Technical > Audio/Video Chat > HDMI Switch That Works?

HDMI Switch That Works?

I've not used any, but check out monoprice. They have several models and good support.
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Monoprice looks good. Thanks for the info.

reply to Scilicet
Blue Jeans Cable; $29.95 from Amazon. 5 in, 1 out. Has a remote too. Much better than the one I have from Monoprice.

Hey, thanks. I read all the reviews on the Blue Jeans HDMI switch. It seems that device sensitive switches are more of a common problem than I had realized. The IOGear switch that I purchased seems to have blown the HDMI output on my Blu-Ray player. Fortunately, it is only one week old so I can return it for a replacement.

I'm curious as to why there are so many problems associated with HDMI switches. I think that I'll do some research on this. Apparently, HDMI switching is more complicated than I had thought. It seems that there is more to this than a mere switch, there are chipsets involved here and not all chipsets are equal. I am curious as to what others have to say about this.

And at first look, it would appear that not all HDMI devices uphold to the HDMI standard and there does not appear to be a specific IEEE specification. Adherence to the standard varies between manufacturers. HDMI has been around for 10 years, how disappointing. No wonder this is hit or miss.

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reply to Scilicet
I'm also looking for a good reliable HDMI Switch so please keep your comments and findings coming! Thanks

I am ordering this one today as 14 out of 15 reviews were fairly acceptable: »www.amazon.com/certified-Equaliz···4&sr=1-5

Should have it by the end of the week and I will let you know.

And as to HDCP no wonder these devices have problems.
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reply to Scilicet
I've got that same switch, received it just before Christmas. I had previously been using Apogee 3-port passive switches... those would work for anywhere from 3-6 months, then crap out. After that happened to me twice, I decided not to get burnt that way again. Here's hoping the BJC switch lasts me several years! So far, so good (though it's only been about a month).

If you have a Harmony Remote and want to program this switch into it, there is a profile for a Kinivo 5-port HDMI switch that works.

reply to Scilicet
No, the Blue Jeans HDMI switch doesn't work either. I don't know how, but it locks up both the Cable Box and the Blu-Ray Player such that you can't switch channels or turn either device off. There is only limited pasthrough on the Blu-Ray Player. WTF? Now, how is this possible?

The heck with this nonsense. This is a waste of time trying to find a HDMI switch on a hit or miss basis. The switch should NOT effect the operation of the input device... This is just plain insane. I can't risk damage to my electronics.
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I should have done this in the first place and just saved myself the aggravation. My Blu-Ray player only has a HDMI output and the TV only one HDMI input. The Roku XD streaming player has a HDMI output, but does 1080p through the RCA AV. The cable box won't do 1080p through the RF or the RCA outputs, but will do 1080p via the YPbPr component video outputs. The Wii has RCA output only.

So, the Blu-Ray to the HDMI, the Roku to the RCA AV, the Nintendo to the second RCA input, the cable box to the YPbPr and let the TV do the switching. I am just lucky that this worked out this way. It only means that I need 5 remote controllers in order to watch video at any particular time.

I had no idea that HDMI and HDCP were so convoluted. Simplifying all these inputs just isn't so simple. I will have to be much more observant of video I/O conventions in the future.
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however, there is a difference in the quality of a 1080i/p picture when using HDMI versus component cables with the latter (component cables) quality significantly changing depending on the quality of the cable and the length of the cable.
there is less of a quality difference between HDMI and component with lower resolutions like 480i/p.
try to use component for the remaining devices instead of the RCA AV if you dont have any more HDMI ports left.
this switch should work just fine without any issues.
edit:
noticed its discontinued
edit 2:
ughh, a little bit of searching & found it on amazon.... for $949 USED !
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I have no choice at the sacrifice in HD quality. I was led to believe that HDMI was the standard in HD, but it would seem that having a standard and adhering to it differs between HDMI interface manufacturers. It was my intention to simplify the hook up with my 3 HDMI devices with an automatic switch. Things just went downhill from there.

$949 used? Is that what it takes for switch that actually works? Looks like I will be waiting for a while or until I win the lottery. Yet, if it was discontinued I wonder if it was price or the same device sensitive problems that I experienced with the 3 devices that I tried out.

P.S. Notice that there wasn't one user/owner review on the Oppo switch.
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reply to Scilicet
What kind of Bluray player, and what kind of cable box do you have? No problems with two different Bluray players and one cable box here... Plus an Apple TV.

reply to Scilicet
I have been using an HDMI switch I got a while ago from Meritline.com.

The (minor) issues I have with it:
• It doesn't automatically switch input to one of the HDMI devices, a WDTV Live media box, when the WDTV is turned on
• The remote control receiver's range is extremely limited (6 feet or so)
• Jacks (HDMI in, out, remote receiver in, optional power) are on almost every side of the switch case, so it takes up more space than it needs to

reply to brhalltx
Toshiba BDX2150 Blu-Ray player and Pace RNG110 via Comcast.

Panasonic and Scientific Atlanta here... And a Phillips DVD player too.