Gizmodo: hdmi switch

Lightning Review: Belkin 2-in-1 HDMI Switch

Jason Chen — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 21:00:58 EST

The Gadget: Belkin's 2-to-1 HDMI Switch that's not only small and IR-remote controlled, it's also self-powered—meaning you won't have to take up another slot on your already crowded home theater power strip.

The Price: $54.99

The Verdict: Fantastic. We tried it on both an upscaling DVD player and a PlayStation 3 and noticed no signal degradation between this and plugging the devices straight into the TV. It supports up to 1080p, and can be toggled by a simple remote that has the numbers "1" and "2" on two buttons. It takes a second or two to switch from one input to the other, but unless you're toggling back and forth rapidly between a basketball game and a game you're playing on the PS3, you won't really notice. You can get a totally cheap switch from Monoprice for about $20, or another no-name remote-enabled switch for $30. Belkin's, however, comes with a lifetime warranty and a name like Belkin. [Belkin]

Oppo HM-31 Turns Three HDMI Signals Into One Without Clipping or Gypping

Charlie White — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 08:53:44 EDT

There's something about those initials HDMI that send some manufacturers into fits of greed, but not Oppo. The company that makes up-rezzing DVD players, two of which we've favorably reviewed, now announces an HDMI switch that turns three 1080p sources into one, electronically switching them with a remote control and sending those crispy clean signals to the HDTV display of your choice in glorious HDMI 1.3. The best news is that this Oppo HM-31 costs less than many of those strangely overpriced HDMI cables themselves, $99. Doesn't look half bad, either. [Oppo]

IOGear Automatic HDMI Switch, Instead of a Whole New Receiver

Charlie White — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 12:51:21 EDT

If you're thinking about dropping more than $1000 on a fancy new receiver just because it has four HDMI inputs, wait a doggone minute. This IOGear Automatic HDMI Switch has four HDMI ports going in and one going to your TV, and it's pretty smart, too, automatically figuring out which component is on and then sending that (up to 1080p) signal directly to your HDMI-equipped TV set.

If you want to control things yourself, there's also a remote that lets you select the source manually, and then you can also teach that remote's commands to your universal learning (cough! Harmony! cough!) remote, too. IOGear was even nice enough to include a six-foot HDMI cable, but was a little bashful about pricing thus far. We'll update this post with the price as soon as their reps get over their shyness attack.

UPDATE: Whoa, it's $189. That's a lot of cheddar.
UPDATE 2: Here's the same kind of switch, different brand, though, for $48.26. Switcheroo, indeed. [IOGear]