GarethKeenan Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 I am looking at upgrading my Component Video Matrix switch with an HDMI switch.The model that looks like a good product and is within my budget is the GEFEN EXT-HDMI-848. Does anyone know if this is a good switch and if C4 has a driver for it?Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILoveC4 Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 I'm curious if anyone had experience with this switch. The whole EDID thing makes me nervous. It is common for three different sized TV's to be displaying the same source at my house. I don't know if that wil work with this switch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GarethKeenan Posted January 20, 2011 Author Share Posted January 20, 2011 Is there a switch that can display an HDCP signal to multiple outputs? I'm not sure how you would get around the issue with any HDCP compatible switch unless you can disable it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILoveC4 Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 It's done in the EDID. JAP gets around it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILoveC4 Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 Or maybe something to do with the tokens? I don't understand it completely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GarethKeenan Posted January 20, 2011 Author Share Posted January 20, 2011 I just looked through the manual and it looks like the EDID function is disabled by default and therefore the HDCP issue doesn't show up unless you change the dip switch positions for each output. Aside from the EDID issue, does C4 have a driver for this switch? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILoveC4 Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 I just checked the database and didn't see one. There may be one kicking around in the dealer forums.I know that drivers exist for some Geffen switches, and I didn't see any in there, so whatever that means... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GarethKeenan Posted January 23, 2011 Author Share Posted January 23, 2011 Thanks, I guess I'll keep looking. From what I've read, switching to HDMI may end up being too problematic right now anyways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GarethKeenan Posted February 2, 2011 Author Share Posted February 2, 2011 Since it appears that the HDMI matrix switch stuff can get complicated and cause video distribution to become problematic, I am now looking at staying component video. With that said, I currently have an 8 x 6 Video Storm Matrix switch. I'm looking to add another 6-8 inputs and need another 6 outputs. I read on here somewhere that you could daisy chain matrix switches in order to increase inputs/outputs...does anyone have experience doing this or know if it is possible to do this without degrading the video signal so much that it is no longer 1080i? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILoveC4 Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 I haven't found a reliable way to daisy chain matrix switches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GarethKeenan Posted February 2, 2011 Author Share Posted February 2, 2011 Reliability is key. My first dealer couldn't get my system to function consistently and I nearly sold my stuff off for parts. My wife was more than peeved at how bad it worked for the money we had spent. Fortunately, I found a dealer who was able to fix all the bugs in our system in a few hours and it's been awesome ever since...Now I want to do some upgrades and am trying to figure out the best bang for the buck while keeping everything working seamlessly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smccray Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 I have a video storm CMX 86 which sounds like the same switch. They had a daisy chained HDMI switch that's supposed to be integrated with the component switch, but it doesn't have a control4 driver. Perhaps you'll have better luck getting a copy of the serial driver than I did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GarethKeenan Posted February 2, 2011 Author Share Posted February 2, 2011 I just found this matrix switch which seems very affordable and it says it's C4 compatible as well.Does anyone have any experience with this switch?http://www.hdtvsupply.com/16x16-component-matrix.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MSI Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 These appear to be the Video Storm products.I installed the Video Storm CMX86 2 years ago. It works flawlessly. http://www.video-storm.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smccray Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 If I had to do it again I'd look for separate video and audio switches rather than one switch for both. I've found that I need more audio sources than video sources.I also have an issue with the video storm switch in that there is a delay between the video switching and the audio switching. It's not a big delay, and recent switch firmware improves the problem, but I still don't like it. Video Storm was unwilling to provide me with a copy of the unencrypted serial driver so I could have my dealer look at it.I got a lower price on the CMX86 when I purchased it versus other matrix switches on the market. Please don't misunderstand me- I'm happy with the performance of the switch- but I would be looking for that lower price point if I were going to purchase product. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GarethKeenan Posted February 2, 2011 Author Share Posted February 2, 2011 I've noticed the audio can lag when switching sources. Sometimes it's less than a second, but it has taken between 3 - 5 seconds when it was at it's slowest. How did you get a firmware update? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smccray Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 Check the downloads section of their website. They post the firmware and instructions to upload it via a serial cable. We used a USB to serial adapter and it worked okay. My firmware was old enough that sometimes the audio wouldn't even switch. They also released a new driver for versions 1.8+ which you might consider using. Send them an email- in my experience they're very responsive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MSI Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 No lag with my Video Storm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smccray Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Do you switch audio and video together or separately? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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