My TV has two HDMI inputs but I have four HDMI-based entertainment devices I’d like to hook up to it. What’s a girl to do? Boy! I meant to say “boy” instead.
Welcome to the exciting world of HDMI switchers! Today we’ll take a look at the HDS-41Rv13 HDMI switcher from RT COM.
Features and Specs
The HDS-41Rv13 has four different HDMI inputs, one HDMI output, and can be controlled via the unit’s RS-232C port or the included infrared remote control. It conforms to the HDMI 1.3 standard, is HDCP compliant, supports 36-bit deep color, and will work with HDMI-to-DVI adapters. Thanks to the HDCP compliance, it’ll handle just about anything you plug into it, including Blu-ray players. The switcher costs $199.
Pros
It works. Simple as that. You plug four things into it, run one cable out to the TV, and it works. You can press the SELECT button to cycle through each of the four devices or use the included remote control to directly switch to a specific device. While the $199 price might be a bit steep for some people, the switcher uses a high-quality Silicon Image chipset as opposed to less expensive competing devices that use TI chips.
Cons
It costs $199 and doesn’t include an HDMI cable, so if you’ve got four devices you want to hook up, you’d better pick up a fifth HDMI cable.
Also, the remote is cheap. It’s a little, plastic doohickey with four buttons – one for each source. Simple enough and not a deal breaker but if you’ve got some sort of remote control fetish or you collect devices based on their remote controls, this’ll probably be one of the more lackluster remotes you’ll use.
Conclusion
The HDS-41Rv13 is a high-end HDMI switcher, built to accommodate four high-end devices. It’s solid, reliable, and dead-simple to use.
HDMI Switcher 4×1 V1.3 [DigitalExtender.com]