How many inputs does your TV have? Anybody with a full house?

[delta_charlie]

Hi all, when I bought my HD TV a while back one of the features I found amusing was it had 7 inputs. At the time I thought who would ever need 7 inputs. Well, I'm proud to say I now have all 7 hooked up. Looks like I need to find a TV with more inputs ;-) Here is the lineup

1. TV OTA
2. Mercury II on Ku
3. Sony DVD player
4. Pansat 3500 on Ku and C-band
5. Dish ViP 222
6. AZbox - hooked to the loop out from both the Mercury II and the Pansat.
7. PC

Anybody else have a full house?

Later, DC

 

[Mr Tony]

Full house here and has been for a long time...Panasonic 42" HDTV..7 inputs
1. OTA
2. DVD recorder/Hard drive (component 1)
3. Shaw Direct 505 (Component 2)
4. Directv R22 (HDMI 1)
5. azbox (HDMI 2)
6. Coolsat 5000 (A/V 1)
7. DVD recorder/hard drive (a/v 2)...DTVPal DVR and analog receiver piggybacked on it

Removed a DVD recorder/HDD recently and put Shaw Direct there

 

[Blindowl1234]

Not quite full here. OTA...then Video 1 for the Fortec Dynamic...HDMI1 for Sathawk.....1-PC input...nothing like a 32" monitor for the computer....One HDMI and the composite are open still.....Blind

 

[Tron]

There are options to add additional HDMI ports to an existing TV, such as the switches from Monoprice or an audio system with additional HDMI ports. I always need either one or the other.

 

[B.J.]

I didn't realize that there were HDMI switches. I'm not sure whether some hardware might be confused by a switch if it needs to communicate with the device? But an extra HDMI or two would come in handy for me, because I have to trade cables.

Back to the question though, I have never had a TV which had enough inputs. I used to have a Sony SBR that had 3 or 4 A/V in addition to RF, but they don't seem to make new TVs with enough A/V inputs anymore since things are switching to digital.

My current (Samsung) TV has:

RF-1 (digital/analog)
RF-2 (analog only)
A/V-1 (composite/S-VID)
A/V-2 (composite)
Component-1
Component-2
HDMI-1
HDMI-2
PC
Wiselink
D-link

Everything is full except the PC (which I intend to use once I can upgrade my computer enough to send HD to the TV directly), the Wiselink (which I think my wife tried to use once but couldn't get it to work), and the D-link, which I don't have a clue what it does.

But the other inputs are full, and I have multiple devices wishing that there were more inputs.

RF-1 ---Connected to OTA antenna for local ATSC digital.
RF-2--- Connected to my Monty-55 analog receiver, so I can change C-band sats in PIP.
A/V-1 --Connected to SA TIVO fed by DirecTV#1.
A/V-2-Connected to 2nd SA TIVO fed by a 4X remote switch.
..... 4X remote switch fed by Monty 55, Fortec Ultra, DirecTV#2, DSR4200-DCII
Component-1--Connected to Diamond-9000
Component-2--Connected to ROKU-HD1000
HDMI-1---Connected to Azbox
HDMI-2--Connected to PopCornHour

Waiting to be connected include :
HDMI...BlueRay / DVD player
Component.. 2nd ROKU
A/V ...... Fortec Lifetime, Fortec Mercury, Coolsat 8100, Drake 1824, 3rd TIVO, misc video cameras,
RF, a couple OTA antennas aimed in different directions.

Feeding the ROKU, PopCornHour and Azbox is a home built computer with a Twinhan 1020a, TT-3200, Broadlogic 1030, and a networked HD-HomeRun. Also feeding them is a laptop with a Genpix Skywalker-1.
In the mail, heading this way are a 2nd HD-HomeRun and a TeeVII S660, which I'll probably plug into my laptop.

My big problem is not enough dishes to feed all the sat receivers directly, so I have to slave or switch coax from receiver to receiver. I basically have C-band controlled by the Monty-55, and have a 3 port splitter feeding my Azbox and TT3200, both of which I run primarily on C-band. Also, I use the Azbox passthru to feed my Genpix. The Diamond controls my Fortec 90cm/Primestar/BUD-Ku, and that feed is split off to my Genpix. THe Diamond's passthru feeds my Twinhan, and the Twinhan's passthru feeds either the Broadlogic or the Fortec Ultra. I have to switch coaxes to feed the DSR-4200.

