Main difference between a 4K HDMI splitter and a 4K HDMI matrix

4K HDMI matrix takes multiple sources (Xbox, Roku, cable box, etc.) and sends one cable to your TV or other device

4K HDMI splitter takes one source and sends it to multiple TVs

HDMI connections are found on every MOand pretty much everything you connect to a TV: from playstations to steaming devices, AV receivers to cable boxes and soundbars. Most people own TVs that have enough HDMI inputs to handle all of their connected devices. But what if you buy another sweet piece of gear and find that your TV doesn't have enough slots anymore? And some people have the opposite issue: one source device they want to appear on multiple TVs. In both cases you'll need either an HDMI matrix or an HDMI splitter.

4K HDMI splitters: One source, multiple TVs

If you have one source, and want to send that source's signal to multiple TVs, you need an HDMI splitter. Maybe that TV is in a different room, or maybe in the same room you have a TV to watch during the day and a projector to watch at night. A splitter will duplicate a signal and send it out through multiple HDMI cables. Some splitters are also matrixes, with multiple "ins" and multiple "outs."

4K HDMI matrixes: When you don't have enough inputs

The prime reason to get an HDMI matrix is if your TV, AV receiver or soundbar has too few inputs for the number of sources you have. 

For instance, your TV has two HDMI inputs and you have a cable box, a Roku, and an Xbox. I'm sure many of you have both an Xbox and a PlayStation and have to swap HDMI cables to play a game on the other. A matrix would help there, too. Fortunately, they aren't that expensive.

The characteristics of 4K HDMI splitter and 4K HDMI matrix make it widely used in high-definition LCD TV sales display places, conference rooms, schools, and some training institutions.