Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

Question

Connecting multiple gaming devices to 2 tvs

Jun 19, 2018 4:40PM PDT

Ok so bare with me...my wife and I have recently turned a spare bedroom into a game room.

We want to be able to hook up old classic systems to our two tvs without having to constantly change out cords, specially since all cords behind both tvs are fed through the wall, properly with code compliance.

We'd also like to split the signal from 1 of our Xbox 1 s to view Netflix and 4k movies together on our seperatr tvs.

So here was my thought:

8 in 1 out rca splitter
Connected to
HDMI upscaled for rca
Connected to
HDMI 4k 60hz 4 in 2 out splitter

Is that even feasible? If we hook the HDMI splitter to say input 1 on both tvs then if one person wants to play Mario on their tv, than the other person can still go to input 2 and play their Xbox 1s or go to input 1 and play Mario as well.

My concern is with so many devices will it chop that signal strenght from the classic systems by the time it reaches the tvs?

Also, if one Xbox 1s is connected to the HDMI splitter and it's hooked to input 1 on both tvs than if say my wife is playing Mario through that setup on input one...then I can't access my Xbox 1s on my input 1...sooooo...do it need to end going from the HDMI 4k 60hz splitter into a HDMI switch...

I'm totally lost on the last part...how do I split a signal with one Xbox 1s but still be able to use a different device that is connected into the splitter as well. I may want to use Xbox 1s while she plays Nintendo or n64...but I want all those on a splitter so either person can use when they want without getting up.

Should I use the splitter only For Xbox 1s and use a switch for all the game systems?

Sorry for the long post, I'm discovering all these devices for the first time as it's the first time I've needed them.

P.s. Both tvs are the same exact model and type, ordered together actually. 55 inch 4k UHD. Hoping that helps with syncing.

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -
Answer
RCA switch boxes
Jun 19, 2018 4:52PM PDT

Seem to work fine. With most TVs having a composite and audio input (old school yellow/red/whit) why convert to HDMI?

- Collapse -
Good question
Jun 19, 2018 5:21PM PDT

Thanks for the quick reply.

I had read that newer tvs do not render the screens full ratio with classic consoles so a lot of time you need to upscale to hdmi for them to not be out of whack. I will look into that more.

Just wondering, is there a device that will allow me to split signal a device when we want to share and then play seperate systems when we do not want to share without plugging and unplugging cords?

So a splitter that allows us to share a device and then later allows me to use 1 device on the splitter while she uses another?

I've figured this out mostly...i think...but can't figure the end of the chain out. How can I hook all devices to a splitter for simultaneous use together but then allow for use of two different devices at the same time if they are hooked into that splitter.

The more I brood on this I don't think it's really possible, either we share signals for any said device OR we can use separately when we like on a switch. I don't see how we can have occasional independent use of any device if they are fed through a splitter.

Surely I can't be the only person who has wanted to share consoles at times and then disconnect the split for independent system use at the same time....without cable micro management...

If it's not possible yet then I've got some inventing to so I suppose. Seems like a standard tv hook up for a gaming theater.

- Collapse -
That I can't guess.
Jun 19, 2018 5:51PM PDT

I've seen good and bad 4x3 to 1080p upscaling. With all the sets out there you have to test it out.