rydbeckc Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 I found this 4x4 Video matrix switch with RS232 that I am considering for video distribution and control thru the C4 system. Has anyone used this switch? Is there any reason that C4 wouldn't be able to control it via the RS232? http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=101&cp_id=10110&cs_id=1011002&p_id=5704&seq=1&format=4#feedback Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramorous Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 There are drivers for this one in the files section of this forum. So I would guess it works just fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rydbeckc Posted September 5, 2011 Author Share Posted September 5, 2011 Found them. Thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drmark12pa Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 This matrix is only $156 which seems like a great deal! Does anyone have an opinion as to the benefit of spending $1000+ for other 4x4 matrix switches vs this one if they can both be controlled by Control4 with the RS232? Doesn't seem to make sense to spend 10x more for the exact same functionality.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterwilson Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 This matrix is only $156 which seems like a great deal! Does anyone have an opinion as to the benefit of spending $1000+ for other 4x4 matrix switches vs this one if they can both be controlled by Control4 with the RS232? Doesn't seem to make sense to spend 10x more for the exact same functionality....Ding Ding Ding!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maklar Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 I use the 2x4 version in a non c4 situation and it works great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramorous Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 I'm using the 2x4 monoprice one and it's working great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drmark12pa Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 Which is the correct driver in the forum for the Monoprice 4X4 True Matrix HDMI 1.3a Powered Switch w/ Remote (Rev. 3.0)?I see 2 that sound correct listed...1) MonoPrice HDMI 4x4 switch - Serial MonoPrice HDMI 4x4 - serial avswitch_MonoPrice_4x4HD...c4i 18 KB joemci Mar-04-2011 2) Monoprice 4x4 hdmi rev 3.0 MonoPrice HDMI 4x4 rev 3.0 avswitch_MonoPrice_4x4HD...c4i 18 KB xc420 Nov-17-2010 Has anyone on the forum actually use the Monoprice 4x4 Matrix HDMI? I talked with my dealer and his concern is if it will "hold the HDMI keys". I'm not sure what that means but want any opinions out there if this is the way to go based on functionality and price....This is another Monoprice product that may be comparable it would appear:4x4 Matrix HDMI Switch & Splitter over CAT5e/CAT6 Cable w/ Remote - Extend Upto 131fthttp://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=101&cp_id=10113&cs_id=1011301&p_id=8151&seq=1&format=2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joemci Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 The one I posted is the working one. (march 4, 2011) I modified the previous one as it was missing some commands. It works very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drmark12pa Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 (edited) The one I posted is the working one. (march 4, 2011) I modified the previous one as it was missing some commands. It works very well.Joemci,Have you used the Monoprice matrix? If so, what are your thoughts on it's functionality/performance/reliability compared to some of the more expensive units (ie $1000-$2000)?Would the drivers work this unit as well? The unit below has the use of Cat5 which would be nice for runs in a finished house....http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=101&cp_id=10113&cs_id=1011301&p_id=8151&seq=1&format=2 Edited September 6, 2011 by drmark12pa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rydbeckc Posted September 6, 2011 Author Share Posted September 6, 2011 The one I posted is the working one. (march 4' date=' 2011) I modified the previous one as it was missing some commands. It works very well.[/quote']Joemci,Have you used the Monoprice matrix? If so, what are your thoughts on it's functionality/performance/reliability compared to some of the more expensive units (ie $1000-$2000)?Would the drivers work this unit as well? The unit below has the use of Cat5 which would be nice for runs in a finished house....http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=101&cp_id=10113&cs_id=1011301&p_id=8151&seq=1&format=2I like these http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=104&cp_id=10425&cs_id=1042501&p_id=8201&seq=1&format=2 better since they have a cleaner install look. IR is integrated too!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ_ Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 Those are nice! I'll have to try them out. Not sure why I didn't get those in the first place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ_ Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 (edited) I noticed that the serial driver for the monoprice switch does not power on/off the device. In case of a power loss, this is inconvenient and simply kills the whole system. Anyone have the serial codes for the power toggle or on/off.In case anyone is still wondering, I am using this switch for over a year now and without any problems (other than above, although that is simply a change to the driver). It seems Monoprice has a newer version of the switch (link in a post above). I'm waiting for a 6x6 or 8x8.AC Edited September 6, 2011 by achoudhary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xc420 Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 Power Toggle $10 $EF $D5 $7BIt doesn't have discrete codes for on or off.A 2-way driver could check the status every time a command is sent to determine if it's off. If it is off, send a command to toggle the power then resend the command that was ignored. But that's a little more work than programming a button on the remote to toggle the power post #30 http://www.remotecentral.com/cgi-bin/mboard/rs232-ip/thread.cgi?114,2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drmark12pa Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 1) Is there a reason to have the IR on the faceplate if you are using Control4 anyway?2) What kind of setup are people using for the sender part (ie faceplates, plugs, or other?) I'm trying to figure out how if I'm going to be using a rack where I would put a faceplate on the sending end...3) What can a typical consumer do with the drivers without having their installer use them? I'm not experienced enough with Composer HE (have yet to use it) to know if I would be able to actually do anything with these codes without my installer actually doing the work. Can a "regular" user of Control4 do anything with the drivers or is that something that your installer has to do?4) Will the drivers in the FILE section work with that other Monoprice matrix switch I posted the link to? