Review: Lindy HDMI Switch – double your ports
The propaganda
Unless you’ve got a super-duper, top of the range HD telly or your set is less than six months old, chances are it’s only got a single HDMI input for digital HD sources. Until recently, this wasn’t much of a problem since there wasn’t all that much to plug into it. Now, however, you’ve got HD DVD, Blu-ray, Sky HD and Playstation 3 all vying for that port.
If you’re fed up of plugging cables in and out every time you want to switch sources, then this little box will allow you to connect two things at once and switch between them at the press of a button.
The good
Operation is incredibly simple – plug your two sources into the correct sockets at the back, hook it up to your telly and plug in the power. To change between inputs, just press the corresponding button for the one you want on the top of the unit.
There was no visible difference between watching the source connected directly and when routed through the switch. It supports up to 1080p signals and is HDCP compliant, necessary for copy protected sources.
There’s also an enhance option, which will boost the signal – useful if you’re sending it over a long distance.
The bad
Changing channels is a manual affair – there’s no remote control, so you’ll have to get used to getting up to do it.
There’s no HDMI cable included, so you’ll need to buy an extra one to connect it to your TV if you haven’t got a spare lying around. It also doesn’t support the newer HDMI 1.3 standard, although if your TV has this, then it probably has more than one port.
It’s compatible with DVI sources using a suitable adapter cable, but only in video mode since DVI doesn’t support audio signals.
Geek Sheet
Inputs: 2 HDMI
Outputs: 1 HDMI
Resolution support: 480i, 576i, 480p, 576p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p
Standard support: HDMI 1.2, HDCP 1.1, DVI 1.0
Overview
Priced at £58.99 it’s reasonable considering the exorbitant costs of most HDMI accessories, but it’s still a bit on the pricy side, especially given there’s no remote control.
However, if you’ve only got a single HDMI port then it may be a price worth paying if you’re fed up with constantly plugging and unplugging cables.
Related sites: Lindy HDMI Switch
