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[warheat]

Gaf, I need a HDMI switch for my TV since it only came with 2 HDMI slot. Does it matter if I get the cheap $5 generic HDMI switch on ebay from chinese seller or should I get the expensive one ($30-40) like Kinivo/Monoprice?

AFAIK HDMI is digital so it either works or it doesn't, but would I suffer from input lag if I get the cheap one?

EDIT : Alright I just bought this off ebay for like 6 bucks lol

Let's see if it works, if it doesn't I'll get Kinivo.

 

[SlaughterX]

Get an AVR

 

[QaaQer]

I doubt the cheap Chinese one will be doing any processing on the signal, and that's where lag comes into play. Give it a shot and if it doesn't work, go monoprice.

 

[8bit]

Just get the cheap one.

 

[drugstore_cowboy]

I've had cheap ones before and they were hit and miss at 1080p, also had issues with cable length.

I guess more modern ones would be fine.

 

[Quixz]

Get an AVR

I read somewhere that an AVR adds input lag.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

I got the cheap one from Monoprice, it works fine.

 

[Steve McQueen]

Have a Kinovo myself, does a great job. Would recommend.

 

[dmix90]

Using VCOM 3 in 1 out paired with my AV receiver. Works fine but there are some issues like if you connect it to DC it wont be able to automatically switch input signal when you power on connected device and you have to use remote. It works without DC and switch signal when output device gets powered on and starts to send data via hdmi but there are some devices that always keep power to hdmi( Xbox One in standby for example ) so you again have to use remote.

As far as i know there wont be any additional input lag. Hell i even use ~50ft hdmi cable from another room connected to my pc and havent noticed any input lag differences.

 

[SpotAnime]

Have a Kinovo myself, does a great job. Would recommend.

Yep get the Kivino. You definitely get what you pay for. I have one and have never had any problems.

 

[Garibaldi]

I read somewhere that an AVR adds input lag.

That should only happen if you have the avr do some processing of the image. Just direct pass through shouldn't add any extra discernable lag.

 

[warheat]

Alright I just bought this off ebay for like 6 bucks lol

Let's see if it works, if it doesn't I'll get Kinivo.

 

[dancrane212]

The thing I noticed with the cheap HDMI switches is certain hardware, like the Wii U, will sometimes send a video signal to the switch while it is in a standby mode which confuses the hardware. Ie. playing PS3 and all of a sudden the video channel changes to a black screen.

I first I though it had to do with a powered vs unpowered switch but it happened on both. I ended up swapping things around where the Wii U is now directly connected via another HDMI port and haven't had an issue since.

 

[gogogow]

I actually use a Yamaha AVR, but it has only 4 hdmi inputs and I have 5 devices. I used a cheap HDMI switch on one of the Yamaha input and it adds another 3 inputs.

Didn't experience any input lag or whatsoever. Bought it 6 years ago and still works fine.

It looks similar to the monoprice one, which is of course just a rebranded Chinese product.

 

[UltraGunner]

I've got two from Monoprice and they're excellent

 

[Diablohead]

I actually use a Yamaha AVR, but it has only 4 hdmi inputs and I have 5 devices. I used a cheap HDMI switch on one of the Yamaha input and it adds another 3 inputs.

Didn't experience any input lag or whatsoever.

It looks similar to the monoprice one, which is of course just a rebranded Chinese product.

I own something that looks very similar and was reduced in a supermarket for £4 instead of £15, it's been great for the year I have used it between consoles, pc and capture cards.

 

[Cheeseman Battitude]

Alright I just bought this off ebay for like 6 bucks lol



Let's see if it works, if it doesn't I'll get Kinivo.

I bought several of these when I saw them cheap in a supermarket but they were Belkin. Exactly the same case, not sure about the innards. Anyway, two have failed on me so I bought a Kinivo and haven't looked back since.