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joemci Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 I have used the matrix for over a year without any problems, other than the fact that you have to turn it back on if you lose power. Not a huge problem. I have not used any of the more expensive units, nor do I know if it would work with the HDMI over Cat5 switch you asked about.As for the HDMI over Cat5e/6 extenders, the only ones that seem to work well for me are the ones that are powered on both ends. Monoprice has one dual powered model. The in-wall ones can be powered on both ends but don't come with the power plugs. I have not used them, but have heard that they work well when both ends are powered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drmark12pa Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 Joemci,In talking with my dealer about using this switch, his concern was that it would "lose the key bindings" and if any TV in the system were not 1080p as I have one TV that is 720p, it would only display on all of the TVs at the lowest resolution of the bunch (in this case 720p even though my 3 other TVs are 1080p). Do you know if this is the case or what is your set up now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bignoze Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 yea how can this switch compare to the 2k+ Atlona ones?My bet is this thing breaks in weeks if not months, not worth the hassle. Buy the good stuff once and be done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joemci Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 drmark - I have no idea about the key bindings. I have three TV's on it and don't notice a binding issue at all. bignoze - I have been running it for over a year with no quality problems. I can't say that a more expensive solution wouldn't be better, but my experience is that this one works very well and at a great price vs. the big name companies. I am sure that if you did side by side tests that you could find flaws maybe in speed or reliability, but as I understand it, since hdmi is purely digital there wouldn't be a signal quality issue with any switcher - either the signal is passed or it isn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbing1982 Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 I also have the monorpice 4x4 hdmi switch installed for about 1 1/2 years right now. Never had any problems with it. All my TV's and projectors are 1080p so i dont have any problems with HDMI outputing to the lowest resolution device. However another thing to think about is that if you want to watch a Blu-Ray for instance with surround sound. The Blu-Ray player can only output one sound signal at a time over HDMI. So if you are watching it on Two TV's at once and one TV doesn't use a Receiver, then then Blu-Ray player will only output stereo, and not Surround Sound. But the Blu-Ray player will renegotiate what signal to send each time it is turned on, so its not permanent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbuono Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 Given that people like the monoprice matrix switches, I have been trying to figure out how I can use them to move away from component. But, I would need to stack or daisy change a couple switches. My thoughts are on the attached doc. Has anyone tried something like this and actually got it to work with C4? Also, does the stacking or daisy change mess up the HDCP handshake?Any thoughts or comments would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drmark12pa Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 Somewhat silly question but what program do you (did you) use for your chart/diagram for you matrix configuration idea? I've been looking for a similar program so I can diagram my idea for my AV setup just like you have done.Also, with the Monoprice matrix switch I would like to add more than 4 sources eventually and have 5 rooms so I too am wondering how you could use 2 of these at a fraction of the cost of a 6x6 or 8x8 matrix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramorous Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 Somewhat silly question but what program do you (did you) use for your chart/diagram for you matrix configuration idea? I've been looking for a similar program so I can diagram my idea for my AV setup just like you have done..Microsoft Visio can easily do the trick. Otherwise MS Paint can also help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbuono Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 drmark12paI just used MS Word for the chart. The boxes are simply text boxes the arrows are all available under the shapes tab. I also know that MS Powerpoint has many of these chart making features as well.As for the matrix, I just have no idea if the stacking or daisy chaining will actually work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DWRobinson Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 (edited) AVSnap is a great program for designing systems. It is free and can be downloaded at http://avsnap.com/. I have attempted to attach some sample projects.Update:Sorry couldn't get it to upload images very well, if I tried one at a time nothing showed up. If I uploaded all 7 project images, only the second one showed up. You can go to their website though. It is a great tool.Additionally, Rack Tools is a great program for designing racks and it is also free. Both allow you to create your own libraries and put your own products in. Edited September 15, 2011 by DWRobinson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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