Post by spenoza on Jan 16, 2020 15:27:32 GMT
I'm sure many of you have had to deal with this long before I have, but I'm out of HDMI inputs on my living room TV. Further, I'm also running out of power outlets at the living room TV. This is odd, because my only modern console is a Switch. But here's how that happened and how I intend to fix it.
I have a low-end smart TV, so I don't need a separate box for streaming content. But I do have a Bluray player, which can also load streaming apps. That's 1 HDMI port. Then I have the Switch. That's another HDMI port. And I bought the SNES Classic Mini when it came out, which took up the third HDMI port on my TV. But then at Christmas my wife gave me a pre-order for the TG-16 Mini, and after Christmas GameStop had a fantastic flash sale on Genesis Minis ($35 new). Now suddenly I'm in need of 2 more HDMI ports. Not only that, but when I travel with my Switch, it's a pain to extract the power adapter from the dock and the outlet behind the TV. The TV only has one USB port to power a mini console, and since I have a young child I have the power strip in a safety enclosure, which limits my ability to add more USB power adapters for the other mini consoles.
Here's how I'm dealing with this. I ordered a new USB C-PD power adapter that is USB-IF certified and supports the appropriate power standard to drive the Switch Dock ($25 Nextec from Amazon). This power adapter also has 3 USB-A ports on it, so I can drive all 3 mini consoles AND the Switch Dock from a single power adapter and outlet. I can use the regular Switch dock power adapter as the adapter I travel with. And a forum friend elsewhere recommended a cheap ($10) HDMI switch that he uses with his mini consoles that doesn't require a power adapter and auto-switches the input based on which is active. So now I'm consolidating power and HDMI so that my bank of mini consoles can co-exist peacefully in my living room. Once I have everything set up I'll report back with the results.
I have a low-end smart TV, so I don't need a separate box for streaming content. But I do have a Bluray player, which can also load streaming apps. That's 1 HDMI port. Then I have the Switch. That's another HDMI port. And I bought the SNES Classic Mini when it came out, which took up the third HDMI port on my TV. But then at Christmas my wife gave me a pre-order for the TG-16 Mini, and after Christmas GameStop had a fantastic flash sale on Genesis Minis ($35 new). Now suddenly I'm in need of 2 more HDMI ports. Not only that, but when I travel with my Switch, it's a pain to extract the power adapter from the dock and the outlet behind the TV. The TV only has one USB port to power a mini console, and since I have a young child I have the power strip in a safety enclosure, which limits my ability to add more USB power adapters for the other mini consoles.
Here's how I'm dealing with this. I ordered a new USB C-PD power adapter that is USB-IF certified and supports the appropriate power standard to drive the Switch Dock ($25 Nextec from Amazon). This power adapter also has 3 USB-A ports on it, so I can drive all 3 mini consoles AND the Switch Dock from a single power adapter and outlet. I can use the regular Switch dock power adapter as the adapter I travel with. And a forum friend elsewhere recommended a cheap ($10) HDMI switch that he uses with his mini consoles that doesn't require a power adapter and auto-switches the input based on which is active. So now I'm consolidating power and HDMI so that my bank of mini consoles can co-exist peacefully in my living room. Once I have everything set up I'll report back with the results.