Product Description

The smallest HDMI auto selector on the marketThis is a very neat HDMI switchbox two inputs to one output. Its line powered so you don t need to find room for another mains adaptor and it automatically switches to whichever input device was switched on last (with a manual override should you wish). Brilliant neat tidy and very affordable - just fit it and forget it* No need to make space for another piece of hardware* Integrated high quality 0.5m HDMI Cable removes need to purchase additional cable* Fully HDCP Compliant* Automatically switches to equipment source when switched on* Manual override switch* Gold plated connectors* Braided cable* Quality metal connectors * Self powered. No additional PSU required Please note that whilst this device will automatically switch to the latest unit to be switched on it will not automatically switch back again when that unit is turned off. You can easily force an input change simply by putting a device into standby and then back on again. This unit is also available in a budget version. It has the same internal electronics but uses a standard rubber cable with plastic end connectors details here

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14093 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Philex
• Model: 28577T
• Released on: 2008-10-09

Manufacturer's Description
Integrated HDMI cable connectors directly to HD ready TV. Ideal for use with HD-TVs, HD-DVBs, Blu-Ray DVD, HD-DVDs, HD Sat, HD Game consoles. Philex 5 Point Technology.

Box Contents

Customer Reviews

Does almost what it says on the box...
I bought this as I have Sky HD, an XBox 360 and an upscaling DVD player - my TV only has one HDMI and one Component slot. I'm not sure the automatic switching is 100% reliable, as it will sometimes fail to pick up Sky when I first switch on the TV, but compared to swapping cables every time I wanted to change between the two, simply having to press the button on the switcher is a welcome development.

Aesthetically speaking, the unit itself is unremarkable - the integral cable is quite short, so it's not a suitable choice if you're planning to move your equipment further away from your TV, though it's nice that you won't need to buy any more leads, saving you a few pounds. Given that you're already saving £10 from the high street price, that makes it quite good value for money, and I'd rather spend the £40 now than risk damaging the connectors on my equipment with constant tinkering.

Performance-wise, I've noticed nothing by way of picture degradation at standard resolution or at 1080i on Sky. The unit itself claims to support 1080p, but my TV doesn't, so I can't comment on that.

Overall, it's a convenient, simple solution, and I'm happy with my choice.

Beware
The cable does look and feel a little cheap, but you've got to give the little fella a chance: The cable worked fine for the first 5 weeks and then started to develop faults. "Auto-switching" started to operate of it's own accord as with a previous reviewer and there was some "white-flash" dropout evident on transmission. It has now been returned. Loved the idea, but unfortunately Thor did not deliver !

Effective most of the time
I bought this unit to connect a Sky HD box and Samsung upscaling DVD player to one HDMI input. The unit picks up the Sky box every time, and switching from the DVD player to Sky is completely painless. It doesn't seem to want to switch back, though - I have to press the manual button on the unit every time I want to go from Sky to DVD.

The unit still gets four stars from me because it's well-built, very neat, doesn't require any additional cables or power supply and picture quality is excellent (definitely no degradation in signal for me on my 1080i TV). I can live with pressing a button when I'm going to watch a DVD - I'll usually be next to it putting the DVD in the player anyway...

If it switched to the DVD automatically as it's supposed to then it'd be a five star rating without a doubt - but it seems to depend on the equipment connected to it. Your mileage may vary, as they say.