Terk HDMI-31 Smart HDMI Switch (3 X 1)
by Terk
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List Price: 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 Terk HDMI-31 Smart HDMI Switch (3 X 1)
Customer Review: Won't work with Panasonic Blu-Ray player
Summary: 2 Stars
Won't work with Panasonic Blu-Ray player
I have a Sony Bravia HD TV with only one HMDI port on the back. I have a DirecTV HD DVR and new Panasonic DMP-BD35K 1080p Blu-ray Player, both use HDMI to connect to TV for best picture quality. I can successfully connect either the DirecTV HD DVR or Panasonic BluRay player directly to the single HDMI port on the back of the TV and they both will work fine. To avoid having to unplug DirecTV HDMI cord and connect Panasonic BluRay player HDMI cord to watch DVDs, I bought this Terk HDMI switch.
The Terk switch would pass the DirecTV HD signal to my TV, but would not pass the Panasonic Blu-Ray player HD signal to the TV. I could plug the DirecTV HDMI cord into Port 1, 2, or 3 on the Terk switch, it would detect the signal, automatically switch to the port I plugged into, and send the HD video to my TV. But, if I plug the Panasonic Blu-Ray player into any of the ports on the Terk HDMI switch, no video signal gets send to the TV, there is an occasional blink on the TV screen when initially plugged in, but the picture from the Panasonic Blu-Ray player never appears on the TV. If I plug the Panasonic blu-Ray player directly to the TV, it works fine, so the problem is the Terk switch.
I did some research on the internet and without getting too detailed, I discovered there are different versions of HDMI and that my new Panasonic Blu-Ray player is using the newest HDMI format, probably HMDI 1.3a or higher, and the Terk switch is unable to successfully pass that HDMI format to the TV...or at least that is my theory.
I give the unit 2 stars because it appears to work for some HDMI devices and switches automatically between devices when one is turned off and the other turned on, but it does not really work with new HDMI devices that use the newest HDMI formats.
Trying to find an alternate HDMI switch within a budget, I tried this switch Universal HDMI Quick Switch and it worked great, the automatically switching between devices does not work perfectly and it is limited to only two HDMI devices, but at least it passes HDMI signal from both DirecTV DVR and Panasonic Blue-Ray player to the TV with no problems and it is even more affordable than the terk switch.
Customer Review: Excellent way to add HDMI capacity
Summary: 5 Stars
When I bought my plasma TV a year ago, I never imagined that I would want to connect more than one HDMI device. That changed when I bought a DVD player with HDMI and the ability to upconvert DVD's to near HD quality. After first considering spending $400+ on a new receiver with dual HDMI ports, I opted to first try this device for about $65. Money saved. The device automatically switches between the cable and DVD inputs when I turn them on and I now can enjoy the much improved DVD video quality (I had been using composite video on the DVD player) that comes from HDMI. There is no change in the input quality from my cable box HDMI input. There was virutaly no setup involved. I simply unplugged my TV's existing HDMI connection from the cable box and plugged it into the output on the Terk box. Then I ran HDMI cables from the DVD and cable box to two of the three inputs on the Terk box and powered up. That was it. Rather than buy super costly HDMI cables, I purchased two HDMI cables from Abacus 24-7 (an Amazon contractor) at $6.99 each. They work like a charm. Since for audio I use a recevier rather than my TV speakers and my receiver is not HDMI capable, I have connected my receiver to the audio outputs of my cable box and DVD player using digital fiber optical cable and get all the capability of surround sound that I could want. Those optical cables are $5.99 each from Abacus (I found them for $12.99 to $25.99 at Fry's Electronics).
Update as of May 11, 2007. Still working like a charm. I haven't had to do anything to the unit and I basically forget it is there.
