4 Disadvantages of Using an HDMI Splitter

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If you need to send an electrical signal to two places simultaneously, such as an audio or video signal, a splitter is probably the first thing that comes to mind. The same goes for HDMI splitters: they take the signal from one source and send it to two or more, such as two monitors, or a monitor and a TV separately. HDMI splitters are also quite inexpensive, from around $7 to $20, depending on what you actually need and how many devices you want to connect. They’re also easy to set up: just plug the splitter between the source and the input devices. You would think that all of this makes it one of the best options for multi-monitor setups, right? Not so fast. Chances are a splitter isn’t what you’re looking for.

Indeed, you are likely to encounter some inconveniences when installing or using software instead of certain alternatives. Additionally, there are limitations that you should be aware of, mainly due to the operation and performance of the splitters. A splitter could actually degrade the signal, leading to a poor experience, for example. Therefore, understanding when and where these are viable options is as important as anything else. This is why you should probably refrain from plugging in an HDMI splitter until you know the rules and clearly understand the downsides. Let’s explore.

As the name suggests, a splitter is designed to take a signal and split it into multiple paths before sending it out. This means they take a single input signal and split it into two output signals, so you can connect two displays, TVs or HDMI devices. An important fact to keep in mind is that the signal remains largely as is, so the multiple outputs are the same signal, mirrored or duplicated. Two connected monitors will display the exact same image. The desktop is not extended, so you won’t get the true multi-monitor feel when you connect multiple computer displays. You also cannot use the displays independently when they are configured this way.

This comes in handy if you want to send a signal to two places at once. Maybe you have a projector and a TV and want to send your cable signal to both locations so you can stream live sports to a large wall and a smaller TV. Or maybe you want to send a signal from a Blu-Ray player, gaming console or media streaming device to multiple rooms at once – a splitter can do that too.

You’ll often encounter splitters that impose limits on resolution, and some may also limit refresh rates. If you’re working with standard HD devices, this isn’t much of an issue, but if you have a 4K TV or want a 4K or higher quality signal, splitters may not be the best choice for you. This is because base splitters generally default to the lowest common resolution denominator between your audio and video output devices. Today, many modern splitters easily solve this problem through downscaling, but the problem remains when it comes to refresh rates.

The bottleneck results in the lowest refresh rates supporting both outputs. For example, if your HDTV only supports 60Hz, even though the 4K TV can support 120Hz. In other words, you won’t get the full 120Hz experience you paid for on your main display. In rare cases, the splitter will not even return the signal to the 4K TV or will only send the signal to one display when using different sized screens.

Basic passive splitters – not switches – do not amplify the incoming or outgoing signal. Instead, they simply duplicate it and then share the signal among its many outputs. HDMI is a digital signal, so the quality is not degraded in the traditional sense, but the lower quality signal might not support high-end signal formats like 4K, or when using modern features like HDR or VRR (variable refresh rate). This could cause the image to fail completely due to signal loss or exhibit visible artifacts such as sparkles and blurring. These issues are also commonly reported in cases of faulty or poorly designed HDMI cables.

However, you can get around much of this problem by looking for active splitters or an HDMI switch, which often have their own power source. They are very affordable and their extra power allows them to keep audio and video signals as is, especially for high-end and high-resolution setups.

HDMI supports a digital rights management (DRM) system called High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection or HDCP. When you connect two HDCP-compliant devices, like a TV and a media player, they perform a sort of digital “handshake” to verify authenticity and enable signal encryption. The signal sent, usually from a protected app like Netflix or another service, is encrypted at the source and decrypted by the other device on the other end of the signal.

So when you put a splitter in the middle of this communication, you’re intercepting an encrypted audio or video signal. Some splitters have an HDCP bypass feature, but many of them do not, meaning that if you use a device, app, or service that calls HDCP, the splitter could very well cut off the signal. To find dividers that bypass it, you’ll need to explicitly look for this feature when shopping. If you’re wondering if you can use an HDMI splitter with a Roku, or something like that, the short answer is “yes”, but you’ll need to pay attention to HDCP protocols.

Instead of looking for an HDMI splitter to split the signal, you can opt for a few alternatives, the most obvious of which is an HDMI switcher. The terms “switch” and “splitter” are often used interchangeably in the retail and marketing world, which can be confusing, but they are two very different tools. A switcher is a great replacement solution when you need additional HDMI ports or want to send the same signal to multiple displays, but not at the same time.

For example, you can connect a PlayStation 5 and a laptop to the same monitor and switch between them using the switcher, choosing which source is active at any given time. HDMI switches are one of the best gadgets to help you tidy up your setup, especially in a living room where you don’t want cables cluttering your space. However, low-quality switches can suffer from the same issues as a splitter, leading to issues with latency, HDCP, frame rate, resolution and beyond. When shopping, be sure to best match the resolutions, frame rates, and HDMI versions supported across all devices.

If you want to extend your display to multiple monitors instead of just duplicating them, use a Multi-Stream Transport (MST) hub. Your displays will need to support DisplayPort 1.2 with the respective ports available. You can also do the reverse and use an HDMI multiviewer to watch multiple signal streams on a single screen. If you really want to reduce cable clutter, by consolidating cables as much as possible, wireless HDMI adapters can help you achieve this easily.