HDMI switch for old TV

Forums › Home Theatre (including HTPC and EPG Collector) › HDMI switch for old TV - good idea?

geekIT

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#143876 30-Apr-2014 11:05

Just upgraded to a MySky HD decoder (absolutely brilliant - wish I'd done it years ago!) and opted to plug it into my old Bravia's single HDMI port. This renders useless my WD media player, which we use constantly, and which was previously connected to the HDMI port.

(I'm aware I could use some of the player's other ports: Optical, Audio, Y-Pb-Pr, but I'd prefer not to, unless it's unavoidable)

Which brings me to my question: Are HDMI switches any good? There's a wide variety of these things available, especially on TradeMe, but I'd prefer to first ask you guys if there are any fishooks in the plan. Like, if these switches are OK, are some makes better than others? I only need a 2-to-1 but I guess it wouldn't hurt to have a 3,4 or 5-to-1. I also note that some offer remote controls.

Thanks for reading this :-)

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ubergeeknz

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Vocus

#1033832 30-Apr-2014 11:07

They work fine, I have one for sale if you'd like. 3-into-1. It has an IR remote but also automatically switches to whichever input is "on" (gets power). Supports 3D and full 1080P. $15 +p&p. If it doesn't work for you I'll even take it back.

geekIT

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#1034588 1-May-2014 10:08

Thanks, see my PM :-)

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bfginger

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#1035148 1-May-2014 21:45

Single HDMI port? Can you tell us what model television it is?

B1GGLZ

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#1035156 1-May-2014 21:58

bfginger: Single HDMI port? Can you tell us what model television it is?

Most pre-Freeview TVs around 2005/2006 had only a single HDMI socket and were marketed as HD Ready. My 2006 Panasonic had just a single HDMI and was only 1366x720 so not really very HD.
Terrible shimmy on the picture at times too.

geekIT

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#1036339 4-May-2014 10:46

My apologies, bfginger and B1GGLZ - I didn't see your replies until now. The TV is a Sony Bravia KLV-46S200A, probably about 6 years old. And yes, it definitely has only one HDMI port.

It's always been a great picture - I selected it at Noel Leeming (reduced-price floor demo model) simply because the picture quality made it stand out from the surrounding screens. Now, with my new MySky and an HD sub from Sky, it's got a new lease on life. Everything is brighter and more colorful and utilizes the full screen, instead of windowed, which is what we had to do to get the sharpest picture.

However, we can't use our WD media player without swapping the HDMI lead, hence my request for info on HDMI switches.

Cheers :-)

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JimmyH

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#1036494 4-May-2014 17:23

An HDMI switcher should work fine. Shop around a wee bit before you buy, some retailers seem to have pretty inflated pricing on that type of kit.

Also, consider buying one with more inputs than you need at the moment, as you never know what else you might want to connect at a future point (bly ray, HTPC, games console etc).

Samsung

Shop now on Samsung phones, tablets, TVs and more (affiliate link).

geekIT

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#1037072 5-May-2014 15:15

LOL. Thanks JimmyH - the retailer is ubergeeknz (see above)

The price was right and he offered to refund if it didn't work. Can't ask fairer than that, eh?

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bfginger

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#1038534 7-May-2014 18:59

If you turn off overscan it will add another 3% of the picture
http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/27/hd-101-overscan-and-why-all-tvs-do-it/

The MySky HD decoder unit has a feature which allows native resolution output instead of always outputting a specific resolution 1080i. That might give better picture quality for standard definition channels so you could try it.

As the old Sonys could be bad at deinterlacing you could try setting the signal to 720p. That might look better despite the double resizing, or it might not.

Some of the older TVs with one HDMI port will give better quality from component input. But Sky won't output HD over component with most HD channels.

geekIT

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#1038745 8-May-2014 08:21

bfginger, thanks for your comments. However, we're pretty happy with the picture we're getting now through MySky - it's a vast improvement over the earlier display. So I'll note your suggestions for future reference. Cheers :-)

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