HDMI Switcher ?

[TonyDA]

I have experienced none of the intermittent blackouts
Worth every penny!

Not wanting to take this too off-topic, but I get this problem a lot on my Panasonic Viera with both the PS3 and HD-DVD player running through HDMI - almost every film with dark scenes (like From Hell, which I watched last night on bluray) does it. Does anyone know why this occurs, and whether buying a HDMI switcher would help eliminate it?

[CMcK]

Very nice but it's rather expensive And Superfi claim it's limited to 1080i That's a bit surprising for a £300 machine when a £30 HDMI switchbox from Joytech can handle 1080p24

But I like the idea of component/HDMI switching in the same box. It does look great though as well

The scaling is limited to 1080i output. From what I can gather the HDMI outputs are just repeaters so will handle 1080p fine. The HDMI supports Deep Colour and the 1.3a spec as well. I picked one up for £220 which isn't too bad considering the price of switches from Ixos, Geffen etc.

Lyris, you are spot on the box can be used with any HDMI capable TV. If it's hooked up to a 8th generation Pioneer plasma there will be a GUI displayed on the TV. I have a Loewe Xelos so no GUI but I doubt that'll be problem.

[CMcK]

Well the Pioneer switcher has arrived and it's a lovely bit of kit. All the HDMI inputs are working fine and the upscaled picture from the Wii is pretty good.

Trouble is I cannot get any sound out of the Wii.

I hooked up my old Pioneer 575A DVD player in place of the Wii and it's the same.

I'm beginning to wonder if the problem lies with my TV or the switcher.

[ascender]

Idiot question of the day.... Should the Joytech switcher support audio over HDMI?

[Lyris]

Yup! Not too sure about HDMI 1.3 high-def audio, because it's not certified for use with that spec, but standard formats work fine.

[Neil]

Idiot question of the day.... Should the Joytech switcher support audio over HDMI?

Beat me to it!.

[Lyris]

Oppo just sent me one of these:

http://www.opposhop.com/en/article/42/oppo_hm_31_advanced_3x1_hdmi_switch

At about 78 pounds delivered, it's pricier than the Joytech switch but if you use long cable runs, it's worth it. It has a signal equalizer inside so will basically avoid the signal dropouts some people have experienced with long cables+high resolutions and the Joytech box.

[thegreathopper]

[quote=Lyris;1298494]Oppo just sent me one of these:

http://www.opposhop.com/en/article/42/oppo_hm_31_advanced_3x1_hdmi_switch

I have one of these too, Works great I have HD dvd, PS3 and a Oppo dvd player plugged in to it, auto switches so you forget it is even there.

[ascender]

Yup! Not too sure about HDMI 1.3 high-def audio, because it's not certified for use with that spec, but standard formats work fine.

Hmmm....

I've got my Joytech plugged up but am not getting any audio from my HD-DVD player unless I run a separate digital audio cable.

[tom-nook]

Hmmm....

I've got my Joytech plugged up but am not getting any audio from my HD-DVD player unless I run a separate digital audio cable.

I was getting the same thing with my 360 (connected to input 3).

If I turn the 360 on before switching the Joytech to input 3 I only get video. However, if I switch to input 3 before turning on the 360 I get audio too.

Might be the same thing?

[JP]

Oppo just sent me one of these:

http://www.opposhop.com/en/article/42/oppo_hm_31_advanced_3x1_hdmi_switch

At about 78 pounds delivered, it's pricier than the Joytech switch but if you use long cable runs, it's worth it. It has a signal equalizer inside so will basically avoid the signal dropouts some people have experienced with long cables+high resolutions and the Joytech box.

I'm tempted to get one of these now having read your review.

As you say, it is more expensive comparing it to the Joytech switch but you do seem to get more for your money with this one.

[Neil]

I was getting the same thing with my 360 (connected to input 3).

If I turn the 360 on before switching the Joytech to input 3 I only get video. However, if I switch to input 3 before turning on the 360 I get audio too.

Might be the same thing?

Totally agree with the above. Always select the input first and then turn on your equipment or you will lose audio.

[ascender]

I was getting the same thing with my 360 (connected to input 3).

If I turn the 360 on before switching the Joytech to input 3 I only get video. However, if I switch to input 3 before turning on the 360 I get audio too.

Might be the same thing?

Ah, could be. There must be something about the internals of this box as Apple TV will only work properly on input 1. On any other input you sometimes get video, sometimes not.

I might have a play with it tomorrow, but at the moment I'm thinking of ditching it tbh. Life's too short to be dicking around for hours on this sort of thing!

I wonder if this is why certain HDMI switchers are cheaper than others?

[Lyris]

I didn't have any issues with the Joytech switched when I reviewed it - hence the 10/10. But other people have. The Joytech unit is a switch and no more (hence the price) - with the more expensive switchers you get signal equalisers (to protect against pixel faults with long/crappy cables being used with high resolutions) and auto-switching amongst others.