An HDMI video switch (a.k.a. HDMI video switcher, HDMI switch box) takes HDMI data from a few different HDMI devices and sends the data from one of them to your own HDTV. That way, it acts as an agent to receive several HDMI signals for your favorite HDTV, despite the fact that your HDTV has merely 1 or 2 HDMI port(s).

You'll be able to connect several HD sources to the HDTV, like for example your:

• BluRay player, HDDVD player, DVD player with HDMI output;

• Playstation 3, Xbox360, Wii with HDMI output;

• HTPC, or computers with HDMI ports;

• HDTV box, satellite dish network, HDTV recorder;

• HD camera, or HD cam recorder;

• Any other devices that are able to outputting HDMI data.

For the convenience of hooking up many HDMI devices, how much money should you really invest on an HDMI switch?

The Appropriate Price for An HDMI Video Switch

You might find famously-branded HDMI switches at around $250 in a neighboring BestBuy retail store, or maybe $150 if you check around a little. The intuition almost definitely instantly tells you this won't make sense: HDMI switching is such a simple function, why does it have to cost that much? And also, with several 42-46 inch HDTVs priced roughly around $600-700 in these days, $150 - $250 simply appears to be a rediculous amount, we might as well add a couple of hundred bucks to buy a completely new HDTV.

How About Just $20?

For sure, customers only have to pay $20 on a 3-port HDMI video switch, which will have the task done literally perfectly just like those $250 ones: they'll have precisely the same benefits which include support for 1080P FullHD, DTS-HD, Dolby TrueHD, Linear PCM (LPCM), auto and manual HDMI switching, HDMI v1.3b and HDCP pass-through.

Number of Ports Matter. More ports demand more materials used and cost a little bit more. A 2x1 HDMI switch, with 2 HDMI inputs and 1 output, would most likely cost about $10-15; while a 5x1 HDMI video switch could cost you for probably $30-40, but not $400.

Do They Seriously Perform The Same?

Part of you inside perhaps keeps telling you those highly-priced ones must have superior audio/video quality, as they can charge much more, right?

But don't forget, in the digital environment, it's either 1 or 0: signals either get transmitted and transmitted in its 100% full quality, or it'll get lost with nothing transmitted whatsoever ---- there's nothing in between.

The HDMI video switch is not going to change the data at all, HDMI signals are passed over from the input port to the output port untouched, and this would make sure that anything in the HDMI source is going to be delivered to the HDTV like the HDMI source hooks up to your HDTV directly.

That's really the key reason why a $20 HDMI video switch will have its HDMI switching job done just as well as $250 ones.