Description
The HDM88 is a 4K 8×8 Hdmi Matrix Switcher (HDR, YUV 4:4:4, 18GBPS Bandwidth, Doby Atmos, Vision) with simultaneous analog/digital audio outputs and HDCP2.2 support! It also has HDMI loop outputs that mirror your HDMI inputs! DON’T BOTHER BUYING ANY SWITCHER THAT DOESN’T SUPPORT HDCP 2.2. ALL FUTURE MEDIA REQUIRES HDCP 2.2…OTHERWISE, YOU’LL HAVE A BLANK SCREEN ON YOUR TVS. All new Apple TVs, Chromecasts, Rokus, and Amazon Fires all need HDR support! This switcher allows you to route 8 input sources (Bluray, Cable Boxes, Directv, etc) to 8 output sources (Televisions, Projectors, etc). It supports full 4K HDR resolution and up to HDCP2.2! It comes BRAND NEW with remote control, power cable, rack ears, RS232 serial cable, and IR extender. The simultaneous optical audio outputs are incredibly important and necessary! Let’s say you have 8 Apple TVs going to 8 different Televisions. Additionally, you have multi-channel amplifiers powering ceiling speakers for each of the televisions. Apple TVs don’t have optical outputs anymore…only HDMI outputs. So with this matrix, you would simply plug the Apple TV HDMI outputs into the 8 HDMI inputs. And then connect the simultaneous analog/digital audio outputs to your multi-channel amplifier…quick and easy! This setup would be much more difficult with other HDMI matrix units with no optical audio outputs. You would need to buy a bunch of HDMI to optical audio adapters, as well as many more cables….it would be a mess! Also, no other HDMI matrix has as many convenient control methods as mine does. RS232 software and web browsing control is ready out of the box! The HDM88 is guaranteed to perform just as well, or better, than any other matrix in the market. Even those that sell for $5,000 or more! Don’t be fooled by the AV industry! There is no need to overpay for the latest technologies! Description
Important information
Legal Disclaimer
Please make sure your hdmi cables are high speed. This is not a video wall processor. If you need video wall splicing, please see our other items
Andrew S. –
Good product, stellar supportThere are a handful of 8×8 4K HDMI matrix switches in this price range; we went with the No Hassle A/V unit because of their responsive support. We almost always got responses to our support questions within an hour (and usually within 20 minutes), and the company was unfailingly helpful in addressing our issues.The switcher itself works as advertised, with minimal delay switching between sources. The user interface is minimal – great if you’re just switching sources, but it starts to get problematic if you want to start doing anything complex like listing all the EDID settings for current inputs and outputs. And the user manual – which clearly wasn’t written by No Hassle, and seems to have been translated from another language – isn’t very informative. That makes No Hassle’s stellar support even more important when you’re deciding on a switcher.And that’s really the bottom line: there’s not a lot that differentiates 8×8 4K HDMI switchers at this price point. Most of the manuals are exactly the same, and most even have the same control layout and functionality. No Hassle’s support is the difference between a temporary inconvenience and an unusable device.
Brian –
Best Matrix I’ve Ever Used!This is a great product. I highly recommend. I’ve used three other Matrix units, that did not compare, plus No Hassle has treated me very well. The day I ordered the product, No Hassle contacted me and said a newer version would be available in a few days with downscaling, updated web interface and new chips, no extra cost. They asked if I would wait a few days for shipment of the new model. Of course I said yes. Once received, the set up was very easy, IP control worked right away, and I had no issues with EDID set-up. I recommend going to the No Hassle support page and download the manual.After set-up I downloaded the app and selected the 8X8 matrix. The app said I was connected to the device, but it did not work. I notified customer support and within minutes they contacted me and fixed the issue. They had me select a different Matrix unit in the app and it works perfectly.Still can’t believe it’s only hours after I received the unit and it’s completely set-up and working. I had other units that either took days to set-up correctly, or never did work.If your thinking about buying this device I say go for it!Great product, Great price!
