respice finem
Major Contributor
- Joined
- Feb 1, 2021
- Messages
- 1,867
- Likes
- 3,777
The "real stupid" is mostly not HDMI in itself, but the dreaded "HDCP handshake".
Ceterum censeo: DRM is a curse.
-
WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!
Monoprice Blackbird Review (HDMI Audio Extractor)
- Thread starter amirm
- Start date
Ceterum censeo: DRM is a curse.
True. But as I mentioned above the scenario this device makes the most sense is a middleman between an audio streamer and a stereo sound system. I would argue that a hdmi to toslink converter would be simpler. For hometheatre, hdmi 2.0b or better is a must, unless you have an old 1080p TV with no HDR.While this is correct, it is not the question I was answering, see here:
Converting eARC multichannel to Toslink 2-channel is no advantage (for me) compared to using the TVs toslink out, without an external device.
Monoprice Blackbird Review (HDMI Audio Extractor)
This is a review and detailed measurements of the Monoprice Blackbird 4K series HDMI 7.1 audio extractor. It was kindly drop shipped to me by a member and costs US $30.79. I like the Link light which indicates signal on HDMI input. The switch lets you "lie" to the source and tell it you have 8...
The only "indication" would be indeed a very "lousy" TV toslink output, which I didn't come across yet (doesn't mean it can't happen).
beagleman
Major Contributor
The "HANDSHAKE" prevents the video from showing on my one set up..OFTEN!! I just get a blank screen till I unplug and restart everything.
It will do this maybe once a week....frustrating.
It will do this maybe once a week....frustrating.
Some people have a playstation 5 but no TV. They have a monitor with no audio processing capabilities. This can give them an outlet to get Audio out.While this is correct, it is not the question I was answering, see here:
Converting eARC multichannel to Toslink 2-channel is no advantage (for me) compared to using the TVs toslink out, without an external device.Monoprice Blackbird Review (HDMI Audio Extractor)
This is a review and detailed measurements of the Monoprice Blackbird 4K series HDMI 7.1 audio extractor. It was kindly drop shipped to me by a member and costs US $30.79. I like the Link light which indicates signal on HDMI input. The switch lets you "lie" to the source and tell it you have 8...
The only "indication" would be indeed a very "lousy" TV toslink output, which I didn't come across yet (doesn't mean it can't happen).
Some/Many modern TVs don't have toslink out. (don't ask me why)
Also Maybe this is good way to connect a DAC to the PC instead of using USB or USB to SPDIF Toslink.
@amirm How would this work with synchronous / asynchronous transmission
You said with an (modern) USB DAC the DAC is the master clock.
But with Video, audio needs to stay in sync.
How many samples are in a frame?
I'm trying to find out the number of samples in one frame of SMPTE, does anybody know?
sound.stackexchange.com
What's the master clock in a setup using this Extractor?
PC/GPU or the TV/Monitor or this thing?
With SPDIF the transmission is always synchronous so the device will be the master clock.Some/Many modern TVs don't have toslink out. (don't ask me why)
Also Maybe this is good way to connect a DAC to the PC instead of using USB or USB to SPDIF Toslink.
@amirm How would this work with synchronous / asynchronous transmission
You said with an (modern) USB DAC the DAC is the master clock.
But with Video, audio needs to stay in sync.
My Monitor/TV has a fixed frame rate and so dose my video.How many samples are in a frame?
I'm trying to find out the number of samples in one frame of SMPTE, does anybody know?
What's the master clock in a setup using this Extractor?
PC/GPU or the TV/Monitor or this thing?
I wish this had been available when my Integra HDMI products died. I tried a different Monoprice extractor that didn't have a Link setting so I was limited to stereo which was superfluous to the tv's optical output.
Would one of these plus the Aiyima A9 be a cheapskate AVR if the tv sends multichannel? Would "bitstream" do Dolby?
Would one of these plus the Aiyima A9 be a cheapskate AVR if the tv sends multichannel? Would "bitstream" do Dolby?
