Ultra High Performance HDMI Switcher, 3to1 Switch
by Portta
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Our Price: $8.18 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $8.00 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Ultra High Performance HDMI Switcher, 3to1 Switch
Customer Review: Great HDMI Switch
Summary: 5 Stars
I received this HDMI switch a few days ago and it works great. When researching it, I tried to find experiences of others with the Roku Netflix player, and I could not find any. So if anybody else wants to know my Roku experience, here it is:
My configuration is as follows: I have a DVD player, a cablebox/DVR, and the Roku player. If you've read the reviews you know that if multiple inputs are always "on", the switch cannot "guess" which one to switch to. In my configuration, the cable box and the Roku are always on.
What I have done is attached the devices in the order shown above - the DVD is "1", the cable box is "2" and the Roku is "3". So when I turn the DVD player on, the switch detects that and switches to DVD mode.
When I turn the DVD off, the switch automatically goes to the second device, which is always the cable box (even if I had been watching the Roku earlier).
The only ways to get to the Roku are to tap the button on the switch, or to use the remote. And that's fine, since I use the Roku much less frequently than the cable box or the DVD player. If it was other way around (use the Roku more than cable), I would just reverse the two devices, and plug the Roku into "2" and the cable into "3".
Speaking of the remote, I had no problem programming my universal remote to simulate the provided HDMI switch remote, so I have filed the provided remote away.
Finally, there is a feature that I don't believe I have seen mentioned in other reviews: the switch itself, and all its ungainly wires (3 input, one output) can be stowed discreetly BEHIND the DVD player or cable box or whatever. In effect it can be invisible. Infrared remotes cannot access hidden components, so they have provided a little mouse-shaped IR receiver, which I have placed on top of my DVD player. It is attached to the hidden switch via a provided cable, and it responds very well to my remote control
One thing I didn't notice was that this purchase included a single 3-foot HDMI cable. Since I didn't notice that I bought one extra cable (from the same Amazon supplier (CE Compass). So if you need cables to go with this switch, remember one comes with it. The extra cables that I got were dirt-cheap and they all seem to work great.
So we're very happy with this little purchase and fully recommend it.
Customer Review: Small package that solves middling problem--and does it well
Summary: 5 Stars
This device solves a problem that is an issue with HD television displays designed when the HDMI standard was being phased in: most of the first sets have a single HDMI port. While this was adequate at the standard's introduction, it no longer suffices as multiple HDMI-equipped devices are now the norm.
This switch does two things: (1) It allows two additional HDMI devices, such as DVD players or DVRs, to be connected to the display; (2) It reduces complexity for the display user.
Some devices have multiple ways of outputting a higher-resolution signal to the display--typically, using red/green/blue component cables to output an analog HD signal in addition to the digital HDMI signal. Older HD displays often provide multiple inputs for the component analog signals, but just one HDMI digital input. For the user, this means switching inputs to watch different devices.
The 3 port switch provides 3 HDMI input connectors, and a single HDMI output connector to the TV display. Thus, any device connected by HDMI is connected by HDMI to the display.
To address the second point (complexity), the switch is "smart." The highest-priority device is connected to port 1. In my setup, this is a TiVo DVR that always outputs power. Lower-priority devices are connected to port 2 (a DVD player in my case) and port 3 (which I'm not using). TiVo always puts out a signal (and low-voltage power) on its HDMI port, so the switch receives the power it needs to operate. If I turn on the DVD player, it sends a signal (and power) out on its HDMI port. The switch senses that, and switches to the DVD port. It will remain on that port until I turn off the DVD player, at which time it switches back to port 1.
This switch has an input for a DC power transformer, but it's unnecessary (and is not included in the package). What IS included is a credit-card-sized remote control to switch manually among inputs, and a small IR receiver that can be placed separately from the switch. This is a nice touch, although again it's unnecessary in my setup.
This device enhances a simple TV/DVD/DVR setup, and I recommend it because it reduces cabling and complexity for someone who just wants to watch TV or a video. It would be unnecessary but still useful for a TV with more HDMI inputs, if one wanted to reduce the steps necessary to switch among devices.
Customer Review: Perfect for PS3 and TiVo HD
Summary: 5 Stars
I recently ordered this HDMI switch and it arrived today. I wanted a way to automatically switch back and forth between my cable (TiVo HD box) and my PS3 without using a receiver or having to press any buttons. To my great delight, it turns out that this device is perfect for such a task.
Installation couldn't be easier. I have a Sony Bravia TV, a TiVo HD, and a Playstation 3. I was up and running with the new switch in about 10 seconds. The input ports on the switch are numbered in order of priority. Since the TiVo is an "always-on" device, it should be plugged into the lowest-priority port (Input 3). Since the PS3 is only powered on when in use, I can connect it to Input 1. This leaves Input 2 open for another video source if desired.
