Split your HDMI signal to multiple sources, light up your workspace, and enjoy hard-wired
aim assist in any video game in this episode of NIFTY UNDER FIFTY.
Welcome to a new episode of Nifty Under Fifty - the show where I… show… you a few nifty
tech items that will cost you less than fifty dollars.
You all really enjoyed the first episode, so it’s time for me to bring you another.
Remember, as always, links to all of these products will be in the description below.
Go ahead and smash that like button if you’re excited, and be sure to subscribe for more
epic tech videos!
In no particular order, let’s jump in.
THZY HDMI SPLITTER
First up, we have the 1 by 2 powered HDMI splitter from THZY.
This is an extremely useful device for streamers and gaming YouTubers, or someone who just
wants flexibility in which screen they display stuff on.
The one you see here is a 1 input, 2 output splitter, but THZY also offers a 1 input 4
output version for those who really need to send their signal to a lot of different sources.
The splitter is a strong and durable, yet tiny black box that takes your HDMI input
and wall power and splits it out to the HDMI outputs.
It supports up to 1080p and even supports 3D.
I always use at least one of these in my game streaming setups, that way I can send my game
sources to both my Magewell or Epiphan capture devices as well as my monitor without having
to rely on laggy previews or HDMI passthrough connections.
There’s no added latency when using this splitter, so you can be sure that what you
see on-screen is 100% realtime.
Plus, the tiny size means you can hide it away in your setup with ease.
MONOPRICE LAN CABLE TESTER
Next up we have a dual LAN Cable Test from Monoprice.
Monoprice is well-known for their cheap cables and third-party devices and accessories, but
in case you make some of your own ethernet cables like I do, they offer a LAN Cable tester
to make sure you’ve wired things correctly.
This device comes with two modules - the main tester for RJ-45 and RJ-11 cables (that’s
phone line and ethernet), as well as a secondary remote LAN tester to help test distanced cables.
This tester can help check for cable continuity, miswiring, shorts, cross-pinning, etc.
Just plug your ethernet cable in and make sure it works.
HipShotDot
Now this is a product that I’ve actually covered before on my channel, but it was over
a year ago and the video didn’t get a whole lot of attention.
This is the HipShotDot from AirDrop Gaming.
In its simplest breakdown, the HipShotDot is a USB-powered red LED on a suction cup.
I know that sounds really simple and… pointless.... but it actually can make a HUGE difference
for your accuracy in-game.
What you do is you aim down sights in your favorite shooter title and line up the red
LED suction cup with the center of your crosshairs.
Then plug it into the nearest USB port - even the service USB on your TV - and have fun
pwning n00bs.
The suction cup is pretty transparent, so when you’re focusing on your game, you won’t
really notice it.
Since it’s an external device on your TV, it’s not something that’s detectable or
will get you banned in-game.
It’s not going to make you the next FaZe or OpTiC quickscoper overnight, but the HipShotDot
can definitely help improve your aim in casual shooter gameplay.
THZY Flexible Light Strip
Manufacturer THZY is back with a second product in this Nifty Under Fifty episode.
This is another product I’ll be utilizing in the new apartment setup - a 5 meter flexible
RGB LED strip.
This package comes with a strip of 150 RGB LEDs with adhesive backing so you can stick
it wherever you want to light up, a power brick, and even a remote control so you can
remotely change the color and lighting setting of the strip.
I’m not set on a place for these yet in the new setup, but I know they’re definitely
going to get used.
These LEDs are bright and super easy to customize with the remote, plus the adhesive backing
really makes sure you can line them up wherever you want - not sure what more to say!
Zalman Headset Mic
Lastly, but not leastly of course, is the Zalman ZM-Mic1, a high-sensitivity microphone
that you can attach to your headphones or earbuds.
This product is similar to the AntLion ModMic that many YouTubers have made videos for,
only it’s a fraction of the price.
At the time of recording, the ModMic is $50, whereas the Zalman ZM-Mic1 is only $8.29 on
sale.
If you have a great pair of headphones that you really like - such as a pair of Sennheiser
HD cans or my AKG K7xx MassDrop Edition, for example, you may still want to use a microphone
with it.
Instead of making the switch to a low-quality gaming headset, you can attach this little
mic to your headphone wire and now your audiophile headphones act as a headset!
The audio quality isn’t anything to write home about, but it’ll certainly do for in-game
chat, VOIP, Skype calls, etc.
I’ll play a sample recording for you here, and I’ll have a link to the raw SoundCloud
upload in the description below.
The
cable for this is very long to accommodate any headphone travel distance, and includes
little clips along the cable to attach to your headphone line.
Given that my headphones are usually plugged in within a foot of me into my Focusrite interface,
this just created a huge spaghetti monster of cables for me.
But if your headphones are plugged into your computer or something further away, it’ll
work out great.
Conclusion Something else that might work out great - our
Patreon campaign!
Awesome videos like this are made possible by contributors to our Patreon campaign.
Those who contribute get to participate in private Q&As, have access to extra behind-the-scenes
goodness, and even get early access to videos across all of our channels!
Check the link in the video description to learn more.
That’s it for this installment of Nifty Under Fifty!
I do hope you enjoyed, and maybe found something that might be helpful for you.
Again, check the description for links to all the products, a playlist with all of my
Nifty Under Fifty videos, as well as that SoundCloud link for the mic sample quality
test.
Be sure to smash that like button, subscribe to the channel, and I’ll catch you in a
future video.