Update as of June 13, 2007. I now use my computer as a digital recording device, like a TIVO-type box. I record HDTV over the air using a Terk HDTV antenna and a Hauppauge HDTV capture card. My computer graphics card has a DVI output, so I bought a DVI to HDMI converter cable ($12 at Amazon) which connects my computer to one of the HDMI source inputs on the Terk HDMI-31 Switch. It operates flawlessly. Another reason to have Terk's multiple HDMI connection capability.
Customer Review: It works...
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a great HDMI switching product, priced right. Received it in two days with standard shipping and had it plugged in and working within two minutes . It switches automatically, sensing activity on one of three input channels. It's small, and it works flawlessly, handling HDCP without any hiccups. You can't beat the price, and I feel safer with a branded product like Terk than with an unknown vendor with their clunky oversized and overpriced boxes. My configuration has two DVD players (hi-def and regular) going to the Terk, which then goes to one of two HDMI inputs on my Sony DG1000, then on to my Sony KDS60A2000 big screen. I have the DG1000 switched to the Terk, and the Terk knows when I have started a DVD on one of the two players and switches automatically to the right source, and I do not get momentary green screens or bad source messages waiting for the receiver's repeater to catch up, and I'm using excellent quality very low cost (<$7ea) 6ft HDMI cables from Abacus24-7 with no problems. Don't waste your money on expensive HDMI cables, and forget all your analog cabling compromises from the past. This is the new way and the right way to configure and switch digital sources! If you need to switch among multiple DVD players, set tops, games, etc., buy the Terk to get the satisfaction of having real 21st century pure digital simplified connectivity! Everything else is just an excuse.Terk HDMI-31 Smart HDMI Switch (3 X 1)Customer Review: Finally an affordable HDMI Switch that does all that is advertised!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have tried multiple sub-$100 HDMI switches of varying brands and have had issues with all of them until now.
I am using this for a PS3/Xbox360/PC configuration going to my plasma TV via HDMI.
With many brands I have had issues with my PS3 or PC not working properly. Even some more expensive brands I tried had issues properly sending PC signals.
I was skeptical about the Terk as it is not only affordable but I have read mixed reviews on it's performance for other people.
However the Terk surpassed my expectations. I expected something to either not work as advertised or to require major tweaking to get it to function properly.
I was pleasantly surprised when I plugged this jewel in and it worked without a hitch right from the get go. The autoswitch feature is working perfectly as well - and it does switch back to a previous signal if the current one is lost. So for example if I have my PC on and then turn on my 360 - the Terk automatically switches to the 360. If I turn the 360 off the Terk automatically switches back to the PC (as long as it's still on of course).
As a final note - I run a 25 foot HDMI cable from the output - so I was a little concerned with how the Terk would perform over that length of cable. The answer is - PERFECTLY!!!
Anyway - anyone who is looking for an affordable way to add HDMI ports can't go wrong with this unit. I couldn't be happier after months of trying multiple brands.
Customer Review: GOOD, BUT NOT PERFECT
Summary: 4 Stars
I've only been using this switch for about a month, and so far it seems to work very well. The picture and sound quality appear to be perfect. My one complaint is that the auto-switching feature only works with two of the three devices I have connected to it. My PS3 works perfectly all the time with the "Smart-Switch" technology. The problem I'm having is with my DVR and DVD player. Only one or the other will work with the auto-switch feature, depending on which one is plugged into "Port #1". Whichever one is not plugged into the first port, I have to switch over manually, but then it plays just fine. FYI, I chose to plug the DVR into port 1, because I have to get up to put a DVD in the player anyway, so it's not too big of a deal to go ahead and manually change the switch while I'm up. I just have to remember to change it back to "Auto" when I'm through with the DVD player. All-in-all I guess I would have to say that I'm pretty happy with this product. I wish the "Smart-Switch" feature worked perfectly all the time, but it works with 2/3 of the devices I have attached to it, and it still works fine manually with the 3rd. Bottom line is, I needed an HDMI Switch and this one was a very good deal, and if bought on Amazon, it came with a free HDMI cable to boot. So, I can safely say that I recommend this product, especially if you buy it from Amazon.