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Too many consoles, not enough ports. Can anyone recommend a good HDMI switcher?

ReyVGM

ReyVGM

Author - NES Endings Compendium
Verified
Oct 26, 2017
5,438
I ran out of HDMI ports in both my TV and Receiver, and I don't know what to buy.

It should have at least 4 or 5 HDMI ports, and I want it mostly to connect old systems like the Wii U, and all the Mini consoles (SNES Classic, Genesis Mini, etc.). So it doesn't need to be 4K compatible or anything like that.

I've looked at several ones on amazon, and even though they have good reviews, I get scared by the bad reviews of people complaining about theirs dying after a few months, or the switch going crazy when you turn off a device, or the switch not automatically switching to the only device that's on, etc.

So, does anyone have one that has worked just fine?
 
atomsk

atomsk

Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,485
I've been using this one for a year now without any issues.

edit: should mention I don't have a sound bar/external speakers, not sure if thats in your setup
 
a Master Ninja

a Master Ninja

Member
Dec 11, 2017
4,837
Between a TV and a receiver you should have like 7-10 HDMI ports and that's somehow not enough. I gotta see a pic of this setup.
 
OP
OP
ReyVGM

ReyVGM

Author - NES Endings Compendium
Verified
Oct 26, 2017
5,438
a Master Ninja said:
Between a TV and a receiver you should have like 7-10 HDMI ports and that's somehow not enough. I gotta see a pic of this setup.
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I only have 6 HDMI ports between the TV and receiver.
And I have Roku, Wii U, Switch, NES Classic, SNES Classic, Genesis Mini, PS Classic. With Turbografx Classic and Neogeo Arcade coming in the future.

If I'm asking for more HDMI ports, why you gotta debate whether I have enough ports or not?
 
tommyv2

tommyv2

Member
Nov 6, 2017
1,425
User warned: Continuous thread de-rail and trolling
You can only play one system at a time. You aren't playing your Classic systems on a regular basis, be real.
 
OP
OP
ReyVGM

ReyVGM

Author - NES Endings Compendium
Verified
Oct 26, 2017
5,438
tommyv2 said:
I am helping. I'm telling you that you already have what you need and to save your money. I have 8 friends but my car only seats 5. I don't need to buy a van because I've never seen all 8 friends at once.
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No you're not helping because I'm not asking for your opinion on what consoles I need to have hooked on. I'm asking for a good HDMI Switch because I want to have all my consoles hooked on. If you don't have a suggestion, then do not post. You don't have to be that guy.
 
Drayco21

Drayco21

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,376
I've been using one I picked up for around 40 on Amazon for about a year without issue now- added an extra 5 ports to my setup. I'll have to wait till after work to grab the brand from my amazon history, will edit shortly.

Don't get why people are being shitty about this; there's no issues with wanting all your hardware easily accessible.

Edit: It's this one; a Rooful 5 in 1 that I got on sale. I also bought some cheap $8 3 in 1 as an experiment off Amazon once and got what I paid for; the 3-in-1 was constantly swapping between channels even when only one had something powered on and was basically unplayable. Garbage. The Rooful has been dependable- no notable delay, consistent performance, no issues.
 
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OP
OP
ReyVGM

ReyVGM

Author - NES Endings Compendium
Verified
Oct 26, 2017
5,438
Jayde Six said:
While it goes beyond what you are wanting (4K), there is an updated pretty regualry thread on the shmups forum with lots of testing and recommendations.

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Thanks. I will check it out.

Drayco21 said:
Don't get why people are being shitty about this; there's no issues with wanting all your hardware easily accessible.
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People that like to go into threads to be unhelpful trolls.
 
Shoes

Shoes

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,586
Jayde Six said:
While it goes beyond what you are wanting (4K), there is an updated pretty regualry thread on the shmups forum with lots of testing and recommendations.

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Thanks for this. My switches are super old and can't handle 4K/have handshaking issues, so I'll be digging into this. Sorry that so many people came into this thread just to dump on you for no reason, OP.
 
Man God

Man God

Member
Oct 25, 2017
38,307
Switches still tend to mess up handshaking from time to time so definitely prioritize the important stuff to be off the switch if you can.
 
Like the hat?

Like the hat?

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,579
This is what i have, have nes, snes, Genesis, playstation Classic, and x360 connected to it in my basement. Had wii u hooked up to it, but wanted to move that upstairs recently. Then it outputs to tv and elgato.

