For about $20, my expectations weren't too high, but this product has done everything the description says it will do. There's three HDMI inputs on the "front" and one output on the "back" (front and back distinctions are at your discretion). Simply hook up your devices and then connect to your upstream television or other video display device. The box takes care of switching back and forth or you can use the included 3-button remote to manually swap.
It all works perfectly. The device does take about 30 seconds to notice that my Xbox 360 has been shut down, but I don't know if that's the fault of the box or if the 360 doesn't close off the HDMI port until the final moment. Apogee HDMI 3x1 Mini Switcher
Easy to use, hook up and forget it.
I've bought and installed 2 of these...one in my own home, and one in (my 70 year old) mom's home afterward. Mine had worked out well, so when I was visiting Mom, I ordered one to help her manage her HDMI tangle, too. I felt confident it was automatic and needed nothing once set up, or I would have never left one behind with her to deal with (1,000 miles away).
I was settingup my entertainment center after receiving my Samsung 60" LED Samsung UN55C7000 55-Inch 1080p 240 Hz 3D LED HDTV (Black) (which ROCKS...see my review!), to which I needed to run 3 HDMI devices over the one HDMI cable I had embedded inside the wall prior to installing the television.
This came with a remote control, which kind of worried me because I have WAY too many of those and didn't want to have to use one every time I wanted to change inputs. It chooses automatically, so the remote went into the "who knows what this is for" remote drawer and the unit works perfectly and chooses the input based on...whatever is giving out a signal, I guess. It works, and that's what matters.
It also came with what is usually referred to as an "IR Blaster" cable, one end plugs into a jack on the body of the splitter and the other end can be lead out to the front (and attached with velcro or tape) so it can "see" the remote control if you choose to use the remote.
There's a pretty bright blue led on this thing, you wouldn't want it shining in your bedroom at night. You could cover it with tape, or just stuff it behind the equipment like I did. I can still see a faint blue glow back there when I turn out the lights...
EDIT April 2011:
A recent comment on my review got me thinking about this product again. After I tossed out the one that failed on me (I was just barely outside the return window), I bought another. That one has been working just fine for over 6 months. Based on this, I feel comfortable rating this as a 4. Based purely on functionality/size/ease of use/price it probably tends toward a 5... but questionable quality/reliability (i.e. you might get a lemon like I did the first time), holds it back to a 4.
EDIT August 2010:
I have bumped my review score from a 5 down to a 2 for this item. A couple of weeks ago, i.e. after just a month or so of use, I started having intermittent audio drop-outs... and then sparklies... and then complete loss of signal. Even after dialing from 1080i down to 720p and then 480p, no signal. After some troubleshooting, I bypassed this switch (keeping the rest of the LONG signal chain in place), and was able to get signal to my TV again -- implicating this switch as the culprit.
I am confused as to why it died a slow/gradual death, rather than a sudden one. There was a period of a few days where the switch was "usable," just with audio drop-outs and video sparklies before it finally gave up for good. Going to see if I can return this and get it replaced, or if I just have to take it as a loss (if so... at least it was cheap).
ORIGINAL REVIEW JULY 2010:
I bought this as part of the signal chain feeding HD sources in my basement to a new plasma TV installed upstairs over my fireplace (see my HDMI extenders review for more details). I selected it mainly because:
1. It has 3 ins to 1 out, which is what I required for my system.
2. It has IR control capability, with discrete commands for each input already present in the Harmony Remote database.
3. Reviews stated it did not require an external power supply (in spite of the 5VDC in present on it).
4. VERY reasonable price, and Prime-eligible
I now have it installed and it is meeting/exceeding all my expectations. I had it passing 1080p with no problems; I eventually scaled back to 1080i due to the characteristics of my overall signal chain (again, I'll refer you to my HDMI extenders review for more detail... but in summary, it involves 27' of HDMI cable, a HDMI-to-Cat5e extender system, and ~80' of Cat5e cable) and it has been performing great. It truly does not need AC adapter; it's drawing whatever power it needs over HDMI. No A/V glitches or hiccups, no signal degradation, very quick switching between inputs, and it never misses an IR command (since I have an emitter bug stuck right to the IR receiver!). Just a great little (REALLY little) switch. - Hdmi Switcher - Hdtv - Hdmi - Great Price'
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