 

[mastermesh]

Need more?... use A/B switches.

 

[mikelib]

Check these out

Check these out, this is a reputable company, I buy from them a lot.

3-WAY HDMI SWITCHER | AllElectronics.com

HDMI SWITCHER 3-IN 1-OUT W/ REMOTE | AllElectronics.com

HDMI SWITCHER 5-IN 1-OUT W/ REMOTE | AllElectronics.com

Regards
mikelib

 

[brentb636]

I have the 5 port HDMI switcher from monoprice.com and it works fine for me.
For only $30.50 each when QTY 50+ purchased - 5X1 Enhanced 1.3b Certified HDMI Switch with built-in Equalizer (REV.3.0) w/ Remote | Auto/Powered HDMI Switches .

 

[Dishman Dan]

Bass Ackwards???

I use every connection on my 32" SONY LCD except the HDMIs!!!

When the HDMI is used, it disables the other connections!

The main reason I need the other connections is for hooking up the composite to my channel modulator. This allows any TV in the house to watch from any video source and each TV can have a different one on. I do use the component hookup directly to my main TV which is 720P and the picture is super!!! The only components I have so far with HDMI is a DVD recorder, blu-ray player and a 400 disc mega changer. The DVD recorder's back panel is loaded up to record from any source possible!

My surround sound receiver does not have HDMI connections but I would not use them even if it had them. The optical output from the main TV goes to the receiver so I can blast myself when I want to. My wife can watch mushy movies without running all the extra surround stuff (makes it easy for her!) plus the receiver does not have to be on all the time which also cuts down on heat in the electronics! :up

The HDMI cables do make the AV cabinet a lot neater too but I have to give up versatility and convenience if I use them! I try to make it easy for the family to use the equipment and save the bells and whistles for me to play with. As long as the wires are neat and behind the cabinet I can play! Most important... A happy wife makes a happy dish farmer!!!...

 

[beavs2112]

My Pioneer Kuro Plasma has 9 inputs and I'm using 6.
VCR,OTA, Blu-Ray,Pansat9200,Computer,A/V Receiver

 

[Tron]

Some newer audio receivers have as many as six HDMI inputs, which makes them an excellent choice for additional ports. One can never have too many HDMI ports ...

 

[rv1pop]

Do I feel left out. I have two TVs, each one has one input. One has the antenna input and uses channel 3 and 4 for satellite and vcr, the other only has composite and the Coolsat is hooked up to it.

OK I have a 3rd, an LCD with rf and composite/S-video : OTA UHF analog on the RF and composite /S-video used as a monitor for the computer (uses less power by a long shot than the old monitor).

 

[TimLones111]

I have a newer Insignia 26" TV/DVD player with 10 inputs, including 3 HDMI (which won't be used for a while)..The "TV" Input connects with Time Warner Cable, "AV 1" connects a DVD/VCR Tuner and "AV 2" Fortec Star FTA Receiver.."VGA" is used as a Computer Monitor..
Others are labeled "Componet 1" "Component 2" "S-Video" and "DVD"

 

[ZetaMale]

HDMI is more convenient hookup but which should give the better picture, HDMI or component?

 

[Ilya]

HDMI is more convenient hookup but which should give the better picture, HDMI or component?

Both are great, but HDMI is usually better. Component inputs may result in a somewhat softer image, which is not necessarily a bad thing, especially if the source digital image is over compressed.

And of course, only HDMI and component connections (and perhaps VGA) can be used for HD. S-video and composite inputs cannot deliver HD signal.

 

[guapoharry]

I use every connection on my 32" SONY LCD except the HDMIs!!!

When the HDMI is used, it disables the other connections! ...

That's OUTRAGEOUS!

 

[toto]

I've 9 or 10 inputs. My pocket will be empty, before my house is full.

 

[Dishman Dan]

That's OUTRAGEOUS!

It is more of a disappointment!!!... :rant:

When a component with HDMI output is connected to another device, the other outputs like composite, component or s-video are disabled and no longer usable to hook up to "other" devices.

 

[delta_charlie]

HDMI is more convenient hookup but which should give the better picture, HDMI or component?

Hi, one thing I have noticed on my TV is when I watch SD using the HDMI input the TV will not let me change the view mode. When I use component I can select from side bar, stretch, smart stretch and zoom.

Your mileage may vary ;-) DC