If you have a ps5 and use this to extract audio, you are doing it wrong, very wrong
What would you use?If you have a ps5 and use this to extract audio, you are doing it wrong, very wrong
I've been using something similar for years, but I don't use the HDMI output because everything goes through my OPPO which has two HDMI outputs. It just works.
DonR
Major Contributor
Would have been a great tool for me if it support ARC.
As mentioned in previous post, this is not even HDMI 2.0. you lost a lot of features from ps5 for nothing. At this point HDMI 2.1 audio extractor is not available yet. Best bet is earc audio extractor
From the I'm-Not-Afraid-To-Ask-Dumb-Questions camp, what is an "HDMI audio extractor"?This is a review and detailed measurements of the Monoprice Blackbird 4K series HDMI 7.1 audio extractor. It was kindly drop shipped to me by a member and costs US $30.79.
View attachment 223911
I like the Link light which indicates signal on HDMI input. The switch lets you "lie" to the source and tell it you have 8 channel audio even though your TV for example only has stereo. For non-PCM data you have the "bitstream" to pass it down to another decoder. Back panel shows a very useful Toslink optical output in addition to 8 channels of audio:
View attachment 223915
Yes, you have to use 3.5mm plugs but hey, you didn't pay much for this!
In my use, the box nicely attached to the output of my PC Intel HDMI output. One other fancy/expensive one I tested would not work at all. Alas, I could not get the output to work with my computer monitor. Maybe it is pilot error. Maybe it is the stupid HDMI. As with all of these products, compatibility is hit and miss so be ready to return it if it doesn't work in your setup.
Monoprice Blackbird Measurements
Here is our dashboard of HDMI in and analog stereo out:
View attachment 223916
As noted, it didn't matter which of the 4 channel pairs I tested. They all had the same low output of just 1 volt and SINAD of 86 dB. Latter is caused by too much distortion.
View attachment 223917
View attachment 223918
Normally I would be depressed at this point, wondering why I was put on earth. Then I tested S/PDIF Toslink output:
View attachment 223920
Ah, there is salvation!
Continuing with analog output performance, noise is actually reasonable:
View attachment 223921
Multitone is not:
View attachment 223922
Nor is jitter although audibly is probably OK:
View attachment 223923
IMD test shows that we are not that far ahead of a cheap phone dongle:
View attachment 223924
I couldn't run the rest of my tests due to issue of ASIO emulation in my test setup (not a fault of the unit).
Conclusions
The analog performance of this HDMI audio extractor could embarrass a self respecting audiophile. But is good enough for everyday work. The great thing is that you have S/PDIF output for perfect audio to connect to your favorite DAC. There, you could get stated of the art performance. Heck, you could buy this little box as an accessory to add HDMI input to any DAC you want!!! It is so cheap and not much more than the cost of an HDMI cable or two.
Hopefully compatibility is not a major issue. You may want to read about that elsewhere.
Overall, I am going to recommend the Monoprice HDMI 7.1 audio extractor. It is a bargain with great expansion capability.
-----------
As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.
Any donations are much appreciated using: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8150/
Some of these reviews of audio accessories are interesting, but I often don't know what they are supposed to do ... and still am not sure after reading the review...
the PS5 doesn’t support e-Arc. Or regular Arc.
Well HDMI holds both video and audio in digital format, this device separates them.
Why would one want to? I've never used HDMI for anything, but if I do, what does this get me?
- Joined
- Nov 3, 2020
- Messages
- 624
- Likes
- 1,041
ROFL
Now we know what keeps @amirm up at night.
So toslink only works for a stereo signal right? What if 5.1/7.1 is sent, which channels would a DAC play (L+R, if at all)? How could one extract the other channels (e.g., center)?Ah, there is salvation!
Last edited:
Who said earc on PS5? It is earc on the tv. I am not aware if any monitor supports earc to be honest. PS5 owners without a tv probably should just use a headphones
Your old AVR or your sound system might not have HDMI input which is where this device could help. If you read this thread it was mentioned you can use this to feed your streamer like Chromecast to your stereo sound system
You get to use something other than your TV’s speakers without investing in an AVR.
Similar threads
- Poll
