[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":14},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fEAHtP7ISabIsN-O03vBGV4pXxL1yuKAW65a3WbY6BTE":3},{"title":4,"excerpt":5,"body":6,"readTime":7,"author":8,"updated_at":9,"created_at":9,"thumbnail":10,"thumbnailVersion":11,"id":12,"body_html":13},"Video Matrix Switches with Control4: What to Know First","How Control4 picks a path through a video matrix, why a matrix doesn't add sources, which drivers exist, and the EDID and HDCP traps behind black screens.","\u003Cp>A video matrix switch sends any source to any TV. In a Control4 house it's what lets one cable box, satellite receiver or Apple TV in the rack serve every room. Here is how Control4 decides what to switch, what a matrix can and can't do, which matrix drivers exist, and the two traps (EDID and HDCP) where these systems usually go wrong. It's drawn from Control4's Composer help, Control4's driver database and the matrix makers' own pages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\u003Ch2>How Control4 picks the path\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\u003Cp>You never tell Control4 \"switch input 3 to output 5.\" You pick a source in a room, and Control4 works out the rest from the connections in the project. Composer's help puts it this way: an end point \"defines the software path that an audio or video signal must follow,\" and Control4 starts at the display and works backward \"to figure out the source-selection and input-switching that must take place\" (\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fdocs.control4.com\u002Fhelp\u002Fc4\u002Fsoftware\u002Fcpro\u002Fdealer-composer-help\u002Fcontent\u002Fcomposerpro_userguide\u002Fget_room_connections.htm\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Composer help: room connections\u003C\u002Fa>).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\u003Cp>Each room has a video end point (by default the TV; a receiver takes over if the room has one), plus audio end points and a video volume device (\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fdocs.control4.com\u002Fhelp\u002Fc4\u002Fsoftware\u002Fcpro\u002Fdealer-composer-help\u002Fcontent\u002Fcomposerpro_userguide\u002Froom_connection_types.htm\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">room connection types\u003C\u002Fa>). Composer fills these in by itself, and its own help warns that the defaults \"might not match your physical environment\" (\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fdocs.control4.com\u002Fhelp\u002Fc4\u002Fsoftware\u002Fcpro\u002Fdealer-composer-help\u002Fcontent\u002Fcomposerpro_userguide\u002Fverify_default_room_connections.htm\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">verify room connections\u003C\u002Fa>). When a room lands on the wrong input, or picking a source turns on the wrong TV, the room's connections in the project are the first thing to check.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\u003Ch2>A matrix routes sources. It doesn't add them.\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\u003Cp>This is the one to understand before buying. An 8x8 matrix can show any of its eight inputs on any of its eight outputs, but each source box still plays one thing. Two satellite receivers means two channels at a time, however many TVs are on. A third room that picks one of those receivers gets whatever it's already tuned to, and changing the channel there changes it for everyone watching that box. Moving a show from room to room works beautifully. Three people watching three different games needs three boxes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\u003Cp>Control4 lets any room pick any source, so shared boxes get shared. If that matters in the house, plan the number of source boxes around how many different things people watch at once, not around the number of TVs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\u003Ch2>The driver\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\u003Cp>Control4 controls a matrix through a driver, and Control4's driver database is the place to check before buying (\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fdrivers.control4.com\u002Fsolr\u002Fdrivers\u002Fbrowse?q=matrix\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Control4 driver database\u003C\u002Fa>). What it shows for three common choices:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\u003Ctable>\n\u003Cthead>\u003Ctr>\u003Cth>Matrix\u003C\u002Fth>\u003Cth>Control4 driver\u003C\u002Fth>\u003C\u002Ftr>\u003C\u002Fthead>\n\u003Ctbody>\n\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd>AVPro Edge AC-MX-88, AC-MX-88X, AC-MX-88HDBT\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>Certified IP and serial drivers for each, written by Janus Technology (2024)\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd>Blustream (e.g. CMX88CS)\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>None in Control4's database; Blustream offers Control4 drivers as a download on its own product pages (\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.blustream-us.com\u002Fhdmi-matrix-cmx88cs\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Blustream CMX88CS\u003C\u002Fa>)\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd>Binary B-660-MTRX (Snap One; 4x2, 4x4, 8x8)\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>IP, serial and IR drivers from Snap One. The store listing calls it \"Control4 certified\" with SDDP; the database marks the drivers not certified (\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.snapav.com\u002Fshop\u002Fen\u002Fsnapav\u002Fmatrixes\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Snap One matrixes\u003C\u002Fa>)\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003C\u002Ftbody>\n\u003C\u002Ftable>\n\n\u003Cp>A driver decides what Control4 can do to the matrix. The AC-MX-88HDBT driver's own guide lists output switching, routing and volume for the audio it extracts, hot-plug reset, a front-panel lock and command pass-through. It has no EDID or scaling commands: those are set on the matrix itself, through its web page, and stay put.