So I have only one working HDMI port on my Tv and I was looking at HDMI switchers. Is there a brand that is known for this type of stuff or does it not matter?
HDMI Switcher?
I use Kinivo 301BN. You can switch between 3 devices and it works well from my 2 and a half month experience so far. It's only $30 on Amazon.
Here are the downsides:
-doesn't have an off switch (you have to unplug)
-remote is really cheap quality (buttons suck but they work and the auto detect is good)
-I think the lights are distracting
-needs power (maybe they're all like that? Not sure)
Also note that it doesn't come w. a hdmi cable so buy or have one extra.
I use two of these (on different TVs): one is a three-port HDMI switch and the other is a five-port HDMI switch. Both do not need a power adapter (they are powered vie the HDMI hookup) and are auto-switching. Both are branded "Enjoy Gadgets" (inexpensive Chinese-made things but have not steered me wrong so far) and were bought through Amazon. (put in a spoiler thing so it hopefully does not come off as spam or attract spammers to the forums)
They both work great. Even with the newer consoles using standby/rest mode the auto switching seems to work a-ok; though I once had a BluRay home-theatre-in-a-box that used a stand-by mode that would confuse the switcher so bear that in mind that they are not totally fool-proof. At any rate, they also come with a little remote control in case you want to manually switch the input, and there is a manual button on top of the HDMI switch to cycle the active input. I think both of them were about $10-15 Canadian, so I'm pretty pleased.
I use this guy and it's perfect. Got my TV receiver, PS4, and Xbox One plugged in. They automatically switch when I turn them on.
My TV receiver powers the thing, but I believe you can get an adapter. It's cheap and the review average isn't great, but it absolutely works for the past year and a half.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00B46XUQU/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1
http://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=8147
$13.26 right now, or you can buy one with three ports for a couple more dollars. I've used mine for over a year now, and it has worked quite nicely.
I use this one from Monoprice and have had no issue with it so far http://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=4088
Used to have the 3x1 pigtail, but the autoswitching was a pain when hooked up to a Wii U since it would call out to the controller constantly while you're in the middle of using a different device and would switch to the Wii U.
:@liquiddragon: That was the one I was looking at to buy, it seemed like the one that was well made
@butano: That was one of my worries. My setup is going to be: Direct TV, PS4, and my new Wii U. I figured that the Wii U would be the one to give trouble to a switcher
I have this one:
http://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=8149
I don't mind it too much because I'm only using the switch to switch between consoles, so it doesn't interfere with other uses of my TV. And it has a button to quickly override the auto select (though no remote). Not to mention, it won't cause the issue if the WiiU is already on and I'm already on something else.
That said, the reviews are pretty scary. I haven't had an issue but I am using pretty short (3ft.) cables between the box and devices / TV, so possibly it's bad with longer cables.
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