AV Quick Takes: Monoprice Blackbird 8K HDMI Hardware

Is
your AV rack ready for the 8K revolution? Monoprice has announced five new HDMI
hardware products — HDMI splitters, switches, and matrix solutions — all
capable of handling 8K video and/or 4K 120Hz content from the latest gaming
consoles and other high-res video sources that may become relevant in the
foreseeable future. The new products are part of the brand’s low-price,
high-performance Blackbird line of prosumer AV products. Monoprice says
these new 8K hardware solutions are designed for both home AV enthusiasts and
business enterprise customers. 

Monoprice
tells us that all of the new Blackbird 8K solutions support 8K 60Hz video along
with 4K video up to 120Hz, with
HDR passthrough supporting HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and HLG, making them “perfect for maximizing resolution
and frame rate requirements of the latest TVs and commercial displays.”
Advanced EDID management allows the user to manually set video resolution to
match the capabilities of the connected display or projector. (EDID, or
Extended Display Identification, is an industry standard for AV
source and display devices which automatically communicates manufacturer
specification and data between devices.) Competitive gamers will appreciate
other cutting-edge HDMI features such as VRR
(Variable Refresh Rates), ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), and FVA (Fast-as-Possible
V-active). Audio features include passthrough
for multi-channel LPCM, plus the popular Dolby and DTS audio formats.

Our
Blackbird line of prosumer AV solutions has long been a go-to source for home
entertainment enthusiasts and integrators looking to create powerful and vastly
capable AV systems. With gaming, pro sports, and streaming content services
embracing 8K, the industry will continue growing its support for the format,
with new content and TVs soon flooding the market. With these new Blackbird
8K-capable hardware solutions, we’re driving down the cost of building out
ultra-immersive 8K home entertainment and commercial AV systems, making it
affordable to be an early adopter.

—
Rob Fleck, business unit manager, Monoprice

The
products fall into three categories: switches, splitters, and matrix devices. A
switch allows the user to connect two or more HDMI sources to one display. A
splitter allows the user to distribute one HDMI source to two or more displays.
A matrix combines the capabilities of a switch and a splitter.

Switches

The
Blackbird 8K60 2×1 HDMI Switch ($39.99) connects two sources to one
display, with support for 8K/60Hz and 4:4:4 12-bit sampling.

The
Blackbird 8K60 2×1 HDMI Switch with Audio Extraction ($149.99) is identical but adds the
ability to extract the audio from the HDMI stream and output the signal via an
optical Toslink (digital) or 3.5mm stereo aux (analog) connection. This allows
the use of an older AV receiver or soundbar with a more advanced display
without sacrificing video quality. 

Splitters

The
Blackbird 8K60 1×2 HDMI Splitter with Audio Extraction ($149.99) connects
one HDMI source (up to 8K/60Hz with 4:2:0 sampling) to two HDMI displays. The
HDMI audio signal can be sent to both displays, and is also extracted and
routed to the Toslink and 3.5mm aux outputs.

The Blackbird
8K60 1×4 HDMI Splitter with Audio Extraction ($329.99) is the same as
above but can distribute one HDMI source to up to four HDMI displays.

Matrix

The Blackbird
8K60 2×2 HDMI Matrix ($179.99) works as both an HDMI switch and an HDMI
splitter with two HDMI inputs and two HDMI outputs. It can send a signal from
one input to two displays at the same time, and it can switch between sources
when connected to one or two displays. It also features audio extraction, so
HDMI audio can be sent to audio gear connected via Toslink or the 3.5mm aux
output.

All
of the Blackbird 8K AV solutions include infrared remote controls, and all are
available now at monoprice.com.