HDMI Matrix connects multiple sources to multiple displays

As discussed recently, I relocated my media center for a cleaner look in the living room. But it wasn’t just the living room that benefited from this relocation; I actually have 3 TVs and one projector in the house, and with the previously-run ethernet cable and HDMI extenders, I am now able to send a video signal to each of those locations from a single source in the basement.

What’s even cooler than that is that the “single source” isn’t really a single device like a TiVo or XBMC – it’s all of them, sending their signal through an HDMI matrix:

This particular HDMI matrix allows you to connect up to four inputs to four outputs, all independently. So I can watch any of the 4 devices in the basement on any of the screens throughout the house. It’s controlled using a Logitech Harmony Ultimate from each location, which sends an IR signal to the switch to change input/outputs (one remote on the first floor sends signals via RF to the Harmony Hub in the basement, which transmits the IR signals, and one remote on the second floor uses the hub to send the IR signals to the IR repeater on the HDMI extender).

So the output of, say, the Tivo goes through an HDMI cable to the HDMI matrix, which then goes out via HDMI to the HDMI extender. It’s then sent over Ethernet cable to the HDMI receiver, where it’s converted back to HDMI and goes to the TV. The audio setup is a little different but we’ll talk about that in an upcoming post.