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 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: 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.
Customer Review: Yep, It Works!
Summary: 5 Stars
As a firm believer in reading the user reviews, 1 stars first, I must say that this little, inexpensive box lives up to all the other reviews here.
The box arrived, and as stated in all the other reviews, there are really no directions and there is definitely not an AC adapter for the 5V input but you dont need it. As soon as I plugged in my cable box, the blue LED lit up so I had every confidence it was going to be worth at least three stars. After reading the reviews I had pretty much figured out how to set up my equipment and true to form I set it up the right way. I plugged my cable box into input 2 and my PS3 into input 1. Works just like the old VCR set up of days gone by. Input 1 has the priority so when you turn it on it overrides input 2 and switches, just like that. Since that is pretty much what I wanted to happen, I did not bother setting up the infrared remote as that would override the auto switching mechanism and just be one more remote to keep up with.
I bought my TV somewhat early in the Flat Screen era so it only came with one HDMI input. I was running my PS3 using the component input which kind of defeats the point of having the PS3, which was having a game device that would also play Blue-Ray movies. This little box, plain, light and no cords has completely turned that around. I will say that if you are in a similar situation, make sure you look at your set up and if you are going to need another HDMI cord, order it with the box in the combo that is offered here on Amazon. Contrary to one review, this does not come with an HDMI cord when ordered by itself. I took my chances on that and wound up making a run to the store to be able to finish my set up.
Long story short - Great little box, does what it is supposed to do and all at a really great price. Don't waste your time or money on some name brand. Use the money you save to buy a movie or game to go with what you are plugging into this great little box!
Customer Review: Skeptical about buying an hdmi switch? This is the review for you.
Summary: 5 Stars
I'e done so much research on different switches both expensive and not so expensive and I'm happy to say that this one is not only amazing it's cheap too. I've heard problems ranging from sound or picture degradation, having to use really thick cables only, some switches gave problems when the xbox is plugged in and they want to use the ps3, some don't auto switch, some are just plain expensive for doing such a simple thing. This switch has been working like a dream, picture and sound are unchanged and looks just as good as if it were just going straight to the tv. I use dirt cheap and more expensive cables and both work fine with no difference. It auto switches perfectly and I use both an xbox 360 and a ps3 with it and it's perfect.
My setup is a samsung 40" 1080p LCD 60htz tv with one hdmi port, this switch linked to a ps3 in port 1, an xbox 360 in port 2 and a gaming laptop in port 3. Everything auto switches perfectly, I haven't had to touch the switch since I installed it and I never even have to use the remote. It uses no power and works amazing to the price. I highly recommend this switch otherwise I would not be writing this review for you. Do yourself a favor and buy it, I was going to use this as a placeholder until I could buy a more expensive switch buy was so pleasantly surprised I've decided that there is no need to shovel out more money. If the switch dosn't work for you it is probally just an unlucky defective switch. That's the only reason I could see that there would be bad reviews about this item.
Lastly, the only thing I haven't been able to test is comparability with tv's above 60htz speed, simply because I don't have one. Look at the description or other reviews for that answer. Other than that I hope I have answered your questions. As a re-cap, I have read every review on this thing and took a chance and it turned out perfect, no degradation of any kind and works perfectly. Good luck