Gefen also announced a much more straight forward HDMI switch today called the 4×1 Gefen tv Switcher. As the name implies, the switch accepts four HDMI inputs, has one HDMI output and sells for $199 (again, a bit steep). The device has auto switching capability which basically means if it detects an input device is powered on, it will switch to that device. If the device powers off, it will switch to the previous input it was at. The switch supports up to 1080p resolutions and includes an IR remote control.

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Technorati Tags: Gefen, 4x1 Gefen tv Switcher, HDMI switch

If you have a TV set with a single HDMI input and you’re looking for a way to manage multiple analog and digital A/V sources without buying a full on receiver, then you might be interested in the newly announced Gefen GefenTV Multi Format Switcher. This box supports one component source with analog audio, one composite or S-Video source with analog audio, and two HDMI sources with digital audio, and then outputs via HDMI with video upscaled to 1080p using Gefen’s Home Theater Scaler Plus. The analog audio is even digitized and output via the HDMI output connection (or you can connect using a digital output as well). Each of the HDMI inputs also have separate digital audio inputs. The device comes with on-screen menus which are accessible via an IR remote.

Features include:

• DVI/HDCP/HDMI compliant input: Operates up to 165Mhz (Up to UXGA @60Hz)
• Supports digital HD output up to 1080p.
• Integrated 8-bit triple-ADC/PLL.
• Integrated DVI/HDCP/HDMI compliant receiver.
• Dual high quality scaling engines.
• Dual 3-D motion video adaptive de-interlacers with smooth low-angle edge.
• Automatic 3:2 pull-down & 2:2 pull-down detection and recovery.
• High performance frame rate conversion engine.
• The Proprietary Advanced Color Engine technology gives: Brilliant and fresh color, Intensified contrast and details, Vivid skin tone, Sharp edge, Accurate and independent color control
• Option to select Audio input from HDMI or TOSlink/SPDIF audio source.
• 3D noise reduction on analog inputs only.
• Operates through on-screen OSD menu control and remote control.
• Aspect Ratio Control
• Digital Audio Delay to match audio/video timing
• Less then one frame delay allowing for gaming

The GefenTV Multi Format Switcher is available for $499.00 which is a bit pricey. Of course.. at that price you might want to consider getting a low end receiver that does practically the same thing.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Gefen, GefenTV Multi Format Switcher, HDMI switch

If you’re looking for a fairly inexpensive and convenient way of combining and distributing a VGA/audio signal to multiple displays, then you should check out StarTech’s four new Converge A/V products. The products consist of three major pieces – an extender unit which combines a VGA line and stereo audio lines into a single Cat5 line and then multiplexes it out to multiple Cat5 outputs, a line splitter unit which is basically like an Ethernet switch – taking a single Cat5 line and splitting it up into four more outputs and finally a receiver unit which takes a single Cat5 line and divides the signal back into separate VGA and stereo audio outputs.

StarTech sells two types of Extenders – a 4 port extender for $259.99 and an 8 port extender for $399.99.

If you couple each Cat5 output from these extenders with another 4 port line splitter (which sells for $399.99 a piece), then you can in theory get upwards of 32 different Cat5 lines coming from a single source -  a great way to distribute audio/video to multiple displays – especially for digital signage use.

To split the Cat5 signal back into the video and audio components, StarTech sells for $224.99 Long Range Receiver unit.

The entire system supports distances of up to 300m/950 feet and supports a maximum resolution of 1280 x 1024 @ 60Hz. Too bad no HD support here.

Technorati Tags: StarTech, Converge A/V

Introduction

Do you find yourself running out of HDMI inputs on your receiver or HDTV? If you’re like me, then the answer to that question is probably a resounding yes. The coming of HDMI greatly simplified home theater systems by combining the video and audio (and control) signals into a single cable. However, this simplicity also brings a problem to consumers. As more and more devices embrace HDMI, we’re running into a problem of a limited number of HDMI inputs on receivers and HDTV sets. You could get around this by buying a high end A/V receiver with four HDMI inputs but these receivers are typically rather expensive. Could we solve this by connecting to an HDTV? Problematic there also as many HDTV’s only have one or two or at most three inputs. What do you do then when you have an HDMI enabled cable box, PS3, and Xbox 360 and you only have two HDMI inputs to work with? You add an HDMI switch into the picture of course. That’s pretty much the problem I faced earlier this year when I finally caved and purchased a Sony PlayStation 3. I desperately needed more HDMI switches. Thus, today I’ll be looking at one such switch commonly found at local Best Buy stores. It’s called the Psyclone PSC47 and it’s one of the more expensive switches out on the market (at $199.99). Let’s see if the PSC47 is worth the money!

