A couple of HDMI questions

[Cromulent]

Is it safe to unplug and plug in a new HDMI device while one of the devices is turned on? I have an Elgato HD 60 Pro capture card, and it would be a pain in the arse to have to switch off my computer every time I wanted to switch between the Wii U and the PS4. I'd like to make sure both consoles are turned off and move the HDMI lead from one to the other while the computer is still running.

The second question is a bit of a weird one. I bought an HDMI switch to hopefully get around the problem of having to switch HDMI leads between consoles, but it doesn't seem to work. If I plug each of the consoles directly into the capture card, then they work fine. If I do it through the HDMI switch, then neither of them work. The only thing I can think is causing the problem is that the switch is adding HDCP which of course the capture card can't decode. Can anyone think of any other potential problems it could be? If it is an HDCP problem, then the solution is simple if it is something else then I'll have to figure out how to fix it.

 

[lucid]

It's not good practice to connect/disconnect 'live' as it were. Your switch idea is the better solution.

First, check that you've actually bought a switch and not a splitter by mistake. It's amazing how many users get this muddled up. It doesn't help that when searching online for one type that loads of the other type are thrown up as results. Switches and splitters do not do the same job. They're not interchangeable.

I'm not saying it's impossible, but I'd be very surprised if a switch adds HDCP to the signal.

Next, if you bought the type of switch that robs its power from the HDMI cables that are plugged in to it then that can cause all sorts of weird problems. The best type of switches have an external power supply.

 

[Cromulent]

It's not good practice to connect/disconnect 'live' as it were. Your switch idea is the better solution.

First, check that you've actually bought a switch and not a splitter by mistake. It's amazing how many users get this muddled up. It doesn't help that when searching online for one type that loads of the other type are thrown up as results. Switches and splitters do not do the same job. They're not interchangeable.

I'm not saying it's impossible, but I'd be very surprised if a switch adds HDCP to the signal.

Next, if you bought the type of switch that robs its power from the HDMI cables that are plugged in to it then that can cause all sorts of weird problems. The best type of switches have an external power supply.

Strange. Mine is indeed a switch. It has one output and three inputs which can be changed by pressing a button on the device or using a remote control. Furthermore, it is powered by a wall plug. Maybe it is a problem with the Elgato HD 60 Pro dealing with an HDMI switch? I bought the switch because it said it was HDMI 2.0 / 4k / 60Hz / HDR compatible but it was quite cheap, so maybe the switch is playing up?