HDMI Switcher

[JT86]

As my TV only has one HDMI input, whenever I want to switch between DVD player and PS3 I have to move the TV to take out one HDMI lead and put in the other. So I was thinking of buying a HDMI swithcher like this one:

http://www.play.com/Games/PlayStation3/4-/3321396/HDMI_Tri_Link_Switcher/Product.html

Was just wondering if anybody had one and if so what the quality is like? I mean is there a drop in picture quality due to using a switcher?

If there's even a slight drop in quality i'd rather just stick to moving TV in and out and replacing cables, as its not exactly a major hassle

 

[Luis88]

I haven't got one mate because the only ones I've seen so far cost about £150 from places like maplins and lektopaks. At that price it might just be worth trying it. If you get one in the next few days post your findings i'm sure there's plenty of people going to be looking for that kind of thing soon.

 

[JT86]

Yeah seeing the price that some are going for has made me a little weary about buying one around the £25-30 mark off eBay.
Tho the HDMI & optical cables i've bought off there recently were dirt cheap compared to the price of one from well known manufacturers and I definately can't complain about the quality!
I'm looking at a few on eBay just now (as they go for around £10 cheaper in auction than Buy it now) and pretty sure I'll buy one in next couple of days so I'll keep you posted.

 

[Luis88]

look forward to learning the results of your research.

Cheers M8

 

[Tocano]

If there's even a slight drop in quality i'd rather just stick to moving TV in and out and replacing cables, as its not exactly a major hassle

I am in the same situation and am going to get an HDMI switcher soon to eliminate the possibility of the connector going faulty through excessive wear.

I have also looked at that one on play.com but will wait and see if they update the site with more specs once they are in stock because if you are using SKY then it has to be HDCP compliant.

Also i don't mind if there was a slight drop in quality as this would be easier to live with than the possibility of the HDMI connector on the TV going faulty due to the wear and tear of continually swapping the leads as the are not really designed for lots of plugging/unplugging!!



Info taken from a review:-

Obviously with a digital connection, signal degradation is far less of an issue, but HDMI does bring with it the problem of HDCP.

HDCP is the protocol that is used to protect digital content from copyright infringement. For example, if you connect a Sky HD box to a screen that isn’t HDCP compliant it will refuse to display an image – it will actually just present you with a large window telling you to disconnect your HDMI cable to be precise. A PlayStation 3 on the other hand, will down scale content to standard definition if it isn’t connected via an HDCP compliant HDMI connection. So HDCP compliance is paramount for any company attempting to produce an HDMI switcher.

Luckily for all those HDTV owners with multiple HDMI envy, there are a couple of companies who have cracked the HDMI switcher problems and have products that offer both multiple input switching and HDCP compliance.


Full review available here.

 

[Munkey]

I'd spend a bit and either buy a good switcher or buy a cheap AV Receiver that would take care of all the switching for you as well as the audio stuff.

I've decided to invest in some JS Technology equipment and a cheap AV Receiver for my component switching. QED also make good av components for a reasonable price

Best to spend a little bit of money though and get something good.

 

[JT86]

Decided to go for this one: HDMI SWITCH for £26 and bought a £5 HDMI cable with it.

Connected my DVD Player and PS3 to it and tested it out earlier today. Have to say I'm really happy with it. Can't see any visible difference from when I had one setup straight to TV.

So anyone who doesn't fancy paying £75-100 for a well-known brand one (and like me just can't be arsed moving TV to change leads!) shouldn't be put off by buying a £30 one off ebay. No doubt a more expensive switcher will be of better quality but I doubt you'll notice £50 worth of difference in the picture quality

 

[siross]

Decided to go for this one: HDMI SWITCH for £26 and bought a £5 HDMI cable with it.

Connected my DVD Player and PS3 to it and tested it out earlier today. Have to say I'm really happy with it. Can't see any visible difference from when I had one setup straight to TV.

So anyone who doesn't fancy paying £75-100 for a well-known brand one (and like me just can't be arsed moving TV to change leads!) shouldn't be put off by buying a £30 one off ebay. No doubt a more expensive switcher will be of better quality but I doubt you'll notice £50 worth of difference in the picture quality

cant really see the picture being altered at all, its a digital signal and bar it being interferred with the switcher wont make much difference

glad it worked out for ya in the end nyway pal

 

[JT86]

Cheers mate!
Its just when you see other ones around the £80 mark I just couldn't help but think there must be some sort of difference in quality to justify it being twice the price. It guess like most things its just the name that appears on the front!

 

[Tocano]

Have you tried using it with sky?? If so whats it like?

 

[JT86]

Sorry mate but I don't have sky. Just got my PS3 and DVD player set up through it

*EDIT - edited because ice2004 (the delicate little princess that he is) wasn't happy with the spelling :stickout:

 

[ice2004]

Sorry mate but I don't have sky. Just got my PS3 and DVD player set up through it

*EDIT - edited because ice2004 (the delicate little princess that he is) wasn't happy with the spelling :stickout:

lol c0ck! Thank god im not in your uni group with spelling like that the report would be a straight fail!

 

[Munkey]

No doubt a more expensive switcher will be of better quality but I doubt you'll notice £50 worth of difference in the picture quality

Depends on your setup mate. If you're happy with the switch that you've bought then thats all that counts. Others (including me) are plagued with overly fussy eyesight which restricts the choice of AV hardware that we can buy.