RayK –
Fantastic 4K HDR Capable HDMI Matrix At An Affordable Price!This is a great 4K matrix at a great price! I have this matrix installed in my Control4 home automation project and at this point it distributes 4K content to three 4K televisions (more to come). Two televisions are connected over their 4K HDR capable HDbaseT kits and one is connected through a standard 18 Gbps capable HDMI cable. My 4K sources are two TiVo Bolt+ DVRs, two Roku Ultras and two Apple TVs. The integration into Control4 was a breeze, because they provide an RS-232 driver for free.I have tested multiple TV’s viewing the same content as well as content from different sources simultaneously without problem. As for picture quality, the clarity and color are awesome and I haven’t seen any jitter or digital artifacts. It is recommended that you use 18Gps HDMI cables and CAT5e/CAT6 or above when using HDbaseT kits and I would concur. The only thing that I have experienced is that when I initially turn on my TiVo DVRs, either the HDCP handshake process or the EDID process takes about 30 to 45 seconds to make a stable connection on televisions connected by the HDbaseT kits. It always makes a successful connection and it could be that I need to tweak my setup. If the TV is already on and another source is selected, when I switch to the TiVos they get a stable picture within a few seconds. I will say that HDCP is nightmare whether you are using a matrix, a splitter or connecting a source directly to a television. This is the reason/excuse that other matrix companies give for charging an exorbitant amount of money for their products. This company’s HDMI matrices prove that the technology can be offered in a reliable, stable and tech-friendly solution to the average consumer at a reasonable price.My experience in talking with their technical support has been nothing less than stellar. They are very responsive and knowledgeable for pre-sale and post-sale questions. I called one evening (I’m on the east coast) and the guy even took the time to text me back after their tech support was closed … who’s tech support does that?!?! LOLI’m a geek and even though I have a Control4 setup, I’d like to see companies like Wink, SmartThings and Vera create IP based drivers for this matrix because this is the missing piece to home automation that most people aren’t willing to pay for. It allows you to cut down on having multiple set top boxes, power bricks and cables behind each television … not to mention paying for multiple set top box rentals from your provider. This setup can also work for people who use Amazon Echos, Google Home and eventually Apple HomePods as their home automation hubs.I love this matrix and recommend it highly.*** Update ***I’ve found that if you want to avoid any lag when turning on or changing sources, it is imperative that you turn off all power saving features on your set-top-boxes.
Ryan Kraus –
Surround sound bewareUpdate:Surround sound beware! After connecting the rest of my home theatre to this system, I started hitting roadblocks. None of the built in EDID options seem to advertise that surround sound is available so all the audio came out as 2.0 PCM. I figured that you can clone the EDID signature from an output device. Doing this allowed me to have surround sound again. However, the SPDIF extracted audio is junk! Works great for stereo, but doesn’t seem to support surround sound signals. I had to buy an external audio extractor. The video routing circuits on this device work great, but audio signals get pretty mangled in a way that makes this tricky to work with for anything past 2.1 audio.Original Review:Works great. I put this on an isolated network to monitor outbound traffic and I am happy to report nothing unusual. I was able to reverse engineer the api to connect to home assistant for control. I have not noticed lag while gaming.My only complaint is that this device does not pass through CEC controls. But there is probably a good technical reason for that. HDCP is supported without issue.
Mark Montgomery II –
Great Features, Great SupportI bought this Matrix Switch when my previous older (and significantly more expensive) one died.I use the switch as the core of my Audio/Video system. Inputs consist of PCs, Game Consoles, Streaming Devices, etc. Outputs are currently 4 Benq 27″ 4k Monitors and an Atomos Connect 4k. Audio is extracted from the sources and fed to digital/analog converters, which feed into a set of Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 interfaces, which then send to my PC for recording/streaming or headphones/speakers.One of the things that drew me to this model was the network connectivity.It has a very easy to use web control panel.When I added a Stream Deck to my setup I decided to play with the network control feature of the unit.After a few days of studying the documentation and having no success, I emailed support on a Saturday morning to ask for help. They responded within a few minutes and got me all straightened out (turns out the issue was that my unit is the newer firmware that uses a different/better network control setup.).Now instead of using the web interface I use a set of buttons on my Stream Deck to control the Switch.Overall, I’ve been extremely happy with it, and support is great!
Brian –
If you are looking for a fully functional HDMI switch this is the one for you.If you are looking for a fully functional HDMI switch this is the one for you. This unit can switch 480P up to 4K HDR (audio 2.0 7.1 bit stream), HDMI pass-throughs are great to have if you would like to use a down scaler such as HDfury Vertex to take standard 4K to 1080P ( I had standard 4k on input 1 and used pass-through 1 vertex Input 8 allowing me 4k (input 1) and 1080P(input 8) from same signal to feed 4k TV(in 1 -> out 4) and 1080P projector (in 8 -> out 5) at the same time. The digital RCA/PCM and 3.5mm output audio outputs allow you to extract audio from each respective HDMI output. This is very handy if you want to use your AV receiver to play a 2-channel audio to your larger speakers and not be stuck with your poor TV speakers. But keep in mind the audio cannot be extracted if your input is a 5.1 or 7.1 bit stream audio. It must be PCM audio. I am able to control the switch via I/R with my Harmony Ultimate hub remote control. You can also control it via IP address with a PC or Phone app. I was able to mount unit in my rack with the provided hardware.Limitations: The switch doesn’t upscale or downscale video or audio. The 3.5mm analog / digital audio out can only extract audio from non-bit stream signals (NON-PCM audio),Strengths: Unit is very well constructed, high flexibility with HDMI pass-through port, SPDIF / analog audio outs (this is a must feature for 2nd zone with AV receiver 2 speaker setup), you can switch any one of the 8 inputs to any one of the 8 HDMI outputs. You can control the switch via infra-red remote or via IP address.
