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An HDMI video switch (a.k.a. HDMI video switcher, HDMI switch box) takes HDMI data from a few different HDMI sources and sends the signal from one of them to the HDTV. In this way, it acts as an agent to receive several HDMI signal for the HDTV, although your HDTV has only a couple of HDMI port(s).

You can connect different HD sources to your favorite HDTV, such as your favorite:

* BluRay player, HD-DVD player, DVD player with HDMI output;
* PS3, Xbox360, Wii with HDMI output;
* HTPC, or computers with HDMI ports;
* HDTV box, satellite dish network, HD PVR;
* HD camera, or HD cam recorder;
* Any other gadgets which are capable of outputting HDMI data.

For the benefit of connecting many HDMI gizmos, how much money should you really spend on an HDMI switch?

A Good Price for An HDMI Video Switch

You can definitely find branded HDMI switches at roughly $250 in a neighboring BestBuy retail store, or maybe $150 if you search a little. The intuition almost definitely immediately tells you this does not sound right: HDMI switching is such a straightforward functionality, so why does it have to cost you that much? And, with a good number of 42-46 ” HDTVs priced more or less $600-700 lately, $150 – $250 certainly does sound to be ridiculous, we may as well add a few hundred bucks to bring home a fresh new HDTV.

How About Just $20?

Indeed, an individual only have to spend $20 on a 3-port HDMI video switch, which will have the work done literally beautifully just like those $250 ones: they’re going to have similar benefits that include support for 1080P FullHD, DTS-HD, Dolby TrueHD, Linear PCM (LPCM), automatic and manual HDMI switching, HDMI v1.3b and HDCP pass-through.

Number of Ports Matter. More ports have to have more materials and cost a bit more. A 2×1 HDMI switch, with 2 HDMI inputs and 1 output, may cost about $10-15; while a 5×1 HDMI video switch could set you back for maybe $30-40, but not $400.

Do They Actually Function The Same?

Part of you inside quite possibly keeps telling you those really expensive ones have to have superior audio/video quality, because they can charge a lot 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 will get lost with nothing transmitted at all —- there’s nothing in between.

The HDMI video switch isn’t going to change the data at all, HDMI signals are handed over from the input port to the output port untouched, this would make sure that everything in the HDMI source is going to be sent to the HDTV as if the HDMI source attaches to your favorite HDTV directly.

That is really the key reason why a $20 HDMI video switch will have its HDMI switching job done equally well as $250 ones.

Tags: bluray player, hd camera, hd dvd player, hdmi inputs, linear pcm, satellite dish network

Earlier HDTVs are likely to include just 1 or 2 HDMI ports, and this puts the early adopters in a slightly awkward position today, as there are so many HDMI appliances to be plugged in, yet so few HDMI ports available.

In order to connect your various HDMI gadgets to your HDTV, one way, , is to upgrade to a new HDTV which now mostly has 4 or more HDMI ports, but that also leads to much, much lighter weight of your wallet.

A more affordable way is to take advantage of an HDMI switch, which can connect multiple HDMI items to your HDTV via a single HDMI port.

What Is an HDMI Switch, and What Does It Do?

An HDMI switch (a.k.a. HDMI switcher, HDMI selector) receives HDMI signals from various HDMI sources and transmits the signals to your HDTV, occupying only 1 HDMI port. It acts as an agent to accept many HDMI data for your HDTV, even though your HDTV has just 1 or 2 HDMI port(s).

By using an HDMI switch, you can connect multiple HD sources to your HDTV, such as:

* Blu-Ray player, HD-DVD player, DVD player with HDMI output;
* Playstation 3, Xbox360, Wii with HDMI output;
* HTPC, or computers with HDMI ports;
* HDTV box, satellite dish network, HDTV recorder;
* HD camera, or HD Cam recorder;
* Any other products capable of outputting HDMI data.

See How Easily It Works

There are 3-port, 4-port, and 5-port HDMI switches, and those uncommon ones with more ports. The most frequently used and most budget friendly ones (due to mass production) are 3-port HDMI switches.

On a 3-port HDMI switch, you will have 4 HDMI ports: 3 input ports getting data from 3 of your HDMI sources, and 1 output port sending signals to the HDTV. There is mostly a LED light on each input side to indicate which source is chosen.

An HDMI switch generally offers you automatic switching, and allows you to override and manually select your source; some advanced HDMI switch can have a handy remote control to help make switching HDMI much simpler.

Automatic HDMI switching

A solid HDMI switch need to have this automatic switching function.

Every time you switch on an HDMI source, the HDMI switch will automatically select this source. If you decide to turn on another one, the HDMI switch will switch to this second source. If you switch on another, it’ll jump to this third device.

In most cases, this can be intelligent enough to work out just fine and take care of most, if not all, of your switching needs.

Manual HDMI switching

The above-mentioned auto-switching feature may not always work when there is one or more HDMI sources “always on”, such as an HDTV recorder or a satellite network box, which you likely don’t switch off that often, and is, therefore, always turned-on in the background.

In that case, you will need to manually select your desired HDMI source.

An HDMI switch with manual overriding feature would typically have a button on it, which allows you to manually pick your desired HD source by pushing it.

As an illustration, if the switch is now on Input 1, your pressing the button once will let you select Input 2, pressing it again allows you to jump to Input 3.

HDMI switch with remote

A remote control would be so much more convenient when you could just sit back and relax on your sofa, and select whatever input by pushing on the remote, than running over to the switch and press a button on it.

Tags: early adopters, hd camera, hd dvd player, hdmi switch, input ports, satellite dish network