An HDMI video switch (a.k.a. HDMI video switcher, HDMI switch box) draws HDMI signals from different HDMI sources and sends the signals from one of these to your HDTV. In this manner, it serves as an agent to receive several HDMI signals for your favorite HDTV, despite that your favorite HDTV has just a couple of HDMI port(s).
You can easily connect a few HD sources to your own HDTV, which include your favorite:
* BluRay player, HDDVD player, DVD player with HDMI output;
* Playstation 3, Xbox360, Wii with HDMI output;
* HTPC, or computers with HDMI ports;
* HDTV box, satellite dish network, HD PVR;
* HD camera, or HD cam recorder;
* All the other gadgets which are able to outputting HDMI data.
For the benefit of hooking up many HDMI devices, just how much should you really spend on an HDMI switch?
The Best Price for An HDMI Video Switch
You’ll find branded HDMI switches at around $250 in a nearest BestBuy store, or perhaps $150 if you shop around a little. Your favorite instinct almost definitely instantly tells you this won’t add up: HDMI switching is such a simple function, how come does it have to cost that much? And, with more and more 42-46 inch HDTVs listed approximately $600-700 today, $150 - $250 truly does seem to be too much, we might as well add a couple of hundred bucks to get a completely new HDTV.
Then Why Not Just $20?
That is correct, everyone only really need to pay $20 on a 3-port HDMI video switch, which will have the job done literally flawlessly just as those $250 ones: they’ll have the same goodies like support for 1080P FullHD, DTS-HD, Dolby TrueHD, Linear PCM (LPCM), auto and manual HDMI switching, HDMI v1.3b and HDCP pass-through.
Number of Ports Matter. More ports will need more parts and cost just a bit more. A 2×1 HDMI switch, with 2 HDMI inputs and 1 output, may likely cost about $10-15; whereas a 5×1 HDMI video switch could cost you for probably $30-40, but not $400.
Do They Absolutely Function The Same?
Part of you inside probably keeps telling you those pricy ones must have superior audio/video quality, if they charge much more, right?
However, in the digital world, it’s either 1 or 0: signals either get transmitted and transmitted in its 100% full quality, or it’ll get lost with absolutely nothing transmitted at all —- you’ll find nothing in the middle.
The HDMI video switch won’t modify the data at all, HDMI signal are handed over from the input port to the output port untouched, and this assures that anything in the HDMI source is going to be delivered to the HDTV as if the HDMI source connects to your own HDTV directly.
That’s exactly the key reason why a $20 HDMI video switch will have its HDMI switching job done equally well as $250 ones.
Tags:
bestbuy store,
hdmi inputs,
hdmi switcher,
linear pcm,
satellite dish network