on multiple monitors or TVs (or mixed configurations of monitors and TVs), even with different technical characteristics.The switch solves, however, every problem of shortage of HDMI ports on televisions or monitors: DVD players, gaming consoles, Android or Apple TV boxes, desktop computers and laptops can all be connected to the same screen, using a single port.Finally, a useful information for the purchase: often the splitters are defined as "1x2", "1x3", "1x4" and so on, while the switches as "4x1", "3x1" or "2x1" and these definitions are they refer to the number of inputs (before the "x") and outputs (after the "x") they offer.History and analysis of the evolution of music streaming services from Napster to Spotify.On 11 and 12 October there will be exclusive Prime Amazon offers, exclusive discounts for Prime customers on many brands: here's how to access themHow the electronic invoice works: who has to issue it, how much time do you have to send it, what data you have to use to fill it in.What are the rules for flat rates