When the PS3 is off, the switch automatically finds the TiVo. As soon as I turn the PS3 on, it switches to the PS3. When I shut the PS3 off, it goes back to the TiVo. The beauty of the "smart" switch is I don't have to touch anything to make it happen, and, more importantly, neither will the other people in the house. It will always start from the top and go down the line until it finds a live stream.
As a side note, I can use the audio output on my TV to plug into a receiver or home theater system for external sound and it will always coincide with whatever video source is used. Again, no more need to select different sources on that either.
The main unit is only slightly larger than a pack of gum. It does not come with a power cord, but as the packaging states, there is no power needed if the input equipment is standard, and that is true in my case. It does carry both video and audio streams, which appears to be a problem with some other similar switches. If your setup it like mine, you won't need the supplied remote control or IR extender receiver (which you could probably use instead with an older model TiVo or other compatible device to extend the reach of your remote).
I've seen similar devices in stores that cost much more and don't offer the "smart" switching capability. This seems to be a winner!
I am aware, however, that there are reviews here mentioning the device fails after so many days of operation. Since I've only installed mine today (Apr 13, 2010), I'll keep an eye on it and update my review if I find that it fails at any point.
Customer Review: Fantastic - even better than I expected!
Summary: 5 Stars
An awesome little gadget!
I got this from Game Infinity and was so impressed when I opened it and found the additional IR receiver which I hadn't even realized was going to be in the package, that I wondered if maybe I had the wrong thing (I hadn't).
I had wondered where to place the switch to allow the remote to "hit" it, without having yet another piece of electronics visible to the room, but the small little IR receiver immediately fixed that concern. Not only that little bonus, but due to the auto-sensing nature of the switch, I don't even need to send remote signals to it right now since the auto-sensing feature is handling everything with no manual intervention.
One of the biggest problems with auto-sensing switches is that a lot of HDMI devices output a low power rate even when turned "off" in standby mode. When that happens, auto-sensing struggles since it cannot tell the difference between a device truly being on or being on standby. In my setup I have an energy saving power strip that is controlled by a master device, so when I power off my AV Receiver (my master device) with the remote, it then fully powers off the switches for other connected devices. This is a common power saving device, but because it fully shuts off the power to the other devices, the auto-sensing HDMI switch then really knows that the other devices are also turned off.
My cable box is plugged into a separate (standard) socket, and that is always on as far as the HDMI switch is concerned. As a result it always defaults to the cable input if nothing else is turned on. Just what I want!
If you have trouble with the auto-switching, I strongly recommend looking at the kind of master-controlled power strips that you can get at any major store that sells electronics. Not only might it fix your problem but it should save you money in electric bills too!
Setup was as simple as connecting the cables, it looks nice - not cheap and nasty, the unit works exactly as I expect and the IR extender was an unexpected bonus (even though I'm not using it at present, I might need to if I change my device power configuration).
A fantastic buy. I would definitely recommend one and buy another myself if needed inthe future.
Customer Review: Amazon's HDMI Secret
Summary: 5 Stars
I have to say when I first saw this and the exceptionally affordable price tag, I was skeptical to say the least. However, after using it for a bit I have an entirely different opinion.
This product is for lack of a better word - perfect. For it's price, I have simply never seen a better execution of a device for handling HDMI switching. I always stayed away from switchers because their prices were over $100 (some were much higher priced than that not all that long ago), or it meant buying a new $1000+ AV receiver with HDMI switching to replace my RX-V2500 which I'm still very content with.
The priority function - flawless. The HDMI splitting up to 1080P - flawless. The price - couldn't be any better. It's even a nice quality looking device with no spelling errors on the case text (which is usually the case for devices in this price bracket), it's cosmetically similar to the PS3, has gold plated HDMI terminals, and LED's to show which input it's on.
I am using mine to switch between a PS3, XBOX 360, and DirectTV HD cable box all at 1080P HDMI. It works exactly like I would hope, and ultimately delivers exactly what you want. It works so well, I'm thinking of attempting to setup a daisy chain of them so I can have my HTPC in the loop and still have 1 spare port for other HDMI enabled goodies as they come along, like the Zune HD... :)
There is seemingly no handshake delay caused by it, nor is there a delay in prioritized input switching. It's instant.
For reference, I'm using it with an Epson 6500UB with HDMI 1.3b support. This device seems to pass things through without any change of signal or flag data. Everything works great with it. I even tried it on my older Sony KD34 XBR960 CRT that has a single HDMI 1.1 input on it, and it works just as excellent on it. So if you have even the oldest HDMI capable TV, or one of the newest ones, this is a perfect way to extend their range of inputs.
If you need an extra HDMI port, or two... or more. This is your answer.