Please help me with my monitor choice

[TBoneMac]

Hello Everyone,

I like to use a monitor to play on my xbox series s but there’s an issue.

The xbox only has one HDMI output and hence, I can only plug one thing into it.

This means that in order to get audio I need to use the Xbox controller aux. Meaning, I plug in some speakers with an old cable like you would plug into an iPod/MP3 player.

This works but I want to eventually get better speakers and potentially use Dolby Atmos and things like that. In order to do this I would need to be able to plug into an HDMI.

The problem is my current monitor. It only has one HDMI. This means that I can only plug the Xbox into it and nothing else. The monitor does not even have an aux.

I have looked online but it’s hard to know exactly which monitors would suit the needs.

My list of requirements for the monitor are
1440p (1080p would be fine if it’s the only option)
27 inches
120hz (120fps).

And I guess it would require
2 HDMI outputs (one for the xbox and one for the speakers/sound)

I also don’t really understand. If I have a soundbar plugged into the monitor through HDMI, will it work with the xbox? Or am I out of luck?

I really don’t know how it works. How do I plug the xbox to the monitor but also get sound from my soundbar through HDMI?

If anyone knows the answer please let me know! I would really appreciate any help on this.


Please share any monitors that would fit the preference list and please let me know if I’m out of luck
(like if this just doesn’t work at all?)

 

[ctjack]

What connections are supported by your soundbar?

I have a display with the speakers and it works fine on a single hdmi from box to monitor with sound included.

In the past, i would just plug in Aux cable into the monitor and get the sound and hdmi would deliver the picture.

 

[TBoneMac]

What connections are supported by your soundbar?

I have a display with the speakers and it works fine on a single hdmi from box to monitor with sound included.

In the past, i would just plug in Aux cable into the monitor and get the sound and hdmi would deliver the picture.

I don’t have a soundbar yet. I just use an AUX cable to my speakers right now. The Aux goes from the speakers then into the Xbox Controller (there’s no aux connectors or anything like that on the xbox)

My current monitor has no speakers in it and frankly, I wouldn’t want to downgrade the sound like that. The speakers I’m using are almost certainly better than whatever speakers “come with” a monitor. If that makes sense? Unless monitor speakers have improved a lot in the past decade? (Let me know?)

I don’t exactly understand what you mean ctjack. You said that you have a display with speakers and it works fine.

But I don’t know how that would work? Since I plug the HDMI from the monitor to the Xbox. How would that get sound through the soundbar/speakers?

I can’t plug the speakers into the xbox or anything like that.


There’s no aux cable connector on my current monitor which is why I was asking for suggestions for monitors since none of them seem to mention whether or not they have aux or and extra HDMI for sound?

I would need an hdmi connector to use Dolby Atmos and things like that through the Xbox.

I don’t really get how it works though. Even if it was a TV I don’t really get it because you can only select one input so how does it play sound through HDMI if I’m using input 1 for the xbox and the sound is connected to input 2?

I guess what I need is a monitor that has two HDMI ports but I still don’t understand how that would work?


Do I just plug my xbox into one of the HDMI ports and the plug the soundbar into the other and it should work with a monitor?

 

[ctjack]

What is your budget and size/resolution preference?

 

[TBoneMac]

Do I need to get an HDMI audio extractor?

Even then I don’t understand how it works. Do I plug my xbox into it and then plug speakers into it? I would still want it to be 1080/120hz at least?

What is your budget and size/resolution preference?

My budget is

I would spend up to about 350-400 USD on a monitor if it’s really excellent. I don’t think I need to spend this much however, to meet my requirements which are


My spec requirements are

1440p (at least 1080p)
120hz (so 120 frames per second gaming)
27 inches

some things I would like it to have but aren’t absolutely necessary

400-500+ nits of brightness
99% sRGB color space (or of course even more, like for example apples MacBooks have had 99% DCI-P3 coverage)


it should have some way to plug into the speakers (aux/SPDIF/HDMI?)

not sure how the HDMI works if I have the xbox connected to it though (won’t it override and then not play sounds through the speakers if the xbox is connected? I don’t really know I’m new to the monitor gaming)

 

[mattspace]

Hello Everyone,

I like to use a monitor to play on my xbox series s but there’s an issue.

The xbox only has one HDMI output and hence, I can only plug one thing into it.

That one thing can be an HDMI Breakout box that provides a TOSLINK optical audio split, while also furnishing an HDMI output to take the video signal to your display.

This means that in order to get audio I need to use the Xbox controller aux. Meaning, I plug in some speakers with an old cable like you would plug into an iPod/MP3 player.

