An HDMI video switch (a.k.a. HDMI video switcher, HDMI switch box) draws HDMI signal from several HDMI sources and sends the signal from one of them to your favorite HDTV. In this manner, it acts as an agent to take numerous HDMI signals for the HDTV, even if your own HDTV has merely a couple of HDMI port(s).
You could hook up a number of HD devices to the HDTV, which will include your favorite:
* 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 devices that are able to outputting HDMI signals.
For the easiness of hooking up many HDMI devices, just how much should you really invest on an HDMI switch?
A Good Price for An HDMI Video Switch
You will probably find branded HDMI switches at just about $250 in a local BestBuy store, or maybe $150 if you look around a little bit. The feelings simply instantly tells you this doesn’t sound right: HDMI switching is such a straightforward functionality, so why does it need to cost you that much? And furthermore, with a wide selection of 42-46 ” HDTVs listed roughly around $600-700 these days, $150 – $250 simply appears to be a rediculous amount, we may as well add a few hundred dollars to grab a completely new HDTV.
Then Why Not Just $20?
Indeed, anyone only need to pay $20 on a 3-port HDMI video switch, which will have the work done literally just perfectly just as those $250 ones: they’ll have precisely the same offerings which include 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 have to have more parts and cost a little more. A 2×1 HDMI switch, with 2 HDMI inputs and 1 output, could perhaps cost about $10-15; while a 5×1 HDMI video switch could set you back for perhaps $30-40, but not $400.
Do They Literally Perform The Same?
Part of you inside perhaps keeps telling you that those higher priced ones must have superior audio/video quality, since they charge so much more, right?
However, in the digital universe, it’s either 1 or 0: signals either get transmitted and transmitted in its 100% full quality, or it’ll get lost with nothing transmitted at all —- you’ll find nothing in the middle.
The HDMI video switch will not alter the data at all, HDMI data are passed over from the input port to the output port untouched, which means that whatever in the HDMI source will be sent to the HDTV like the HDMI source attaches to your own HDTV directly.
That’s precisely the reason why a $20 HDMI video switch will have its HDMI switching job done just as well as $250 ones.
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satellite dish network