(more…)

Technorati Tags: Psyclone, HDMI Selector, Model PSC47, Review, HDMI Switch

Gefen announced a new line of add-on HDTV products yesterday called the Gefen TV product line. This new line is based on Gefen’s professional series solutions but is packaged differently and is designed for home users.

One of the first products to come out as part of the Gefen TV product line is the Gefen TV Switcher. This box (which is seems to be designed to match either an Apple TV or a Mac mini) is basically a four port HDMI switch – allowing you to connect various HDMI enabled devices to a single display or projector. The unit allows you to easily switch between the four sources or you can allow it to automatically switch to the recently powered on device. It’s HDMI version 1.3 compliant, HDCP compliant and supports HDMI pass through.  The switch measures 6.9 x 2.1 x 6.9 inches and weighs 6 lbs.

The product comes with the switch box, a RMT-4IR remote control, four 6 foot HDMI cables (very nice addition here), a 5VDC power supply, as well as a user manual.  The Gefen TV Switcher has an MSRP of $199.

You can expect to see additional Gefen TV products down the road including the SD and HD Personal Video Recorders.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Gefen, Gefen TV, Gefen TV Switcher

It finally happened this week. I finally caved in and got myself a Sony PlayStation 3 game console (specifically the 40GB console for $399). So why did I buy the PS3 after all this time? It boiled down to one phrase – “blu-ray”. With the PS3 coming with integrated Blu-ray support, it only made sense to get the console – especially if stand-alone Blu-ray players are still rather expensive. Now if a Blu-ray player cost as much as a low end HD DVD player, then the story would be different. I had no reason to buy the Sony PlayStation 3 on the gaming merits alone. Let’s face it – gaming on the PS3 is ho-hum but playing back Blu-ray movies is a totally different issue altogether.

This moves the topic into another area: Why did I finally go out and get a Blu-ray player? I had to face the facts folks. More and more high definition titles (especially ones I would be interested in) were coming out in Blu-ray over HD DVD. With the majority of the Hollywood studios backing Blu-ray, it really does seem that HD DVD is fighting a slowly eroding fight. I don’t think HD DVD will go away per se but I do think that the war is definitely tipping over towards Blu-ray. For some time, I  must admit that I chose not to go Blu-ray simply because of my bias against Sony but at the end of the day, it boiled down to content. Content is the reason I don’t game on the PS3 but content is also the reason I’m choosing to get a Blu-ray player. Yes.. content is king.

Another interesting thing happened this week as a result of my purchase of the PS3. I needed more HDMI ports in my home theater system. After much online research and inner debating, I finally decided to get myself a Psyclone 4 port HDMI switch. It’s more expensive than many other HDMI switches but what attracted me was the rack design as well as the customizable LCD display. So far, it’s handled the HDMI devices that I’ve thrown at it (the output of the Psyclone is connected to my Onkyo receiver which then forwards the signal to my Samsung 46 inch LCD HDTV). Stay tuned for a review of the Psyclone unit.

So that’s it for now. I’m still a fan of HD DVD and I will still continue to purchase titles in HD DVD.. but I have a funny feeling that where titles are available in both HD DVD and Blu-ray, I will opt for Blu-ray. I hate to say it but Blu-ray might just be the way to go for the long haul.

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Digital Trends has published a review of the OPPO HM-31 HDMI switch here on their website. HDMI switches are becoming more of a necessity as folks purchase more devices with HDMI output. Simply get yourself an HD capable cable set-top box, an Xbox 360 console, and a Playstation 3 console, and you’ll find yourself wanting three HDMI inputs on your HDTV set (which if it’s been around for a year or two probably only has one or at most two). So what do you do? You either get yourself a high end receiver with 3-4 HDMI inputs or you shell out about $100 bucks for a standalone HDMI switch such as the OPPO HM-31. Here’s the verdict from Digital Trends:

The OPPO HM-31 HDMI switch is a great little device for adding more HDMI devices than your HDTV can natively handle. The HM-31 is easy to use, takes up very little space and comes with a compact little remote. The HM-31 does one thing – and does it well.

I’ve been contemplating getting an HDMI switch myself – if only to augment my existing HDMI switching capable Onkyo receiver (which only has two HDMI inputs). It’s either that or upgrade to a new receiver with many more HDMI inputs (and pay much much more money) *sigh*..

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Technorati Tags: OPPO, HM-31