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HDMI Switch Box (multiple inputs to dedicated output)

C

Crawn2003

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jul 8, 2005
444
0
Santa Rosa, California
I'm trying to find a HDMI switch box. I've looked but none seem to have what I'm looking for.

Right now I need a way to connect my Cable box, PS3, and Xbox360 (all HDMI) into my LCD TV that only has two HDMI inputs.

The other is, I'd also like the switch box to have an optical out so I can keep my home theater on a single input.

Basically, I'm trying to streamline my whole home theater and now have to switch so many devices!

Thanks for the replies!

Crawn
 
I have one of the units from monoprice.com and it's worked out really well. I have the 5x1 device and use it to switch my tivo, xbox, bluray player, hddvd player, and apple tv into my receiver. Zero problems and it only cost $33. It's IR-controllable, so I'm able to automate the switching using my harmony programmable remote, which is also quite nice.


I also got color-coded HDMI and Ethernet cables to make it easier to keep track of the jumble of cables. Blue for BluRay, red for HD-DVD, Green for the XBox, White for the Apple TV, Orange for the TiVo. Dorky but effective.
 
Nugget said:
I have one of the units from monoprice.com and it's worked out really well. I have the 5x1 device and use it to switch my tivo, xbox, bluray player, hddvd player, and apple tv into my receiver. Zero problems and it only cost $33. It's IR-controllable, so I'm able to automate the switching using my harmony programmable remote, which is also quite nice.


I also got color-coded HDMI and Ethernet cables to make it easier to keep track of the jumble of cables. Blue for BluRay, red for HD-DVD, Green for the XBox, White for the Apple TV, Orange for the TiVo. Dorky but effective.
Click to expand...

That's one of the messiest setups I've seen but it sure is colorful :D

Given the huge price difference between the one with the optical output and the one without, I don't think it's worth it. Does your TV have an optical out? Most of them do and you can connect that to your receiver.
 
yg17 said:
That's one of the messiest setups I've seen but it sure is colorful
Click to expand...
Well normally all those devices are neatly tucked into the shelf on the tv stand. It would drive me crazy to have that kind of visible chaos all the time. :)

Given the huge price difference between the one with the optical output and the one without, I don't think it's worth it. Does your TV have an optical out? Most of them do and you can connect that to your receiver.
Click to expand...
Most televisions with optical out will not pass the audio unmolested. Usually you end up with just a two-channel signal if you try to route the audio through the television. Even for televisions which do true passthrough, old style SPIDF optical connections don't have enough bandwidth do carry the modern lossless multichannel audio present on BluRay or HD-DVD sources. I run HDMI through the switcher into my receiver, so the receiver can grab the audio, then from the receiver into the television.

That gives me the best audio from the source device and still maintains an unbroken HDCP chain from player to display.
 
Crawn2003 said:
I'm trying to find a HDMI switch box. I've looked but none seem to have what I'm looking for.

Right now I need a way to connect my Cable box, PS3, and Xbox360 (all HDMI) into my LCD TV that only has two HDMI inputs.

The other is, I'd also like the switch box to have an optical out so I can keep my home theater on a single input.

Basically, I'm trying to streamline my whole home theater and now have to switch so many devices!

Thanks for the replies!

Crawn
Click to expand...

Check out some of the entry level hdmi receivers like the pioneer vsx 1018. then pick up cable from monoprice
 
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