I damaged 2 HDMI ports on my Plasma TV...just one left...will a splitter work?

I damaged 2 of my HDMI ports on my TV taking it apart. I used to be an electronic technician years ago but got rushed and rusty.

I do have one good HDMI port left and was wondering how a splitter would "work".

I see that they sell them. To be honest, I am not even sure what I am asking. All I know is that I don't want to spend $130 on a TV that has other issues if I can get away with a splitter.

How would it "work" (if at all with 2 devices connected to the same splitter)?

Again, not sure how that would work so I can't be completely sure what I am asking.

If 2 devices are connected to the same splitter e.g. WDTV and DVD player how would that work. What happens if both devices are connected simultaneously and powered on etc?

Thanks

A splitter wouldn't do you any good (a high bandwidth digital signal like hdmi is a bit different from things like coax cables and coax splitters (even those only work in a specific direction) which seems to be the context you're thinking about this in), a device marketed as an hdmi splitter would allow you to send the hdmi signal from one device into two others and can be temperamental on hdcp protected content.

An HDMI switch would do what you want. monoprice [monoprice.com]would be a good place to get one.

How exactly did you damage the ports? Is there any hope of repairing them?

Quote from jkee : An HDMI switch would do what you want. monoprice [monoprice.com]would be a good place to get one.

This.

It might work. And it might not work.

In HDMI technology, there is no such thing as a splitter or switch. The only type of recognized device like that is a "Repeater," which must receive the signal, decode it, re-encode and re-clock it. In other words, it must repeat the signal, not merely pass it through.

Many people use switch products and they work, but with some devices, they will not work properly. If you need a true repeater, you'll probably need to buy an AVR.

Quote from jkee : A splitter wouldn't do you any good (a high bandwidth digital signal like hdmi is a bit different from things like coax cables and coax splitters (even those only work in a specific direction) which seems to be the context you're thinking about this in), a device marketed as an hdmi splitter would allow you to send the hdmi signal from one device into two others and can be temperamental on hdcp protected content. An HDMI switch would do what you want. monoprice [monoprice.com]would be a good place to get one. How exactly did you damage the ports? Is there any hope of repairing them?

To be precise, you can send the input signal from two or more HDMI devices to the same HDMI input port. Of course, not at the same time. They must either be switched manually or by remote. It's obviously not going to help if you need two or more HDMI inputs at the same time (not sure how common a requirement that would be anyway). And if you messed up the HDMI ARC port, you're going to lose the return channel (come to think of it, I’m not sure ARC would work back through a splitter anyway).

P.S. I think they're even some auto-sensing splitters. They'll detect the activated device and switch to that port.

Quote from ukiltmybrutha : I damaged 2 of my HDMI ports on my TV taking it apart. I used to be an electronic technician years ago but got rushed and rusty. I do have one good HDMI port left and was wondering how a splitter would "work". I see that they sell them. To be honest, I am not even sure what I am asking. All I know is that I don't want to spend $130 on a TV that has other issues if I can get away with a splitter. How would it "work" (if at all with 2 devices connected to the same splitter)? Again, not sure how that would work so I can't be completely sure what I am asking. If 2 devices are connected to the same splitter e.g. WDTV and DVD player how would that work. What happens if both devices are connected simultaneously and powered on etc? Thanks

You don't want need a splitter as others have pointed out, you want an HDMI switch.They come in all different price ranges. My favorite one is the ViewHD brand 3 port HDMI Switcher, it was pretty reliable until we got a television with more ports on it.

Quote from eibgrad : come to think of it, I’m not sure ARC would work back through a splitter anyway

Sure it can. That's what AVR's do. But if he were using Audio Return Channel, he'd have a device with its own HDMI switching anyway, and he wouldn't be asking this.

ARC uses a "reserved pin" of the HDMI cable. It sends a SPDIF signal over this pin. So this pin can be kept always active. It has to be configured using CEC, which is another protocol. CEC can be active for all attached Source devices and the Repeater. That's to say, if a manufacturer builds a legitimate, HDMI-licensed product, CEC will be active for all attached devices with CEC support and ARC will be supported for any devices with ARC support.

But when people talk about "HDMI Switches," these are usually pirated products that don't license HDMI or have the HDMI certification testing performed. Then, when something doesn't work right, people often blame the wrong component.

While I can appreciate licensed vs unlicensed components and the testing and certification involved, there are significant differences between the terms switch, splitter, and repeater which in a lot of cases have been misused or poorly defined in this thread which only serves to confuse people.

A audio video receiver (AVR) with hdmi inputs and outputs isn't merely an hdmi repeater, it contains a switch or multiplexer if you will that switches between different components (this type of device certainly would work well for the op). A true repeater that isn't paired with a switch would be useless to the OP despite what you imply in you post.

Devices marketed as HDMI splitters attempt to take the output of one device and feed it into multiple devices. Of all of the devices talked about in this thread they are the least likely to adequately serve there intended purpose. Please stop talking about them or using this term incorrectly in this thread as these devices are usually junk and wouldn't do the op any good!

An unlicensed hdmi switch that will probably work fine for short distances and 90% of people who need a product like this and costs <$50. A licensed AVR that contains AN HDMI SWITCH and additional hardware to provide an OSD and reclock signals costs > $200. Which are most people going to buy??

Thanks for all of the help!

I ripped up some lands on the LG Plasma TV's board so not an easy fix. Just got burnt out with always having to be inside of it due to failed components. I rushed one time and that was all it took.

Replacement board is about $125 shipped on Ebay plus the controller board which is also causing issues.

If someone decides to sell me a bad board on ebay (like what happened recently) then I have to keep opening the TV. Not a fun circle but again appreciate the help!

Quote from jkee : An unlicensed hdmi switch that will probably work fine for short distances and 90% of people who need a product like this and costs <$50. A licensed AVR that contains AN HDMI SWITCH and additional hardware to provide an OSD and reclock signals costs > $200. Which are most people going to buy??

What you're saying is, there's a 1 in 10 chance it won't work. That is why I wouldn't recommend it.