Monoprice have become one of the most dependable sources of home audio/video accessories over the past five years and there are some high value products if you know where to look. The company has announced five new 8K support products to its Blackbird prosumer AV product line.
With these new 8K capable HDMI splitters, switches, and matrix solutions, Monoprice is making the transition to 8K extremely cost-effective for home AV and enterprise customers.
These components are designed to maximize the resolution and frame rate requirements of the latest TVs and commercial displays.
- HDMI ver 2.1 and HDCP 2.3 support
- The Blackbird 8K splitters and switchers support 8K video sources with frame rates up to 60Hz, 4K video sources with frame rates up to 120Hz, and HDR, HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and HLG passthrough.
- Advanced EDID management included for manually setting video resolution capabilities. This provides flexibility for professional and competitive gaming setups.
- Variable Refresh Rates (VRR), Fast-as-Possible V-active (FVA) aka Quick Frame Transport, and Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) are supported. 40Gbps transfer rate is also supported.
- For audio, the Blackbird 8K switchers and splitters support HDMI audio passthrough for multi-channel LPCM, Dolby, and DTS audio formats.
- A wireless infrared remote control is a product for each model.
Blackbird HDMI 8K Switches
Blackbird 8K60 2×1 HDMI Switch: This allows you to share any two HDMI sources with one HDMI display. Up to 8K/60Hz and 4:4:4 12-bit sampling are supported. A Wireless infrared remote is included for easy source switching.
Blackbird 8K60 2×1 HDMI Switch with Audio Extraction: This model provides video split support, but adds the capability of extracting the audio from the HDMI stream. This allows users to send audio to their TV or display, as well as to an AV receiver or soundbar via a digital TOSLINK or analog 3.5mm aux connection.
Blackbird HDMI 8K Splitters
Blackbird 8K60 1×2 HDMI Splitter with Audio Extraction: This distributes any HDMI source up to 8K/60Hz with 4:2:0 sampling to up to two 8K HDMI displays. In addition, the audio can be extracted so it is routed to both displays, as well as digital and analog audio systems via TOSLINK and 3.5mm aux outputs.
Blackbird 8K60 1×4 HDMI Splitter with Audio Extraction: This switcher expands the switching to four displays with audio extraction capability.
Blackbird 8K Matrix Switcher/Splitter
The Blackbird 8K60 2×2 HDMI Matrix: This product can perform both switcher and splitter duties. It can send two HDMI sources to two HDMI displays, and also send content from one of the HDMI inputs to two displays simultaneously. By decoupling the source HDMI audio signals, this unit routes source HDMI audio to the displays, as well as connected audio systems via TOSLINK and 3.5mm aux outputs.
From Rob Fleck, business unit manager, Monoprice: “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.”
Price & Availability
All Blackbird 8K AV solutions are available immediately at monoprice.com.
- Blackbird 8K60 2×1 HDMI Switch (Model 44434): $39.99 at Monoprice
- Blackbird 8K60 2×1 HDMI Switch with Audio Extraction (Model 44435): $149.99 at Monoprice
- Blackbird 8K60 1×2 HDMI Splitter with Audio Extraction (Model 44436): $149.99 at Monoprice
- Blackbird 8K60 1×4 HDMI Splitter with Audio Extraction (Model 44437): $329.99 at Monoprice
- The Blackbird 8K60 2×2 HDMI Matrix (Model 44438): $179.99 at Monoprice
Also Available: The previously released Blackbird 8K HDMI Splitter/Switch (Model 44086): $89.99 at Monoprice.com and Amazon.com
Extra Note On Using HDMI Splitters: If you have an 8K source and use a splitter to send the signal to two or more displays if all the displays have an 8K display resolution that is what will be sent to each display. However, if you have multiple displays with different display resolutions, the resolution of the signal will be downgraded to be compatible with the display with the lowest display resolution. This means that if you have an 8K source but use a splitter to send that signal to both an 8K and 4K display – a 4K signal will be sent to both displays.
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