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\u003Ch2>Check the exact model\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\u003Cp>Two AVPro products share almost the same name, and they solve different problems (\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.avproglobal.com\u002Fproducts\u002Favpro-edge-auhd-8x8-matrix-switch\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">AVPro AC-MX-88\u003C\u002Fa> · \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.avproglobal.com\u002Fproducts\u002Fac-mx-88hdbt\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">AVPro AC-MX-88HDBT\u003C\u002Fa>):\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>AC-MX-88:\u003C\u002Fstrong> HDMI in and out only. 18 Gbps, HDCP 2.3, 4K to 1080p downscaling on each output, 29 built-in EDIDs plus reading the display's own. Controlled over the network, RS-232 or IR.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>AC-MX-88HDBT:\u003C\u002Fstrong> each output has an HDMI port and a mirrored HDBaseT port, so the TVs can be reached over one Cat6a cable (4K60 to about 230 feet, 1080p to about 330 feet, with AVPro's receiver). Snap One's listing says HDCP 2.2 where AVPro's page says 2.3; check the revision.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\n\u003Cp>If the TVs are far from the rack and the plan is to run network cable to them, it's the HDBT model you want.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\u003Ch2>EDID: why one old TV can drag down the rest\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\u003Cp>EDID is the message each display sends back saying what it can show. With a matrix in the middle, the sources see the matrix, and the matrix decides what to tell them. Control4's own FAQ for its older matrix describes the cautious approach: keep the outputs at \"the lowest resolution capabilities\" of the connected displays (\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fdocs.control4.com\u002Fdocs\u002Fproduct\u002Fmedia-distribution-family\u002Ffrequently-asked-questions\u002Fenglish\u002Flatest\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Control4 media distribution FAQ\u003C\u002Fa>). Done that way, one 1080p bedroom TV holds every other room to 1080p. Per-output scaling, like the AC-MX-88's 4K to 1080p downscaling, is what lets the big room keep 4K while the small TV gets a picture it can show.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\u003Ch2>HDCP: the black screen\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\u003Cp>HDCP is the copy protection every streaming box and cable box uses. AVPro's support article says receivers struggle when they switch between HDCP 1.4 and 2.2 sources, which shows up as \"a solid black screen or no signal,\" and its fix is to put the matrix ahead of the receiver rather than behind it (\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fsupport.avproglobal.com\u002Fportal\u002Fen\u002Fkb\u002Farticles\u002Fworking-with-avr-s-and-hdcp\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">AVPro: working with AVRs and HDCP\u003C\u002Fa>). A room that goes black on one source and not the others is usually this, not a Control4 fault.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\u003Ch2>Sound\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\u003Cp>A video matrix carries sound embedded in the HDMI, and many can also pull it out to feed an audio system. How Control4 sees that audio depends on the driver: the AC-MX-88HDBT driver has an \"Audio Switching\" setting (bind audio to the input, to the output, or switch it as its own matrix), and the choice changes which connections Composer shows. If the house also has an audio matrix, such as a Triad, decide which one feeds the speakers in each room before the project is built. \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fcommunity\u002Farticle\u002F29\">Multi-room audio with Control4\u003C\u002Fa> covers the audio side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\u003Ch2>Three things that save a service call\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Give the matrix a fixed address.\u003C\u002Fstrong> A matrix controlled over the network needs the same address every time; a reservation in the router does it. A matrix that \"stopped responding\" after a power cut or a new router has often just moved (\u003Ca href=\"\u002Fcommunity\u002Farticle\u002F1\">why a new router breaks things\u003C\u002Fa>).\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Control the source boxes over the network where you can.\u003C\u002Fstrong> Control4's database has IP drivers for many source boxes, including DirecTV receivers, as well as IR drivers. IP control doesn't miss a button press the way an IR emitter can.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Write down which input is which.\u003C\u002Fstrong> The project holds the map. If nobody has the project file, getting it back is the first job.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\n\u003Cp>Setting up a matrix in Control4 (the driver, every room's connections, the source list per room) is programming, and it can be done remotely. \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fcommunity\u002Farticle\u002F49\">Remote Control4 programming, with prices\u003C\u002Fa> lists what it costs.