Hamra
Hey guys;
I'm looking for a device, and not sure what it's called. Some sort of box that can take multiple multimedia inputs and multiple outputs.
In particular, something that can take at least a TV cable (The old coaxial cable from local cable guys), and has at least two HDMI outputs, and maybe something that outputs audio only.
I need it for a cafe shop opening soon, that will have multiple TVs (indoors and outdoors) and a sound system. We get channels from a local cable guy in a coax cable, and the TVs need to be showing the same thing, via HDMI, and the surround system will output the audio all over the place.
What is such a box called? So I can do my own research. And any brands/models recommended?
Thanks a lot.
scorz
Your device is called an "AV distribution amplifier".
You got one input (coax cable) and as many output as you want(TV-proffesionnal one may have like a 50 outputs)
You hook up one TV to its input using the tv coax output(It should have i think)
So whenever you change the channel, all tv are synced.
Another approach would be to plug the "dish" to the distributor input, and hook all the tv to its output(Advantage of this is you can change channel on each TV separately)
These devices are not expensive (I got one with three output for about 10000LBP) but of course it's not top quality!
I am not sure about brands or model or how much they cost...
Now when it comes to sounds, you have two options: cheap and expensive.
Cheap:
You just need to connect one of the TV (call it the "main" ?) to the surround and since they're synced (same channel) It should work ok.
Expensive: Get an audio mixer, and connect all the TV to its input, and the surround to its output.
pros of using a mixer: If a tv stopped working you'll still has sound from the other output, if you've decided to use multiple channel later it will be easier to work with the sound, well if you want to put some music, maybe karaoke night not sure what else.. It's easier. A mixer is future proof if you want to upgrade and it simplify things... But of course it will cost you more.
PS: I am not sure why you need HDMI outputs, but if you're thinking of distributing the signal using an HDMI switch it's expensive i think plus i don't think people on a cafe shop care much about a FHD resolution..
Good luck!
Hamra
Okies, that was very informative, thanks a lot!