TechRadar Verdict
Does what it's supposed to very well, although at a bit of a price
Pros
- +
Works very well across the board
Cons
- -
Quite expensive
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Manufacturers are now seeing sense and equipping their TVs with more than one HDMI input. Just as well, given that there's an ever-increasing quantity of source gear with this 'digital Scart' connector. But even those with recent HDMI-friendlier sets should be aware that the typical complement of two inputs may not be enough.
The obvious course of action is to swap around cables. Not ideal, and equipment can actually be damaged if HDMI cables are connected or disconnected when it's all plugged in and powered up. A better solution is to purchase a switchbox like the TechLink HD4110. It has four rear-panel HDMI inputs alongside a single output for your display. It's HDMI 1.2 compliant, will transfer HDCP information intact and is ready for 1080p sources.
On the front panel (and remote control) are four buttons for manually selecting the required input. There's also an auto mode, which will switch to the connected HDMI source that was powered up most recently. The HD4410 will also switch equipment with a DVI output, provided a DVI-to-HDMI adaptor is employed. Please note, however, that DVI does not - unlike HDMI - cater for audio signals.
We tried the HD4410 with a variety of SD and HD sources, including a Helios media streamer, Samsung Blu-ray player, Panasonic DVD recorder and Yamaha DVD player. The unit worked exceptionally well, and reliably switched between sources with no obvious degradation to the signal - our TV tests also successfully demonstrated that compatible audio soundtracks are preserved intact.
Our only reservation is the price. Why are switchboxes so darned expensive?
