5 port HDMI switch with Remote Control 5 in 1 out
User Ratings and Reviews
2 Stars Not working with Tivo Series 3 DVR
So here’s how this switch does not work with a Tivo DVR:
HDMI switch detects Tivo Series 3 DVR after switching from another source, and promptly about 10 seconds later the switch acts as if the Tivo is not currently active. And the HDMI switch continues to do this as many times as a person wants to repeat the process, selecting the input for said DVR. In other words, if you start to watch your Tivo, ten seconds later your video/sound turns off.
The only way to keep the Tivo source active is to unplug the power cord in the back of the switch, and plug it back in again. Switch to any other connected HDMI device and then back to Tivo and the behavior I’ve described above comes back 100% of the time.
This one’s going back. If the switch worked correctly, the 5 HDMI inputs would be a great deal. (Presently, I’m looking at the Oppo HDMI switch. Future expansion is on my mind, and that one has fewer HDMI ports.)
Why two stars for the Monoprice switch instead of one? It is possible that this switch works just fine for some people’s equipment. But a Tivo is a pretty standard chunk of hardware for many people. Gamble on this one knowing you might need to send it back.
(Equipment in the mix: Pioneer plasma, Tivo Series 3 DVR, Philips upsampling DVD player. I did not attempt to see how the switch works or does not work with my Sony PS3 due to not being able to get by the problem with how this switch reacts to a Tivo DVR. The DVD player did work just fine through the switch. Switch back to Tivo and… SURPRISE!)
5 Stars Great HDMI Switch Box at a great price
This is a great box at a great price. I first bought a piece-of-crap switch box from CircuitCity that kept introducing interference on my 47′ Polaroid flatscreen HDTV whenever I wanted to display 1080p content.
Unlike the the unit I purchased from CircuitCity, this box is well constructed out of metal, not plastic, and handles every format that I send to it without any problems. Plus the remote works well too or I can just let it auto-switch between components.
5 Stars Very reliable – excellent value
This unit works great for switching HDMI inputs. I am using all 5 device ports and they all make solid connections to a 75foot HDMI cable run to my video projector.
I found that I needed a better quality cable for my Blu-ray player but all the other devices work without issues. One nice feature is that it seems to automatically select which ever input is active. Very handy if only one device is powered on.
I expected to have to pay twice what this unit costs so this is truly a great value.
I agree other reviewers that the LED indicators are too bright when displaying red, but that can be resolved by angling the box away from the viewer.
3 Stars Handshake problems
My switch is connected to a cable box, Apple TV, and a Roku box. The output goes to a 1-year old LG LCD TV. Monoprice has been very quick to respond to my emails, but have no fix for the sound dropping out intermittently. They have told me to return the unit (at my expense – they don’t pay for return postage when the issue is compatibility) and try another model. I can see where this is going. I will do one iteration with them. Hopefully it will work, but I’m skeptical.
2 Stars Good, but not for everything
I have one of these and while it works very reliably for some things (Motorola cable box and Roku box), it very reliably FAILS to work with my Toshiba HD-A2 HD-DVD player and my Oppo 981 DVD player. Symptom is picture appears for a few seconds as the DVD player turns on…then nothing.
Called Monoprice (on line chat) and their answer was “sometimes things work and sometimes they don’t”.
Wow!
Great customer support.
