Are you extending an HDMI cable? If so, you must have encountered the name “HDMI coupler.” These look like a simple solution to extending HDMI cable. Hence, you only have to attach another HDMI wire to the coupler.
But it may not be the best solution because it will degrade the quality of your signal. If you use these, you can find the HDMI connector is getting loose and can get broken when the wires are tugged. You can use an HDMI Balun kit that uses Ethernet rather than an HDMI cable for transmitting signals between your devices.
You will find several solutions to extend HDMI cable. However, all of these solutions have advantages and disadvantages. But in most cases, HDMI couplers will be your last resort if you want to extend the HDMI cable.
What is an HDMI Coupler or Barrel?
An HDMI coupler indicates a small part using which you can connect two HDMI signals via two female jacks which are facing opposite. You might have noticed that HDMI wires are available male-to-male. A female jack is used for their protection if these are hit or dropped, as in most cases, the HDMI wires are male-to-male.
The coupler lets you generate a longer cable. As HDMI cables are mostly male-to-male, adding female jacks has a lot of benefits. With the help of the coupler, it is possible to fill the gap between two HDMI cables.
In a perfect world, this connection could be as smooth as the connection of continuous and single cable. But it doesn’t always happen and a few people argue why HDMI couplers are unable to be the best possible solution.
What is the purpose of HDMI Coupler Use?
It is used to connect two male ends of two separate HDMI wires so that it can be long. If you use the top-quality HDMI to HDMI coupler, you can get an interface that is necessary to attach two hdmi wires together along with maintaining the topmost level of signal quality.
Does HDMI Coupler Degrade Signal Quality?
When you are using an HDMI coupler, you can see it interfering with the signal quality. But do you know why it happens? The world is full of radio & mechanical interference. If you are willing to avoid this, ensure that the HDMI wires must be coated with rubber & woven alloys.
Why Do HDMI Couplers Reduce Signal Quality?
- These do not offer the same security level as HDMI cables, which makes the HDMI signal prone to interference. As a result, it depletes signal quality.
- Several couplers are like plastic that can’t transmit signals properly. Due to the lack of shielding, the cable becomes susceptible to network intrusion. Analog signals are capable of blending with the radio signals which are interfering. However, it doesn’t happen for digital signals like HDMI. These couplers can degrade signal quality. You can experience poor signal quality because of the detachable part in the middle of the long cable.
- It has become more dangerous if the wire lies on the floor where people can trip over it. As a result, the coupler can be loosened or damaged and send all the nineteen pins on this cable in disarray and diminish the performance and signal quality.
- As you know now why the issue occurs, taking steps is possible to mitigate the problem. You need to invest in HDMI couplers made of long-lasting materials so that you can get improved signals.
Other Ways to Extend Your HDMI Cables:
These are some more methods through which extending the HDMI wire is possible.
You should purchase a long hdmi wire to seek out the problem rather than buying couplers and transmitters. If a cable is less than 50 feet long, you need to use a single HDMI cable which should be longer than the standard size.
You can sometimes experience poorer audio and video signal quality while using long HDMI cables and it doesn’t solve the issue at all.
However, you can use wireless HDMI kits that use Wi-Fi signals for transporting content between devices using HDMI wireless transmitters & jacks. But as there will be a lot of sound & picture quality advancements, the WiFi will not be capable of transmitting them efficiently because of the limited bandwidth.
Conclusion:
If you want to know if HDMI Couplers Reduce Signal Quality Or not, the answer is yes. When you are willing to extend the HDMI cables, as per the opinion of experts, you should use HDMI couplers.
HDMI couplers don’t have the proper shielding, which can lead to EMI interference. It is necessary to use those couplers which come with improved protection & structure. It helps to mitigate radio interference and smoothly transmit signals.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Do HDMI couplers support 4K?
It can connect two HDMI cables into a single HDMI cable for a long-distance extension.
Is it OK to use an HDMI coupler?
These generally degrade the signal. As a result, the HDMI connector gets loosened. If cables are tugged, they can even break. The HDMI Balun kit is a good-to-go solution because instead of using an HDMI cable, it uses Ethernet to transmit the signal between your devices.
Is an HDMI coupler the same as a splitter?
HDMI switch usually takes many sources, due to which you need to choose between them when you send a wire to your TV. But a splitter can take one signal and split it across many HDMI cables.
