Multiple Camera Input To One Monitor

R

Robertofish

Active member
I have 3 cameras and use 3 of the same monitor to view them but the monitor attaches on top of the camera, and I was wondering if there was some way to use a hdmi splitter to connect it into another monitor that could display all 3 videos at once for me to view whats going on on all 3 cameras? What monitor would work for this, and what kind of power would you need if you were away from an outlet?
Thanks
 
HDMI utilizes HDCP copy protection and each device must identify only to one HDCP compatible display device,

you can use a simple HDMI switcher to hook up your 3 devices then select which to display. these can be had at best buy or any electronics store. but will NOT mix the signals.

Some of the switches are passive (not requiring power) and some need power.

So if you use a passive 1 in to 2 outs splitter at every camera, then take those 3 feeds to a selector switch it may just work, theoreticaly. but youll have to have 3 splitters, 3x long HDMI, and 1x 3 to 1 HDMI switch and on HDMI cable from switch to directors monitor.

you will not be able to see all 3 cams at once. but this should get you the solution.

hope this helps.
 
In theory, HDCP should not enter into a discussion of hooking cameras to monitors.

That said, "theory" and "HCDP" are often incompatible. In theory, there's no reason why the 30+ Blu-Ray players we had to take back from a customer should require HDCP even when playing a standard-def DVD that didn't even know what HDCP was... and yet they do.

Let me make it worse: the "simple HDMI switcher" recordingwhiz mentions could actually be enough to foul up HDCP, if the "simple" switcher were not HDCP compliant, or if the source device only had one HDCP "key." An HDCP device needs one key for each display device it sees, and the switcher counts as a display device.

To the original question: back in the old composite video days, what you wanted was called a multiplexer, and it was relatively easy to do (you saw it all the time in security camera applications), if not necessarily inexpensive. These days, even if HDCP doesn't enter into it, it's no longer easy and the cost has gone up substantially. And it's never been, AFAIK, a battery-powered solution...
 
Unfortunately HDCP is here to stay and MUST be included in all electronics licensing the HDMI format, this is the cancer of my Industry (AV systems design Engineer)
and unfortunately the very first thing the HDCP string performs is a "display off" before it even attempts to get a valid "key" to authorize the play out device to pass the signal, if it gets no valid key then it will never display signal.

This is your Content creators and Government legislators working together on this.

so Yes my suggestion up there is theoretical. I have seen the small passive splitters work on indie shoots to give the director a monitor feed, and a 3 way switcher does exists as you may have seen in electronics stores to switch between cable box and dvd or BL player when a display only has one HDMI in. however it is not only the monitor that requires the HDCP key but also the camera and as you may have experienced the camera blanks out as well before getting the monitors key.

best real workaround is to convert HDMI to HD/SDI and distribute that signal, but then youre bumping up price of solution considerably.

Best of luck
 
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