 

[Stuart444]

I've got this one which works great. Not had any issues outside of figuring out the infrared controller during initial set up lol. Still works great for me, not had an issue with it yet.

Not sure if it's in the US though since I couldn't find it on Amazon US

 

[westman]

AFAIK HDMI is digital so it either works or it doesn't

No, that is a silly myth. Individual bits are either correct or incorrect, but you can still have differences in the effective bit error rate, and that rate can be anywhere between 0% and 100%.

 

[Zafir]

Have a Kinovo myself, does a great job. Would recommend.

This.

Been very happy with mine.

Only have one HDMI port on my TV that works (The second one got taken out by a power surge during a lightning storm or something). So it's been invaluable to me.

 

[Cleve]

Very happy with my kinivo, just from the automatic switching standpoint.

 

[WHOAguitarninja]

That should only happen if you have the avr do some processing of the image. Just direct pass through shouldn't add any extra discernable lag.

No, the process of stripping out the audio itself is a processing stage that can add input lag. I don't think most AVRs have the ability to disable that. I've tested this directly on a couple of AVRs that I've owned (a Denon and a Sony) and both added a small amount of latency no matter what. I don't recall exactly how much but i *think* it was around 1 frame.

 

[Kelegacy]

Cheap is fine. Much like the disparity between cable prices, cheap is usually just as good for far less money.

 

[Reverb Shock]

I've only ever used those Kinivo switchers, they do the job. Try not to lose the remote, it's pretty small and not very responsive.

 

[entremet]

Do not go cheap.

I went cheap and it didn't work. TVs are finicky and the better ones test this stuff much better than knockoff.

Kinivo is great.

 

[FunkyDealer]

I've used several cheap ones, they're usually fine for a few months, then they start getting faulty. I'd recommend getting a reasonably priced one, meaning it's 25-50 USD. You get what you pay for. I've had one that cost around 35 USD for a long time now with no issues.

You'll want one that has auto-switching but also has manual control and a remote. My current one doesn't auto-switch, and I miss that feature.

 

[prag16]

A cheap Chinese one is fine. Just make sure to get one with a power adapter. Some of them will claim not to need one, and that's true in many cases, but some HDMI devices can't keep the switch sufficiently powered. Google it; lots of people corroborate this.

E.g. My PC, Wii U, and PS3 were fine with the one I have, but surprisingly the PS4 can't keep it powered. After 10 minutes the signal starts going on and out unless something else connected to the switch is also powered on. PS4 is now plugged straight into the TV until I get an AC adapter.

Otherwise the cheapo $7 one I have has lasted me 5 years and counting and it has auto switching and an IR remote.

 

[iRAWRasaurus]

I bought a Fosmon HDMI switch and it works fine IMO. However the only issue I had, is my PS4 wouldnt work with the Fosmon HDMI switch. So I just plug my PS4 directly into my HDTV.

 

[RPGCrazied]

I use this from amazon for this very reason. I only had 2 HDMI slots and wanted more. I haven't had any issues with it yet.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008GVOVK0/?tag=neogaf0e-20

 

[FunkyDealer]

I use this from amazon for this very reason. I only had 2 HDMI slots and wanted more. I haven't had any issues with it yet.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008GVOVK0/?tag=neogaf0e-20

I've had problems with these. I've had one with two slots and one with three, lasted less than six months I think.

 

[RPGCrazied]

I've had problems with these. I've had one with two slots and one with three, lasted less than six months I think.

I haven't. Not so far, still though for $12 you really can't complain. lol

 

[Rebel Leader]

Have a Kinovo myself, does a great job. Would recommend.

Where can we buy it?

 

[FunkyDealer]

I haven't. Not so far, still though for $12 you really can't complain. lol

Yeah, it doesn't hurt as bad when they stop working as you can just buy a new one.

I'd recommend getting a switch with more ports than you need OP, that way you've got an extra if one of them get faulty and it'll last longer. Oh, and a powered one is usually best.

