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: This switch works GREAT for me....
Summary: 5 Stars
After reading the reviews on Amazon, I had no idea if this thing would automatically switch my devices or not, but for Amazon's price of [...] (including shipping) compared to $35 or $40 for a similar device at Wally World, I figured I'd give it a shot. I only have 2 devices. A local company Cable TV box (not Comcast) and a Blu Ray Player I use with Netflix. I have no idea how this thing works, maybe I was just lucky, but it works perfect and will auto-swap to whichever device is on. I hooked up my Blu Ray player to port 1 and cable box to port 2 and it worked fine. I then swapped them to see what would happen and it worked correctly either way.
The switch comes with a tiny IR sensor, for increased remote reception, with about a 4 foot cable that you hook into the tiny port marked "IR". Using the double stick tape about the size of a dime, you can place the sensor at a discreet location away from the switch (like on the front of your TV stand?) and in a more direct line with the remote. The remote does work fine, though I haven't needed it since the switch will go to whichever device is on, in my case anyway. I have absolutely NO IDEA what the "5V" power plug is for! No power cord/transformer was included or needed for the device to work.
Picture quality is excellent. I watch TV in HD and Netflix movies all the time. Picture and sound quality is great. The switch does not diminish the quality of either at all that I can tell.
If you don't have an HDMI cable for each device, switch to TV, Cable box to switch, Blu Ray player to switch, 3 in my case, I'd suggest you order them when you order the switch. I COULD have bought one for [...] on Amazon when I ordered the switch and had to pay $30 for one later. I had no idea they cost so much.
Customer Review: Big money saver
Summary: 5 Stars
I have a Sony receiver that only has 2 HDMI inputs and I have a computer, PS3, HD-DVD player, and Dish Network. This little switch kept me from buying a new receiver to hook up all my equipment through HDMI cables. All the good reviews are correct in its functionality and I love it. One more remote to deal with, but it is worth it. Check the prices though, I could have saved $5 if I just would have looked to the right side on the product page as there are other places charging less. It works so good that I will take the loss with a grin.
I have added that I have power coming out of both my computer and Dish Network and have had no problems with it trying to switch back and forth automatically. I just use the remote and it will stay on whichever I select. For the record
Input 1 - Computer (Power always on)
Input 2 - Sony PS3 (Power is off when not in use)
Input 3 - Dish Network (Power is always on)
I can even switch between PC and Dish while they are both on - like when I watch a NASCAR race, I like to keep up with some things live on my PC while watching it on Dish. Just push one of the three bottons on the remote and I am there, whether the unit is on or off I am switching to. So I can not comment on the automatic switching.
Hope this helps some out there trying to connect more than one thing with constant power.
Had only 34 days and it went out. Started flickering and out she went. I have to have this so I ordered another one. Maybe the next will do better. Still cheaper than ordering a new reciever. Will hang on to the paper work with this one incase something happens to it. Worked great when it worked.
Customer Review: Simple inexpensive HDMI auto-swtitching
Summary: 5 Stars
This was as close to plug and play as they come. Took my one HDMI input from the my Westinghouse TV and put it into the output of this tiny device. Then I put the Comcast Cable HDMI into Port 2 knowing that plugging my DVD player into Port 1 will be a higher priority when I turn it on.
The priority is 1 > 2 > 3 so three is the lowest and will be selected only if one or two are powered off.
No power source needed. A bright red light indicates which input is active. When I plug in the DVD to Port 1 and turn on the DVD, the Port 1 dutifully takes priority over Port 2 and the DVD is now showing--no needing to switch the input to the TV now, this little beauty did it for me.
Then it also comes with a Infra-Red lead so you can plug it into the main unit so you can tuck the main unit (and that glowing red LED) back out of sight and only leave the small discrete tear-drop shaped IR receiver in view. A small credit card size remote lets you manually select the Ports if you need to. This 3 button simple remote also worked without effort.
All in all, this is a superbly simple solution to multiple HDMI devices all trying to input to one TV HDMI input.
The upside too is that my DVD up-scaling feature was hamstrung and had to use the less capable (lower def) component outputs (instead of its HDMI) while the Comcast Cable DVR unit hogged the one HDMI input. Now I can watch both with HDMI quality :). Very cool.
So this is pretty much a no-brainer. Unless you are willing to buy a new TV with more inputs and even then having to snake multiple HDMI cables from your components to the TV, this is a far less expensive (but very effective) solution.
Customer Review: Goodbye Input Button, Hello Happy Spouse
Summary: 5 Stars
Technology is supposed to make life easy, yet when my 42-inch Philips HDTV developed a way-too-common HDMI switching problem that required several restarts in order to jump from TV to DVD, easy ended. So I bought this little, cheap and yet highly-reviewed device which automatically switches up to three HDMI ports based on the newest powered on source.
With almost no documentation, I plugged it into my TV and expected severely pixelated video, odd configurations that would require switching out my newer 1.3 HDMI cables to the older 1.2 or 1.1 cables and wondered if I had to get a power converter to keep it powered. Then I fired up the TV, saw the blue light on the little box light up (it runs off the power of the HDMI cable) and quickly watched as my FIOS TV showed up. Then I fired up my Blu-ray player. The TV image goes blank and then quickly switches to Blu-ray. I added an Xbox 360 with HDMI and the same thing happened. When I shut both off and then just left the FIOS box on... it switched back to TV without a single click on the Input button.
Sure, I do notice some decrease on the edges on text and softer images but I'm pretty picky -- yet it won't interfere with daily viewing and most won't even notice. For those who have multiple HDMI devices on at once, you'll either have to click the input button on the device or use the included remote to manually switch inputs. Anyone with a wife, husband or family member who still has difficulty with remembering what Input to change to in order to watch TV or a movie, this is a must. My only issue is that the name "3 Port Smart HDMI Switch" should be changed to "3 Port Brilliant HDMI Switch."
Customer Review: Charming Little Switcher
Summary: 5 Stars
This item works better than expected. Its small and compact which is a plus since you can put it anywhere. The plastic does seem flimsy, but I don't plan on moving it around and I am definitely not stacking anything on it.
The package doesn't come with a power supply or cord which worried me at first, but I quickly found out that it uses so little power that it can draw what it needs from what it's connected to (in my case computer monitor, PS3 and Xbox 360). Also, if you really want to use a power cord you can use any 5v power input like the rock band USB port or for me my charger cord for my rechargeable AA batteries.
The remote can be a little difficult to figure out. It has a little sensor "box" that looks like a very small optical mouse. You'll have to point he remote directly at it for it to change.
The box automatically changes to which ever input is most recently turned on. So for example if you have your computer running and then turn on your PS3 it will auto change to your PS3 which can be good unless you want to play on your TV while having your computer up on your monitor. It's not to bad since you can just push the button or use the remote to change it back no problem.
All in all this product works great for such a small price. I highly recommend it. There is a momentary flicker when you change inputs, but really when do you ever need high def input this very second right after you change the input. Wait a sec or two and the picture will look great. Amazing value for the box...Bad service from the company though, but that doesn't detract from the product.