There are many benefits of having a second monitor on the PC , both for work and games, and proof of this is that many users have a dual monitor configuration. Now, since many monitors only have HDMI video inputs and graphics cards generally only have one output, they have to find ways to connect both, including using an HDMI duplicator .
The vast majority of graphics cards on the market have a single HDMI output, the rest being a combination of DVI (now disappearing) and DisplayPort. The problem is that most PC monitors, especially the entry-level ones, only support HDMI as a video input, and that greatly limits the options for users who want to have multiple monitors on their PC.
HDMI duplicator, is it the solution to the problem?
For many users, an HDMI duplicator may sound like the perfect answer to the problem. With a single HDMI video input, it is capable of outputting two video signals and therefore of connecting two monitors, but there is a downside to this, and that is that there are different types of duplicators:
- HDMI duplicator : it works passively, and all it does is clone the video input into two equal outputs. This type of device is not useful to solve the problem, since we would simply have the same image on two monitors.
- HDMI Splitter : it works actively, and through a single video input it is capable of giving two (or more) different outputs, so in this case it would be a solution, since it will allow having a desktop spread out on two screens , as if we had two monitors connected directly to the graphics card.
So, if you have the problem that your monitors only support HDMI video input and your graphics card only has one output, an HDMI splitter may be the solution to your problem, but be very careful and make sure when buying it that it is a splitter. (separator) and not a mere duplicator, which will simply clone the image on the two monitors. Likewise, this is something that you must configure in the screen options of your operating system, selecting the Extend desktop option on both screens.
What other options are left?
The ideal solution, of course, is that when you go to buy the second monitor (or when you go to buy a new graphics card) you make sure that they have the necessary video inputs / outputs.
Your options would happen because when you buy the second monitor you make sure that it has more video inputs than a simple HDMI, or that when you buy a new graphics card make sure that it has two HDMI outputs, although as we have mentioned before this is quite a lot. complicated, so the best option is for the new monitor to support video input via DisplayPort.
If all else fails, then an HDMI duplicator (splitter rather) can solve your game, although it is true that it depends on the quality of it, you could be introducing higher latency or a new potential point of problems in the connections of your equipment, and of course this is less recommendable than using the native inputs / outputs of your monitors / graphics.
