jeff2908 Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 Hello. I have a question regarding a third party HDMI matrix. I found a great price on an 8x8 matrix & asked my C4 dealer if I could use it. He said the hc-300 I have would not recognize it & he could not program it into the system. Can I just find a driver on-line or create one to use it? Is it hard to do? He also said the Home Edition software would not allow me to configure new components.Confused...the matrix I found was one third of the cost the dealer wants for a 8x8 matrix. Just trying to save a lot of money & become more familiar with the system so in the future I can implement lighting, irrigation, etc.... Any help on this matter would be greatly appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pstuart Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 Users can't add drivers, only dealers can.All HDMI Matrix switches are 3rd party, just some have drivers and others don'tThe cheaper HDMI Matrix switches usually don't have IP control, might have RS232 control and may have IR control.IP control drivers are the hardest to createRS232 are usually available and 1 way are easy, 2 way, a bit more difficultIR control is easy, if you have the codes and/or a remote. Any dealer should be able to set this up.Ultimately, it's up to the dealer as to what they will support and what they won't. Dealers make more money selling expensive gear, so its no doubt they will sell the higher end stuff. However, typically, you get what you pay for...As for HDMI switches, they are far more complicated then you might think. It all depends on your sources, your destinations, EDID's, CECs and if you want 3D HDMI 1.4a and/or ARC. Would hate to have a cheaper HDMI switch to my locations to only get 2 channel 1080i because one destination is an old HDTV and the rest are 7.1 3D receivers... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterwilson Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 Hello. I have a question regarding a third party HDMI matrix. I found a great price on an 8x8 matrix & asked my C4 dealer if I could use it. He said the hc-300 I have would not recognize it & he could not program it into the system. Can I just find a driver on-line or create one to use it? Is it hard to do? He also said the Home Edition software would not allow me to configure new components.Confused...the matrix I found was one third of the cost the dealer wants for a 8x8 matrix. Just trying to save a lot of money & become more familiar with the system so in the future I can implement lighting, irrigation, etc.... Any help on this matter would be greatly appreciated!Tough to say without knowing what matrix you are looking at and how it can be controlled. It's unlikely that C4 couldn't integrate with it as it likely has a RS232 interface.You cannot add your own driver or add new components without your dealer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff2908 Posted July 2, 2012 Author Share Posted July 2, 2012 Thank you for the info. Still not sure if the home Edition software will allow me the add devices or not. I read in previous forums of people adding devices & downloading drivers. The unit i was looking at is here http://www.a-neuvideo.com/HD-88.html if this 9x8 is not reliable or a poor choice can you suggest a reasonable 4x4 & 8x8 hdmi? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pstuart Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 Home edition does NOT allow you to install drivers.Looks like that HDMI switch has RS232 controll and IR control, so one way control could be possible if someone wrote / created a driver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff2908 Posted July 2, 2012 Author Share Posted July 2, 2012 What would be the benefit of 2 way control? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AceOfSpades Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 In some cases 2-way control can be used for Video Sensing of the device. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AceOfSpades Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 C4 drivers are available from vendor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff2908 Posted July 3, 2012 Author Share Posted July 3, 2012 Asugarbe... Not to sound as newby as I actually am at this, but what exactly is video sensing? And still wouldn't mind a few suggestions for a reasonable 8x8 hdmi matrix? From the sounds of it, the one Im looking at could be implemented if the dealer wants to take the time to either create or locate the driver. Also, with that particular matrix, would hdmi baluns allow the signal to travel over cat5e? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterwilson Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 This is essentially a rebranded Shinybow matrix:http://www.shinybowusa.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=247&osCsid=4f537d03d4c9545c380dc96cafcd6395http://www.ebay.com/itm/8x8-8-8-HDMI-HDTV-MATRIX-ROUTING-SWITCHER-SELECTOR-3D-V1-3b-EDID-New-In-Box-/350577976156?pt=US_Splitters_Combiners&hash=item51a013635cI don't believe a driver for this currently exists, though it wouldn't be very difficult to make a one way driver (for someone who knows what they are doing). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff2908 Posted July 3, 2012 Author Share Posted July 3, 2012 Thank you chester! I guess Im not sure if I will need 2way communication or not. The rs232 would just provide one, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AceOfSpades Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 In this situation, two-way is normally not required. The Matrix Switch is normally always on, which there wouldn't be a requirement for video sensing.Video Sensing or Video Detection is the ability for the Controller to detect if the device is powered on/off. In some cases, based on a Video Signal, I can determine if the device is off/on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff2908 Posted July 4, 2012 Author Share Posted July 4, 2012 I spoke to the distributor of the 8x8 in the link i placed for reference earlier and said the switch is compatible with the c4 system & comes with drivers. Starting to look like a winner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnashdown Posted July 5, 2012 Share Posted July 5, 2012 What exactly are you looking to do? Are you looking to make your HDMI matrix IP enabled? I do installs all the time and I useKVMSwitchTech for all my HDMI matrix needs. They also have a RS232 to IP converter that works with 3rd party devices( Part # KVMEP-132 ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff2908 Posted July 5, 2012 Author Share Posted July 5, 2012 Thanks for the response johnashdown! Im just looking to have distributed video via hdmi to 4 locations right now(lowest res tv is 720p) & add 3 more down the road. I would like the ability to distribute dish tv, 400 disc blu-ray,netflix & video stored on hard drive. 1 plasma will have a 3d player in the same room as the tv, because i havent come accross a 400 disc 3d blu-ray player:) 4 of the runs are approximately 100ft, so my plan was to use hdmi baluns for the long runs, 2 of the runs I was going to use hdmi prefabricated cables. Sounds reasonable right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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