Plugging a Nintendo Switch and a Blu-ray player into one HDMI port on a TV?

Question

My family's TV has 3 HDMI ports that are taken up by a SONOS Playbar, a Blu-ray player, and a Control4 unit. 

My parents bought me a Nintendo Switch as a holiday present and I read online that the dock connects to a TV via an HDMI cable. 

My dad does not want to unplug any of the 3 devices we currently have plugged into our TV's HDMI ports so we are looking for other ways to get the dock from my Nintendo Switch plugged into our TV. 

I have a USB hub with multiple USB ports, so I can plug more devices into my laptop, and I figured I could get something like that for my family's TV but for HDMI cables instead of USB cables. 

I would like to plug both my family's Blu-ray player and my Nintendo Switch dock into one HDMI port on my family's TV. 

While doing research on Google, I came across two words, Switch and Splitter and cannot figure out which one to buy, if I should buy either of those items. 

I am wondering what I should get, Switch or Splitter, and if there is a specific brand of Switch or Splitter that I should get or anything else I should look into?

Answer 1

Favorite Answer

A switch allows you to plug two devices in at once and switch between them (2 input, one output.), a splitter splits one device between 2 HDMI cables. (1 input, 2 outputs.) You are much better getting a switch. A splitter is only useful if you want one device on two displays. A switch is better for 2 devices on one display. Hope this helps!