\u003C\u002Fp>","7 min read","@IxomeExpert","2026-09-27T14:41:27+00:00","\u002Fthumbnails\u002Farticle_62.webp",1,62,"\u003Cp>A video matrix switch sends any source to any TV. In a Control4 house it's what lets one cable box, satellite receiver or Apple TV in the rack serve every room. Here is how Control4 decides what to switch, what a matrix can and can't do, which matrix drivers exist, and the two traps (EDID and HDCP) where these systems usually go wrong. It's drawn from Control4's Composer help, Control4's driver database and the matrix makers' own pages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\u003Ch2>How Control4 picks the path\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\u003Cp>You never tell Control4 \"switch input 3 to output 5.\" You pick a source in a room, and Control4 works out the rest from the connections in the project. Composer's help puts it this way: an end point \"defines the software path that an audio or video signal must follow,\" and Control4 starts at the display and works backward \"to figure out the source-selection and input-switching that must take place\" (\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fdocs.control4.com\u002Fhelp\u002Fc4\u002Fsoftware\u002Fcpro\u002Fdealer-composer-help\u002Fcontent\u002Fcomposerpro_userguide\u002Fget_room_connections.htm\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Composer help: room connections\u003C\u002Fa>).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\u003Cp>Each room has a video end point (by default the TV; a receiver takes over if the room has one), plus audio end points and a video volume device (\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fdocs.control4.com\u002Fhelp\u002Fc4\u002Fsoftware\u002Fcpro\u002Fdealer-composer-help\u002Fcontent\u002Fcomposerpro_userguide\u002Froom_connection_types.htm\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">room connection types\u003C\u002Fa>). Composer fills these in by itself, and its own help warns that the defaults \"might not match your physical environment\" (\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fdocs.control4.com\u002Fhelp\u002Fc4\u002Fsoftware\u002Fcpro\u002Fdealer-composer-help\u002Fcontent\u002Fcomposerpro_userguide\u002Fverify_default_room_connections.htm\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">verify room connections\u003C\u002Fa>). When a room lands on the wrong input, or picking a source turns on the wrong TV, the room's connections in the project are the first thing to check.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\u003Ch2>A matrix routes sources. It doesn't add them.\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\u003Cp>This is the one to understand before buying. An 8x8 matrix can show any of its eight inputs on any of its eight outputs, but each source box still plays one thing. Two satellite receivers means two channels at a time, however many TVs are on. A third room that picks one of those receivers gets whatever it's already tuned to, and changing the channel there changes it for everyone watching that box. Moving a show from room to room works beautifully. Three people watching three different games needs three boxes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\u003Cp>Control4 lets any room pick any source, so shared boxes get shared. If that matters in the house, plan the number of source boxes around how many different things people watch at once, not around the number of TVs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\u003Ch2>The driver\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\u003Cp>Control4 controls a matrix through a driver, and Control4's driver database is the place to check before buying (\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fdrivers.control4.com\u002Fsolr\u002Fdrivers\u002Fbrowse?q=matrix\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Control4 driver database\u003C\u002Fa>). What it shows for three common choices:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\u003Ctable>\n\u003Cthead>\u003Ctr>\u003Cth>Matrix\u003C\u002Fth>\u003Cth>Control4 driver\u003C\u002Fth>\u003C\u002Ftr>\u003C\u002Fthead>\n\u003Ctbody>\n\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd>AVPro Edge AC-MX-88, AC-MX-88X, AC-MX-88HDBT\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>Certified IP and serial drivers for each, written by Janus Technology (2024)\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd>Blustream (e.g. CMX88CS)\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>None in Control4's database; Blustream offers Control4 drivers as a download on its own product pages (\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.blustream-us.com\u002Fhdmi-matrix-cmx88cs\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Blustream CMX88CS\u003C\u002Fa>)\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd>Binary B-660-MTRX (Snap One; 4x2, 4x4, 8x8)\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>IP, serial and IR drivers from Snap One. The store listing calls it \"Control4 certified\" with SDDP; the database marks the drivers not certified (\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.snapav.com\u002Fshop\u002Fen\u002Fsnapav\u002Fmatrixes\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Snap One matrixes\u003C\u002Fa>)\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003C\u002Ftbody>\n\u003C\u002Ftable>\n\n\u003Cp>A driver decides what Control4 can do to the matrix. The AC-MX-88HDBT driver's own guide lists output switching, routing and volume for the audio it extracts, hot-plug reset, a front-panel lock and command pass-through. It has no EDID or scaling commands: those are set on the matrix itself, through its web page, and stay put.