I can't believe no one is talking about this massive HDMI problem

Summary

TVs lack enough HDMI ports, leading to constant cord swapping issues.
As technology advances, consoles require specific HDMI cables for optimal performance.
Investing in a receiver or waiting for TVs with more ports are costly, imperfect solutions.

TVs might be more technologically advanced than ever before, but there are still problems that have to be fixed. As TVs became more modern, so did the surrounding technology. It’s not shocking to see somebody own an Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and a streaming device. If that sounds like you, then you have four HDMI slots that are accounted for, and that creates a big problem.

Many TVs just don’t have the ports needed to have things plugged in all the time, so you have to swap the cords around depending on your situation, and that gets annoying fast. It gets even worse if you want to use your console’s beefy hardware to play the latest games at 120 FPS in a full 4K resolution. In this situation, you have to make sure you’re plugged into the TV’s eARC slot, and that means even more cord switching if you have a lot of devices. It’s only going to become a great problem when more devices have features locked behind having an HDMI 2.1 cord and only having a few places to plug them in. I hope TV manufacturers can identify this problem before it gets out of hand, but I don’t have a lot of faith.

Do you need gold-plated HDMI cables?

It’s time to drive one more nail into the coffin of this idea.

TVs have a growing problem

It’s only going to get worse

Several A/V cables placed next to each other

Speaking for myself, I have an Xbox Series X, a Nintendo Switch, a PS5, an Apple TV 4K, and a 4K Blu-ray player all in my living room. That’s five HDMI cords alone, so it’s clear this is an issue that’s affected me. Fortunately, I picked up a receiver that makes managing all of these cords easy, especially since it supports 2.1 speeds in multiple slots, so I don’t need to swap back and forth like others might have to. I know not everybody is as fortunate to have a receiver, so the solution is to pick and choose what you have plugged in at any given time. It’s not a great solution, but TVs don’t exactly give you a lot to work with.

My Sony Bravia X90J in my living just has a pair of HDMI 2.1 slots, and that’s considered good in this day and age. Compared to the old Samsung in my bedroom, it’s a huge upgrade as the Samsung only has two HDMI ports, and neither are 2.1. Luckily, I don’t need my bedroom TV to do much since it’s just ther to watch things in bed. However, this leads to a bigger issue, and it’s that tech is advancing faster than many people might realize.

Let’s use the Xbox Series X and PS5 as an example. Both of these consoles benefit from the faster HDMI 2.1 cables, and both come bundled with one in the box. The Samsung TU8000 in my bedroom is a 2020 TV, so while it’s five years old, it’s still a TV that was modern when these consoles were released. The downside is this TV isn’t good enough to fully take advantage of these consoles, and it’s not abundantly clear why that’s the case. Sure, researching a TV before making a purchase would help you avoid these problems, but I know not everybody does that. A lot of people see a 4K TV and think they are all created equal, but the slots you plug things into are important. There’s a lot more that goes into making a TV purchase today than it did a few decades ago.

Picking up a TV that fully utilizes the PS5 or Xbox Series X isn’t cheap, and then when you do it you still have to deal with the lack of HDMI ports. It’s a tough spot to be in because all it does is end up costing you more money in the long run. For people that can afford it, it’s all fine and dandy, but for people looking for a simple TV to pair with their PS5, it’s not that simple.

What is an HDMI splitter, and why would you want one?

It’s not so niche in the era of Twitch and YouTube streaming.

The answer is spend more money, or wait for change

Neither option is great

Samsung / Pocket-lint

I bought a receiver because I wanted to build out a home theater area with surround sound, but having the extra HDMI ports has been nice. My Denon 760h receiver has spots to plug in eight different devices, so I don’t even have it all filled up. Compared to my TV, this is a total game-changer as it means I don’t have to swap cords, although I still have to do it with my Apple TV 4K and Xbox Series X until I finally buy another high-speed HDMI cable, and a 2.2 cable might be in the cards.

For people who aren’t interested in the extra versatility of a receiver, they’ll have to hold out for a TV that has more ports or buy a splitter. As people continue to buy more devices that need to be plugged in, it’s important that manufacturers keep up with that. It’s increasingly becoming an issue as consoles have longer lifespans. There is still support for both the PS4 and Xbox One, as well as the Nintendo Switch, which’s celebrating its 8th birthday in 2025. This type of support has led to a lot of people keeping their old consoles plugged in, and that means you need ports for them all. It’s quite a hassle, and I can’t wait for the day I can finally retire my Switch in favor of a newer one, even if it doesn’t free up an additional slot.

Most high-end TVs come packed with features that support your consoles, but the budget 4K displays you find for a couple hundred dollars are often lacking that same support. It all comes down to what you need your TV for, and I imagine a lot of people would benefit more from having more ports instead of ports with modern features. Of course, it’d be nice to have the best of both worlds, and it exists, but it just costs an arm and a leg. Unless you’re an enthusiast about all this, you might not care about having to switch a cord occasionally. Speaking from my own experience, it is annoying, and I hope things get easier. I shouldn’t have to buy a receiver in order to have everything plugged in. Perhaps in the coming years we’ll see TVs with more HDMI ports, but I won’t hold my breath.