PeteB –
Finally Found a Fully 4k 60hz capable matrixI’m using to work with multiple 4k compatible Computers and Screens. Have tried a number of kvms and matrix switches, this was the only one that worked consistently with 4k/60hz signals, has saved me hours of frustration; well worth the price.Pluses:-Simple to set up, works out of the box-Good vendor support – web site provides extra info and support via email has been quick and effective-Web interface simple and intuitive – good control of resolutions and EDIDs, up to 8 presets can be configured-Infra red unit works well, also compatible with broadlink IR controller (I am using with home assistant to automate different scenes)-Works consistently, I have been using for a couple of months now: switches between sources quickly, monitors lock in to signal and at correct resolution every time.Also comes with phone app and serial comms, plus support for ARC and CEC – have not used theseAreas for improvement-fan noise (vendor will supply units with silent fans -recommend if using for home theater or other noise sensitive environments)-no physical power switch on front panel – (remote does have power toggle)TipsUse quality branded HDMI cables if you are running 4k/60 – particulary for longer runs
Michael J. Kidd –
Adventures with a potential fraudulent product.I want to start by acknowledging that the device does do what it is advertised to do. It passes 4k @ 60hz signals between any of 8 inputs to any of 8 outputs. It also is controllable over the network, and via IR (but only left/right selection of the inputs — not discrete selection).This IR limitation was a driving force for me to start investigating the board and see if I could find any extra documented IR codes to allow my Logitech Harmony Elite to work properly. Here is where things started getting weird.The board inside the device I received had the PC Board Assembly number (PCBA#) covered with white-out. This PCBA# was still easily visible due to a difference in how the white-out flowed on the silk-screened number versus the conformal coating of the board. PCBA# is MUH88A-A V0.1. A quick google search of this leads back to PTN Electronics as the manufacturer, so I contacted them for guidance on the IR codes. After a few email exchanges, their VP of Sales advised me that this board was not produced by them, and was according to him, NOT an authorized copy of their product.The Coaxial audio board suffered the same white-out treatment on its PCBA# and was again, still easily visible.For those looking, the unit advertised in this listing is the SX-MX08 and appears to be fabricated by FoxUn / Shenzhen Shunxun Electronics Co. There are a few codes for FoxUn units in the Harmony database, but none of them allow distinct input selection.I started searching the Harmony database for alternative 8×8 switches, and luckily, they do have one for the
A-NeuVideo HD-88AK
(a great device, but only supports 30hz 4k video, not the 60hz I was looking for). So, I setup a raspberry pi to receive the A-NeuVideo IR signals, and converts them to network controls for this SX-MX08 unit and have found this to work very reliably.The details of this IR to Network bridge device are available by searching ‘HD-88AK_to_SX-MX08’ on github.
aml –
The only 8-way device that works with HDCP 2.2 properlyI was looking for a home office solution to connect my 6 monitors to 4 computers and switch between them when I need to. I tried products from 3 other vendors first, and all of them had downsides – 4K would not work, audio would be choppy, audio noise would be unbearable, etc. Then I finally found this switch! Everything works as it is advertised. It can be controlled from the front panel, from a remote, from a web UI or with its own protocol.Its fans are still too noisy for me, but I was able to put the device in a 19″ box, remove its top cover, disconnect fans and use silent rack-mounted fans instead. Now I have no overheat and complete silence in my office with all the great functionality of the switch.
Scott Anderson –
Good Value and Features for the MoneyI was looking for a solution that would let me centrally locate my equipment and yet leverage my cable box tuners (STB) other devices like Blu-Ray, Apple TV, Security Camera DVR, Xbox, etc. I wanted to keep costs in control. There are solutions in the $3k-$5k that have built in HD-Base-T solutions, but since i already had HDMI over Ethernet RX/TX purchased, I was purely looking for a Matrix Switcher at that point. The 8X8 solution met those needs. I also HAD TO HAVE a Web Based application, otherwise it would be far too complicated for wife or kids or visitors. Signal quality has been good, reliability has been excellent (had to reboot maybe twice in 1yr – starts losing video sync). The No Hassle AV App that allows you to name the Outputs and Inputs is a big help, just found out about it today actually after sending an email, which was promptly responded to. This was a good solution for me. I am in China every 2 months and attend all of the electronics shows/expos and am certain that i have met or visited the booth of the CM /OEM that NH-AV uses for their sourcing, but someone has to be here in the US to provide local customer support and product management guidance to the CM, so they can evolve and improve the product.