6x2 HDMI Matrix Switch,HDCP 1.2/1.4,avedio links 6 in 2 Out HDMI Switcher/Splitter with Optical & L/R Audio Output -Support 4K,3D 1080p,ARC,PIP - Includes 21keys IR Remote Control & Power Adapter https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FT6RSNY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Qv.eEbD2PCY97
 
OP
OP
ReyVGM

ReyVGM

Author - NES Endings Compendium
Verified
Oct 26, 2017
5,438
Shoes said:
Thanks for this. My switches are super old and can't handle 4K/have handshaking issues, so I'll be digging into this. Sorry that so many people came into this thread just to dump on you for no reason, OP.
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No worries, at least helpful people are coming in now.

Man God said:
Switches still tend to mess up handshaking from time to time so definitely prioritize the important stuff to be off the switch if you can.
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Yeah, I've never used one, but I think the problem is that modern consoles are always on in standby mode, so that means the Switcher might not handshake with a second device because it still thinks the first one is active.

So I'm going to use the Switcher to hook up the mini consoles, and I'll use the Receiver's ports to hook up the modern consoles.
 
OP
OP
ReyVGM

ReyVGM

Author - NES Endings Compendium
Verified
Oct 26, 2017
5,438
Like the hat? said:
This is what i have, have nes, snes, Genesis, playstation Classic, and x360 connected to it in my basement. Had wii u hooked up to it, but wanted to move that upstairs recently. Then it outputs to tv and elgato.

6x2 HDMI Matrix Switch,HDCP 1.2/1.4,avedio links 6 in 2 Out HDMI Switcher/Splitter with Optical & L/R Audio Output -Support 4K,3D 1080p,ARC,PIP - Includes 21keys IR Remote Control & Power Adapter https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FT6RSNY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Qv.eEbD2PCY97
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Can you say a bit more about it? Does it auto switch to whatever device is on automatically? Does it auto switch automatically to a second device if you turn it on while a first device is also on? Does it auto switch back to the 1st device if you turn off the 2nd one?
How many seconds do you have to wait between switching signals? If you have the switcher on and you lose power, does it turn back on automatically when you get power back?
 
Aquova

Aquova

â–˛ Legend â–˛
Member
Oct 27, 2017
876
Kansas
I'm curious to see what people suggest. I was looking around for a similar thing but haven't found anything. I've got 4 mini consoles, a PS4, Switch, Amazon Fire, and Wii U I need to hook up...
 
thewienke

thewienke

Member
Oct 25, 2017
15,978
I have two of these for my setup and they work great.

Kinivo 501BN

warning: wire gore

IjVWxeg.jpg
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Deleted member 18400

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
4,585
I literally own 3 of these things and I have had no problems with any of them despite all three being different makes.

They all work fine for what I need.

My only piece of advice is to make sure you get one with it's own power adapter as some of them require drawing power from the TV and some TV models won't provide power through the HDMI ports.
 
Teenage Fansub

Teenage Fansub

Member
May 24, 2019
22,201
I got two Nyko Console Selectors when my local EB had them on clearance. No idea if they do 4k/60, but I only have my Switch, minis and modded retro consoles going through them.
They don't use power and switch automatically, so I don't need the remote.

N22ierh.png
 

Deleted member 426

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
7,273
tommyv2 said:
I am helping. I'm telling you that you already have what you need and to save your money. I have 8 friends but my car only seats 5. I don't need to buy a van because I've never seen all 8 friends at once.
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Don't be a jackass. It is perfectly realistic to want to be able to switch consoles on the fly. Having a switcher adds a ton more convenience instead of having to unhook consoles constantly. Grow up.
 

Deleted member 426

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
7,273
Do switchers work without a button press? It just automatically knows which one to use? If so can someone suggest a three way one?
 
Smash-It Stan

Smash-It Stan

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,278
For the switchers in this thread(the few amazon links) I assume I can connect my PC - > Switcher and A/V Reciever -> Switcher and I'll be able to flip between my Monitor and my TV correct? It's just I see Output or Input along with the HDMI ports them selves like 1-5 but I had a switcher that didn't really work for what I needed.

When I'm pc gaming I have a HDMI cable going from my monitor to my PC, then when I wanna watch tv/movies and what not I unplug the cable from the PC and plug in a cable that comes from my Reciever so I can use my pc on the big tv. I wanna eliminate that cable switching with a simple button press.
 
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