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Do I really need an expensive HDMI Switcher?


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Let me preface by saying I'm not cheap, but I don't think one of the many high-end HDMI Switchers / Matrices that have been discussed on the forum are necessary for my application.  Let me explain:  My OLED has 4 HDMI inputs and I'm using 3.  I'd love to use the 4th but my installer never ran that 4th line to my TV and the walls have been closed up long ago - so no way back to the rack.  I'm currently using the 3 inputs for: EA3; Fios Box; and Roku Ultra.  In my rack I also have an NVR and a Qnap.  I use the Qnap via the Roku Plex app so I don't need an HDMI for that one, but I'd love to be able to review my NVR footage from the TV. 

So the question is, how dumb of an idea is it for me to get one of those less-sophisticated HDMI switchers like the ones on Amazon and re purposing the HDMI that is currently used by the EA3 for this device?  I'd stick it in the rack and run the EA3 and NVR through it and add an IR bud to switch it.  Can I get off that easy?

 

Thanks for your thoughts and looking forward to the colorful responses scolding me for such a sacrilegious idea. 

 

 

 

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My advise and I have tried almost everything  - might not pertain to your situation but food for thought.

You have a few options HD Matrix are typically expensive the ones that work with C4. Are they worth it - absolutely yes if you serious about simplicity - just works and quality. 

Disclamer -- In the end of all my spending and trying different senarios I ended up buying the LEAF matrix ....

So options:

1. You can look at the price of having an actual device duplicated in each room - example - -Your TV has a Apple TV, Roko etc connected directly to the back of it. Same for the kids rooms. You take those total devices and add them up they will prob still come up to cheaper than a matrix

down side: well - You have to power all of those, Network all of those, connect to the TV all of those === Ugly mess at the back of your TV';s == Configuration on C4 can become a nightmare to.

Then comes trying to use a receiver to get this going - yes you can but the real receivers that have multiple outputs get you to the price of a matrix.

So in the end after buying triple devices - receivers etc I ended up with a matrix.

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Sorry I didnt have time to read the whole thread...

If all you need is to have more input options, just get a good hdmi switcher and be done with it.

Instead of using 3 inputs on your TV, you would only use 2.

Assuming everything is in a rack:

Roku, Qnap, NVR, Apple tv, PS4 etc > 5x1 hdmi switch (4k 60hz HDR if possible) > HDMI 1 on your TV

Control4 controller hdmi out > HDMI 2

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I personally went through 2 Monoprice HDMI Matrix, each one lasted less than a year.  Monoprice replaced the first one, would not replace the 2nd one, so I moved on to Videostorm.  Just my personal experience.  I'll still use monoprice for cables but I'll never purchase hardware from them again.

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On 8/9/2018 at 10:18 AM, joecheech said:

Thanks, everyone.  Zaphoid, as Ex-Galactic President, can you tell me if you were able to integrate control of your Monoprice devices with your C4 system?

I don't do distributed video - I just use these switches as the V part of a KVM switch and to add HDMI inputs to TVs/AVRs that are challenged in that area.  And I spend an inordinate amount of time with Eccentrica Gallumbits 😀

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2 hours ago, Pounce said:

Did you try the Hikvision app on your TV? If you can get that working and it meets  your needs you may not need to do any of this...

Looked into it briefly but was too much of a hack for my knowledge level.  I ordered the Monoprice 21614, it was on sale for $60.  I'm going to use the HDMI port that the Fios STB currently occupies and keep the other two ports as EA3 and Roku.  I'll have Fios; Hikvision; and Qnap running through the switcher.  If the switcher fails I can easily unplug it and run the Fios STB to that same HDMI port on the TV and at worst be right back where I am today. 

 

Thanks.

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1 hour ago, joecheech said:

Looked into it briefly but was too much of a hack for my knowledge level.  

Huh. That is the Android app for the Hikvision NVR and cameras. Not sure how that is a hack. Works fine on my tablets and phones.

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I also have the Hikvision cameras, NVR, and QNAP NAS. Yesterday, I was updating a few things on my QNAP, and I saw where the Hikvision cameras are compatible with QNAP's Surveillance Station 5.1, and, by installing the SDDP app on your QNAP and HD Station in Composer, theoretically you should be able to view all your media on your QNAP, without using having to use Plex, and view your video surveillance. This link is kind of old, but it does show how to integrate the QNAP HD Station with Control4:

https://www.qnap.com/en-in/how-to/tutorial/article/getting-started-with-qnap-and-control4

I would imagine viewing the surveillance on your TV would be similar, since it's viewable in HD Station, and QNAP's Surveillance Station allows you to setup virtual cameras in addition to the ones currently hooked up. As mentioned, I only ran across this yesterday so I haven't tried any of this yet.

https://www.qnap.com/solution/surveillance-station/en-in/

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While I've never seen this particular set of instructions before, QNAP is a Control4 partner, so it doesn't totally shock me.  None of this is really earth shattering - the media is scanned/accessed using the standard C4 digital media driver.  The Plex and HDMI connectivity could have been done before with existing drivers as well.  The QNAP driver does seem to nicely tie everything together in an easy to install/program package. The QNAP driver also looks like it's been updated recently, so maybe it has some more tricks up its sleeve?

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