That's not necessary.

This works but I want to eventually get better speakers and potentially use Dolby Atmos and things like that. In order to do this I would need to be able to plug into an HDMI.

There are also HDMI double splitters, so one HDMI output would take the audio & video to the display, the other would take audio & video to the sound system, in both cases the unused data would be discarded.

The problem is my current monitor. It only has one HDMI. This means that I can only plug the Xbox into it and nothing else. The monitor does not even have an aux.

it lacks an audio Aux-out?

I have looked online but it’s hard to know exactly which monitors would suit the needs.

My list of requirements for the monitor are
1440p (1080p would be fine if it’s the only option)
27 inches
120hz (120fps).

That's odd - most displays I've seen have a stereo minijack for audio out, but perhaps you'd be better off looking at TVs, since HDMI or Optical-out for Audio is much more common.

And I guess it would require
2 HDMI outputs (one for the xbox and one for the speakers/sound)

One HDMI Input for the Xbox, one HDMI Output to go to the audio receiver.

I also don’t really understand. If I have a soundbar plugged into the monitor through HDMI, will it work with the xbox? Or am I out of luck?

The Xbox sends game sound along with Video down the one HDMI connection. It also has HDMI-CEC so you should investigate that for its abilities to control HDMI devices (like displays & soundbars) from the console.

I really don’t know how it works. How do I plug the xbox to the monitor but also get sound from my soundbar through HDMI?

Xbox hdmi-out to display hdmi-in, display's hdmi-out to soundbar's hdmi-in.

 

[TBoneMac]

That one thing can be an HDMI Breakout box that provides a TOSLINK optical audio split, while also furnishing an HDMI output to take the video signal to your display.



That's not necessary.



There are also HDMI double splitters, so one HDMI output would take the audio & video to the display, the other would take audio & video to the sound system, in both cases the unused data would be discarded.



it lacks an audio Aux-out?



That's odd - most displays I've seen have a stereo minijack for audio out, but perhaps you'd be better off looking at TVs, since HDMI or Optical-out for Audio is much more common.



One HDMI Input for the Xbox, one HDMI Output to go to the audio receiver.



The Xbox sends game sound along with Video down the one HDMI connection. It also has HDMI-CEC so you should investigate that for its abilities to control HDMI devices (like displays & soundbars) from the console.



Xbox hdmi-out to display hdmi-in, display's hdmi-out to soundbar's hdmi-in.

You said it’s not necessary but if I want to get sound I have to do it by plugging into the xbox controller since the monitor has no Aux out port.

The problem with TV’s is they’re too large For the location. They’re much larger and usually don’t have 120hz unless they’re even larger.

The only connectors on this monitor are an HDMI and one of those older connectors for monitors to PCs (the ones where you have to twist the left and right kind of like screws to make it stay).

monitor that I have only has one HDMI connection So I don’t really know how to get audio from it

 

[mattspace]

You said it’s not necessary but if I want to get sound I have to do it by plugging into the xbox controller since the monitor has no Aux out port.

Not necessary as in there are better solutions.

The problem with TV’s is they’re too large For the location. They’re much larger and usually don’t have 120hz unless they’re even larger.

Small TVs do seem to be a rarity if you're looking for something 27" or smaller.

The only connectors on this monitor are an HDMI and one of those older connectors for monitors to PCs (the ones where you have to twist the left and right kind of like screws to make it stay).

Probably DVI.

monitor that I have only has one HDMI connection So I don’t really know how to get audio from it

So your best option in the meantime is something like this.

You put it inline between the console and the display. It's cheap, and will do the job. Do a bit of research into them, to make sure it's not going to add latency to the output - usually they won't, but can' hurt to check.

 

[salamanderjuice]

I second just getting an HDMI audio extractor or HDMI switch with one. It's cheap, it's easy. That's what I did for several years because my monitor had garbage audio out. It's pretty rare for monitors to support stuff like HDMI eARC for soundbars. Some soundbars have HDMI passthrough so that's another potentially option if you're really keen on one.

 

[TBoneMac]

I second just getting an HDMI audio extractor or HDMI switch with one. It's cheap, it's easy. That's what I did for several years because my monitor had garbage audio out. It's pretty rare for monitors to support stuff like HDMI eARC for soundbars. Some soundbars have HDMI passthrough so that's another potentially option if you're really keen on one.

Which monitors do you suggest for 1440p 120hz that would work with xbox. I hear sometimes people get higher refresh rates and it doesn’t work properly with xbox