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Of course, you can sidestep some of this if you’d like to mastermind a setup that uses HDMI Audio extraction as well as a wireless HDMI transmitter ( more on that here), but for now, we’ll keep focusing on a one-room wired setup. In such a case, you may want to get an HDMI splitter to route one HDMI signal to your display device and one through your HDMI audio extractor to your receiver. If you listen to some music from HDMI-only sources (Roku, AppleTV, and other media streamers), you can pipe it to your stereo through an HDMI audio extractor.Ī somewhat more cumbersome setup involves connecting HDMI-only components to a system involving an older analog receiver. If your home theater room doubles as your listening room, you may opt for a secondary stereo system for higher-quality music listening. If you are an audiophile in addition to being a cinephile, this might apply to you. The simplest scenario that involves an HDMI audio extractor is when you have to route audio from an HDMI-only source to an audio-only receiver. Although there are times when an HDMI audio extractor may be your only solution (like when using an analog sound system), in some cases there may be alternative solutions that don’t involve an HDMI audio extractor. Why Would You Use an HDMI Audio Extractor?Īn HDMI audio extractor makes sense for any instance where you would need to convert HDMI to an audio-only source. For audio, an HDMI audio extractor would be necessary for conversion to other formats. These signals are HDMI-specific and hence require digital conversion for other formats.
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As we’ve said before, there exist directional HDMI cables as well, and they’re a bit better at sending information across long distances. These cables are designed to work with devices that decrypt the HDMI signal before output.Īn HDMI cable is designed with 19 pins that transmit a number of digital signals capable of carrying not only audio and video, but also things like remote control commands and device information.
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In almost every case, you cannot simply get a cable that appears to convert HDMI to RCA. In all but the rarest circumstances, an HDMI audio extractor is necessary if you intend to convert HDMI to analog audio or any other format.īecause HDMI transmits a digital signal, sending an HDMI output directly to an analog system wouldn’t produce a viable audio (or video) signal. An HDMI audio extractor must isolate the audio signal from an HDMI signal, then decrypt and recode it into another type of audio signal (usually analog).
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