Philips USA 4-Way AV Switcher with S-Video and Component

List Price: $39.95 Discount Price: $19.95

Features:

• Connects up to 4 components, Allows for switching between components without disconnecting and reconnecting equipment , Each input has an S-Video jack, RCA jack and a set of stereophonic audio jacks, Component inputs provide ultimate picture performance

Customer Reviews:

High definition made convenient. [Posted on 2008-05-11]
This saved me some hassle when connecting multiple devices to an Akai LCT32Z5TA LCD TV.

Like just about any HDTV out there, the TV has multiple inputs, including HDMI and component. The hassle is that the TV won't automatically switch to the single active input, so you need to use the remote to switch. Since the TV didn't allow input labelling, that meant you had to choose from TV, AV, S-Video, YPbPr1, YPbPr2, VGA, HDMI1, HMDI2. Since my family didn't know how I cabled it up, or even what some of the acronyms meant, that stopped them from watching TV without calling me.

Because my devices (Digital Cable, DVD player, Wii) all had component output as an option but not all had HDMI, this switch fit the bill such that I put the output of the switch to the TV's YPbPr1, and all my devices on the input side. Whatever was turned on automatically got selected by the switch, and no input selection was needed at the TV side. Be warned that some devices (such as my cable box) don't really turn off, but go to standby, and output a black screen instead of no video. The video switch detects this as an active signal and selects it. If the switch sees more than 1 active signal, it prioritizes input 1 > input 2 > input 3 > input 4. Putting the cable box as the lowest priority means that if something else is on, the cable gets blocked.

I was concerned that I might lose video quality by using this device, introducing more connectors, etc. I compared the HDMI otuput of my cable box at 1080i to the component output, through the automatic switch, but using an A/V cable substituted as a component cable (the stereo connectors in an A/V cable are typically less robust than the composite video connection).

My concerns were unfounded, nobody could detect a difference between HDMI video output of an HD cable channel directly to the TV compared to component video output through the switch. However, the audio of the HDMI connection was notably better than the audio via RCA jacks through the switch. Not much of a problem since it didn't take away from watching TV shows, and for movies, the stereo could be used.

For the price I paid on Amazon, or even at a retail store, it's still much less expensive then getting a TV with 3 component or 3 HDMI inputs with labelling and auto-switching (if that's even available).

The drawbacks of this device in my case are:
The cable clutter and the box, which is not a big issue in my case, since it's hidden behind the TV.
The power supply is on constantly, as it's inconvenient to use a switch or keep unplugging it.

In all very much recommended if your TV doesn't have enough convenient connectors.

High definition made convenient [Posted on 2008-05-11]
This saved me some hassle when connecting multiple devices to an Akai LCT32Z5TA LCD TV.

Like just about any HDTV out there, the TV has multiple inputs, including HDMI and component. The hassle is that the TV won't automatically switch to the single active input, so you need to use the remote to switch. Since the TV didn't allow input labelling, that meant you had to choose from TV, AV, S-Video, YPbPr1, YPbPr2, VGA, HDMI1, HMDI2. Since my family didn't know how I cabled it up, or even what some of the acronyms meant, that stopped them from watching TV without calling me.

Because my devices (Digital Cable, DVD player, Wii) all had component output as an option but not all had HDMI, this switch fit the bill such that I put the output of the switch to the TV's YPbPr1, and all my devices on the input side. Whatever was turned on automatically got selected by the switch, and no input selection was needed at the TV side. Be warned that some devices (such as my cable box) don't really turn off, but go to standby, and output a black screen instead of no video. The video switch detects this as an active signal and selects it. If the switch sees more than 1 active signal, it prioritizes input 1 > input 2 > input 3 > input 4. Putting the cable box as the lowest priority means that if something else is on, the cable gets blocked.

I was concerned that I might lose video quality by using this device, introducing more connectors, etc. I compared the HDMI otuput of my cable box at 1080i to the component output, through the automatic switch, but using an A/V cable substituted as a component cable (the stereo connectors in an A/V cable are typically less robust than the composite video connection).

My concerns were unfounded, nobody could detect a difference between HDMI video output of an HD cable channel directly to the TV compared to component video output through the switch. However, the audio of the HDMI connection was notably better than the audio via RCA jacks through the switch. Not much of a problem since it didn't take away from watching TV shows, and for movies, the stereo could be used.

For the price I paid on Amazon, or even at a retail store, it's still much less expensive then getting a TV with 3 component or 3 HDMI inputs with labelling and auto-switching (if that's even available).

The drawbacks of this device in my case are:
The cable clutter and the box, which is not a big issue in my case, since it's hidden behind the TV.
The power supply is on constantly, as it's inconvenient to use a switch or keep unplugging it.

In all very much recommended if your TV doesn't have enough convenient connectors.

Totally unsuitable for Hi-Def content [Posted on 2008-06-12]
If you're using this to connect hi-def components, you've gotta skip this product. Whenever the video signal contains too much white, the picture becomes unstable, with black lines or shifting of the picture downward. I don't know why this is, but much cheaper switchers (and presumably much more expensive ones) don't seem to suffer this flaw. Standard-def content works fine, but that's true for cheaper switchers as well, so you might as well get a different one.

Alot of problems [Posted on 2008-06-15]
First off, this thing is big, clunky, and cheaply made. Its made of cheap plastic and feels like it's going to fall apart. I bought this thing to use with my cable box and xbox cause my tv only has one component input. When I plugged the tv and xbox in, I noticed the HD quality was reduced dramatically and the screen would periodically flicker, which got VERY annoying. Same thing with the xbox, the screen would flicker nonstop for 20 seconds at a time during gameplay which made it impossible to play. DONT buy this thing.

Works great with composite and S-video devices [Posted on 2008-07-20]
I got this switch box only for automatically switching among different composite and S-video input devices. It works wonderfully for what I need. I cannot comment on the component input/output issues that others found. I already have several switch boxes at home, but none of them has remote control. Recently, I got a DTV converter box to receive digital broadcasting. Since then, I need to get up and push a button to switch AV source at least couple times a day. In addition, my younger daughter cannot reach the switch box and has to get help to watch TV. This automatic switch box really solved the problem. It switches to the device turned on last automatically. I do not see any significant signal degradation in composite or S-video.

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