 

[Mihos]

I use this from amazon for this very reason. I only had 2 HDMI slots and wanted more. I haven't had any issues with it yet.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008GVOVK0/?tag=neogaf0e-20

I had tons of autos sensing issues with this one, especially with PS3. I gave it away and picked up one that can be controlled with an IR blaster through my Harmony hub. Also, don't ever buy one that has the cable but in.

Nothing worse than mid action having your input switch another input on a device that isn't even on

 

[YesManKablam]

I got a cheap one and monitor is sometimes a little finicky with it, but only for certain games.

Bloodborne would just produce a black screen. Apart from that, it was grand.

 

[Ushojax]

The Kinovo is perfect, I highly recommend it. Zero issues.

 

[RPGCrazied]

I had tons of autos sensing issues with this one, especially with PS3. I gave it away and picked up one that can be controlled with an IR blaster through my Harmony hub. Also, don't ever buy one that has the cable but in.

Eh. It works for me switching between my bluray player, WIi U and Cable box.

It does what it says it will do. And that is fine for me. Maybe it will stop working soon, but for now it works.

 

[family_guy]

Get an AVR

This. If you can afford it. Of course if you're just using your TV's speakers or headphones it would be overkill.

 

[Joei]

I use this from amazon for this very reason. I only had 2 HDMI slots and wanted more. I haven't had any issues with it yet.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008GVOVK0/?tag=neogaf0e-20

I had a lot of problems with this one as well. I tried two of them thinking I got unlucky the first time, but I had a lot of sensing issues going between systems with both switches.

I ended up grabbing one at Best Buy for like 30$ I think and have had no issues with it.

 

[Koppai]

Gaf, I need a HDMI switch for my TV since it only came with 2 HDMI slot. Does it matter if I get the cheap $5 generic HDMI switch on ebay from chinese seller or should I get the expensive one ($30-40) like Kinivo/Monoprice?

AFAIK HDMI is digital so it either works or it doesn't, but would I suffer from input lag if I get the cheap one?

We sell one at Best Buy and I have been using it for about a year, I think it's good and it comes with a remote to switch.

 

[Bubba77]

I only have experience eith the kinivo but its worked flawlessly. Switches automatically when I turn on my ps3 or ps4 hooked up to a computer monitor.

 

[King_Moc]

I use a hdmi switch to run my consoles into a capture card. One thing I noticed is that the PS4 needed the capture card to be powered separately, or it didn't work (or only worked for a few seconds). A USB powered one works fine.

 

[NervousXtian]

I have a Monoprice 4x2 switch.... there is lag though, but it's better than me moving all my systems from room to room.

 

[BlackClouds]

I read somewhere that an AVR adds input lag.

Obscene amounts of lag if you want to use any of the a/v features.

 

[Costia]

I use a cheap one from ebay.
It doesn't do any processing, it's just a switch, so treat this the same you you would treat buying a light switch.
So if it works, it will work the same. The biggest difference could be in build quality. Though my guess would be that even the more expensive ones are made in china, just with a brand sticker put on them.

 

[warheat]

No, that is a silly myth. Individual bits are either correct or incorrect, but you can still have differences in the effective bit error rate, and that rate can be anywhere between 0% and 100%.

Interesting, because I've had few HDMI cables and they all works the same, even the $3 one I can't see any difference.

 

[HF2014]

Suggestion: I dont know if you got a sound system. If you dont you can always consider this. The sound system i have got like 3-4 other hdmi. But if you just need a switcher, and a 4k one specificly, well, i know nothing sbout it, sorry.

 

[Duxxy3]

I use that beauty for my PS4 and XB1.

No issues.

 

[DedValve]

I got a really cheap one off amazon and I don't notice any different in input lag or visual quality.

However on the wiiU it causes horrible screen tearing after a period so I just have the wii U connected straight to the tv and the xbox/ps4 connected via the switcher.

 

[superjona]

Using a manual 4-switch here, no problems at all.