An HDMI splitter is primarily designed to enable you to show a video on two screens: A TV and a video projector for example, or on two TVs in different rooms, that kind of thing. All splitters can do this and one issue to think about is if they will handle 4K video (should you have a 4K TV, or plan to get one in future).

These units are very easy to use. You connect an HDMI cable from your video source (a DVD/Blu Ray player, cable box, games console, etc.) directly to the input on the splitter. On the other side of the splitter, you can connect up to two HDMI cables to your output devices. This could be a TV, video projector, Computer monitor with HDMI input or even an HDMI recorder.

You can then watch the same movie, etc. on two devices at the same time. 

As most people only use one TV, etc. at the same time, why is this HDMI splitter of interest?

Many people want to be able to record video programs in full HD from the HDMI output onto a USB stick, for example. HDMI video recorders are offered for being able to record Computer Game plays, etc. But when you connect those HDMI recorders to the output of your DVD player or cable box, you will usually find they refuse to record anything. This is because of the industry standard HDCP system that is designed to prevent you recording copyrighted video in Full-HD or 4K. This means that video recordings are restricted to SD quality recordings, if at all. Some devices like games consoles do not protect their output signals in order to allow people to record their game plays. That is why you can buy HDMI recorders.

Video HDMI splitters have to decode the HDCP encryption, in order to be able to output the signal to more than one device. Some splitters then DO NOT add HDCP encryption to their outputs and this has the unintended side effect of making it possible to record any HDMI video signal on an HDMI recorder.

For legal reasons, video recorders cannot do this by themselves, but if you link your video output to such a video splitter and then from the splitter to your video recorder, you are then able to record the signal.

Please note: We are providing this information to be able to save any personal or private recordings that were stored on a DVD, etc. We ask you to respect copyright laws and not record from commercial TV programs, movies, etc.