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\u003Ch2>Check the exact model\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\u003Cp>Two AVPro products share almost the same name, and they solve different problems (\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.avproglobal.com\u002Fproducts\u002Favpro-edge-auhd-8x8-matrix-switch\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">AVPro AC-MX-88\u003C\u002Fa> · \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.avproglobal.com\u002Fproducts\u002Fac-mx-88hdbt\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">AVPro AC-MX-88HDBT\u003C\u002Fa>):\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>AC-MX-88:\u003C\u002Fstrong> HDMI in and out only. 18 Gbps, HDCP 2.3, 4K to 1080p downscaling on each output, 29 built-in EDIDs plus reading the display's own. Controlled over the network, RS-232 or IR.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>AC-MX-88HDBT:\u003C\u002Fstrong> each output has an HDMI port and a mirrored HDBaseT port, so the TVs can be reached over one Cat6a cable (4K60 to about 230 feet, 1080p to about 330 feet, with AVPro's receiver). Snap One's listing says HDCP 2.2 where AVPro's page says 2.3; check the revision.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\n\u003Cp>If the TVs are far from the rack and the plan is to run network cable to them, it's the HDBT model you want.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\u003Ch2>EDID: why one old TV can drag down the rest\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\u003Cp>EDID is the message each display sends back saying what it can show. With a matrix in the middle, the sources see the matrix, and the matrix decides what to tell them. Control4's own FAQ for its older matrix describes the cautious approach: keep the outputs at \"the lowest resolution capabilities\" of the connected displays (\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fdocs.control4.com\u002Fdocs\u002Fproduct\u002Fmedia-distribution-family\u002Ffrequently-asked-questions\u002Fenglish\u002Flatest\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Control4 media distribution FAQ\u003C\u002Fa>). Done that way, one 1080p bedroom TV holds every other room to 1080p. Per-output scaling, like the AC-MX-88's 4K to 1080p downscaling, is what lets the big room keep 4K while the small TV gets a picture it can show.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\u003Ch2>HDCP: the black screen\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\u003Cp>HDCP is the copy protection every streaming box and cable box uses. AVPro's support article says receivers struggle when they switch between HDCP 1.4 and 2.2 sources, which shows up as \"a solid black screen or no signal,\" and its fix is to put the matrix ahead of the receiver rather than behind it (\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fsupport.avproglobal.com\u002Fportal\u002Fen\u002Fkb\u002Farticles\u002Fworking-with-avr-s-and-hdcp\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">AVPro: working with AVRs and HDCP\u003C\u002Fa>). A room that goes black on one source and not the others is usually this, not a Control4 fault.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\u003Ch2>Sound\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\u003Cp>A video matrix carries sound embedded in the HDMI, and many can also pull it out to feed an audio system. How Control4 sees that audio depends on the driver: the AC-MX-88HDBT driver has an \"Audio Switching\" setting (bind audio to the input, to the output, or switch it as its own matrix), and the choice changes which connections Composer shows. If the house also has an audio matrix, such as a Triad, decide which one feeds the speakers in each room before the project is built. \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fcommunity\u002Farticle\u002F29\">Multi-room audio with Control4\u003C\u002Fa> covers the audio side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\u003Ch2>Three things that save a service call\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Give the matrix a fixed address.\u003C\u002Fstrong> A matrix controlled over the network needs the same address every time; a reservation in the router does it. A matrix that \"stopped responding\" after a power cut or a new router has often just moved (\u003Ca href=\"\u002Fcommunity\u002Farticle\u002F1\">why a new router breaks things\u003C\u002Fa>).\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Control the source boxes over the network where you can.\u003C\u002Fstrong> Control4's database has IP drivers for many source boxes, including DirecTV receivers, as well as IR drivers. IP control doesn't miss a button press the way an IR emitter can.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Write down which input is which.\u003C\u002Fstrong> The project holds the map. If nobody has the project file, getting it back is the first job.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\n\u003Cp>Setting up a matrix in Control4 (the driver, every room's connections, the source list per room) is programming, and it can be done remotely. \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fcommunity\u002Farticle\u002F49\">Remote Control4 programming, with prices\u003C\u002Fa> lists what it costs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Caside class=\"article-related\">\u003Ch2>Related from Ixome\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Ca href=\"\u002Fprogram-control4-yourself\">Can you program it yourself? Composer Home vs Pro, explained honestly\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Ca href=\"\u002Fcontrol4-dealer-out-of-business\">Control4 dealer out of business? We take over orphaned systems remotely\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fli>\u003C\u002Ful>\u003C\u002Faside>",1790523306936]