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 May 1, 2008 Too Many Sources, Too Many TVs, Not Enough HDMI Inputs or Outputs. Solutions? These terrible transition periods. Over the years, we’ve had to beg for more inputs -- first composite, then S-video, then component, now HDMI. It’s been even worse for outputs -- it’s like pulling teeth to get more than one or two. It seems the consumer-electronics industry wants to dole out these switches v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y. But why? Most home-theater aficionados have lots of sources, and more often than not, we’d like to watch any of our sources on any of our displays. Which means we need more outputs. What’s a home-theater lover to do? The major manufacturers have been egregiously tortoise-like in catching up to the new realities of a home theater. And, as usually happens when the big players miss the big picture, smaller entrepreneurs come to the rescue with interim solutions. Take a moment to catalog what HDMI equipment you have, then what you’d like to have. Here’s my list: For sources, I currently have a Dish HD-DVR receiver, a Sony PlayStation 3 game console, an Oppo DVD player, an LG DVD recorder, and a D-Link Media hub. I’d like to add a Blu-ray disc burner, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we started to see high-definition music that uses HDMI’s code protection to convince the Luddites in the record companies to finally give us music recordings that are identical to their master tapes. So that’s five current sources, hopefully expanding to seven. On the display side, I can use my Integra DTC-9.8 A/V processor to run one HDMI cable to a projector and one to an LCD display. That leaves me with two high-definition LCD displays plus two standard-def TVs running on coax. I’d like to replace the two SDs with HDs and run HDMI to all. So for outputs, I have two but would like six. The Integra DTC-9.8 has some of the most extensive switching capability in the industry: four inputs and two outputs (4x2). Even with that, I need at least one more input and two more outputs, and preferably three more inputs and four more outputs. Before the Integra, the processors that passed through my system either had no HDMI or, if the company was feeling charitable, 1x1. Which is why I’ve been hunting for switching solutions for a couple of years now. I’ve tried most of the good ones, and settled on four favorites. Here they are, in reverse order of preference. Gefen 2x4 HDMI Switcher
The Gefen 2x4 HDMI Switcher ($699 USD) has four HDMI outputs, all of which are always active, and its tiny, easy-to-lose remote control allows you to switch between any two sources. In fact, the Gefen was the first such product on the market to offer this much flexibility. The Gefen is 12"W x 1.25"H x 4.25"D. Its case is very sturdy, but light enough that the weight of the cables hanging from the rear panel makes it tilt backward. I had to find a way to pin it into a slot to keep it parallel to the floor. I had one Toshiba TV that always had trouble syncing with the Gefen. Every time we turned the Toshiba on, we’d then have to go to the Gefen and switch the input back and forth. The Toshiba and Gefen usually shook hands after one or two tries, but it was a pain to go through. The most important thing is the quality of the picture, and the Gefen passed the bypass test without a hitch. (In other words, I removed it from the signal path, then reinserted it, and compared the two images. Its presence in the circuit did not degrade the picture.) XtremeMac XtremeHD HDMI Switcher
Plug in four sources and one display, then choose which source will go to the display via the remote. Couldn’t be simpler. For folks who have only one display, the XtremeHD is an amazing bargain. It passed the bypass test, synced with the Toshiba every time, looks good, and check that price. Octava 3x2 Cross Switch Octava’s 3x2 Cross Switch ($274) is the smallest of the switchers I recommend here, but they cram a lot of features into a chassis measuring only 7"W x 1"H x 3.25"D. The most important feature is a rarity: the Cross Switch can simultaneously provide two different sources to two different displays. Sports fans can watch two different games on two TVs, or the kids can watch the Disney Channel in their room while you watch The Sopranos in the home theater.
Second, the Octava’s Clear Eye circuit buffs up the signal before sending it out. Octava says that signal degradation "can be solved by 1) compensating the ‘delay’ of the HDMI signal so each frequency component arrives at the HD source at the same time, and 2) the Signal level can be re-leveled with a data slicer circuit and HDMI limiting amplifier." Images didn’t look any better through the Octava than through the other devices, so I can’t confirm that Clear Eye works, nor do I have the equipment I’d need to analyze Clear Eye on the pixel level. What I can say is that the Octava synced with the Toshiba, and the picture was stable and looked great on all displays. The ability to have two distinct outputs playing simultaneously, along with being able to put the remote in a drawer and largely forget about it, makes the Octava a winner. Accell UltraAV HDMI 4-8 Switch
So when I saw the UltraAV HDMI 4-8 Switch in the Accell catalog, I was hopeful. Would it send any of its four inputs to any of its eight outputs? Would it work as well as the other switchers I’d tried? And how much did it cost? When I discovered that the UltraAV cost only $299, I was sure it wouldn’t do the cross-switching. After all, Gefen’s 4x4 Cross Switcher goes for $1999. And, indeed, the UltraAV doesn’t cross-switch. But it does hunt for active sources. And in a really nice touch, it has lights that indicate which source and which displays are active. It also has an amplifier that allows it to drive longer cables. That’s a big help for me -- it means I can now use those extra-long cables to reach my other two TVs. And the UltraAV drove the Toshiba flawlessly and passed the bypass test. With the 4x2 Integra DTC-9.8, I can use one output for my projector, drive the UltraAV with the other, and use the Integra’s four inputs. That leaves me with three of the UltraAV’s inputs and all eight of its outputs -- a grand total of seven inputs and ten outputs. Problem solved. The future I would dearly like to see a system that’s all HDMI, from source to processor. The very idea of getting rid of all those very expensive digital wires and light pipes brings joy to my heart. I believe that we will eventually see high-end receivers and processors with an HDMI connection for every input, just as we’re finally seeing an S-video connection on almost every input. But given the glacial pace of the electronics companies, that may take several years. In the meantime, until the corporate ostriches pull their heads out of the sand, any of the switchers above will give you great service. …Wes Marshall Gefen Inc. Website: www.gefen.com XtremeMac Website: www.xtrememac.com Octava Inc. Website: www.octavainc.com Accell Corporation Website: www.accellcables.com
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Gefen has made an entire business of
providing solutions to problems ignored by the audio, video, and computer industries.
Their solutions are often ingenious, especially when it comes to switching and sending
data over long distances. The downside is that Gefen understands the law of supply and
demand -- they know that, in most cases, they have the field to themselves. So be prepared
to pay what may seem a lot of money to solve what seems a simple problem.
XtremeMac makes most of their money
creating cases, chargers, and speakers for iPods and iPhones. They’re big Apple fans,
and when the AppleTV appeared, XtremeMac saw an opening for an HDMI switcher. The XtremeHD
HDMI Switcher ($99) looks very much like the AppleTV, and is identically sized (an 8"
square just a little over 1" tall) -- you can stack them. Even if you don’t have
an AppleTV, the XtremeHD HDMI Switcher is the best-looking of the candidates here. It,
too, comes with a small remote control that’s easily lost.
The Octava has two other tricks in
its arsenal. First, it automatically hunts for an active source. When you turn on your
display and your source, the Octava finds both and puts them together. This is a huge help
for family members whose remote-control phobia scares them off from using a switcher. The
only time you’ll ever need the remote is when you want to watch different programs on
the two outputs.
I
admit a fondness for Accell. When I was installing my whole-house system, I was stymied by
how to run a signal over a long distance. As usual, Gefen had a solution, but also as
usual, it was a costly one. Then Accell came out with a series of ATC-certified HDMI
cables up to 45 meters long. And they worked -- at a fraction of the cost of the Gefen
solution. 