Impact Acoustics 5-port HDMI Selector Switch Review

Feb 1 2008, 12:00am CST | by Shane McGlaun

One of the biggest woes for many when it comes to their HDTV sets is the lack of enough HDMI inputs. It’s not uncommon for HDTV owners to have four or five HDMI input sources and even higher-end HDTVs typically only have three HDMI ports. If you have more HDMI devices that available HDMI ports, the Impact Acoustics 5-port HDMI Selector Switch might be just what you need.

Gallery

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Benchmarks

Features
The Impact Acoustics 5-port HDMI Selector Switch has five HDMI inputs and one HDMI output. The switch is capable of outputting full 1080p signals and is fully HDCP complaint for use with Blu-ray and HD DVD players. Supported formats include 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, and 1080p. The switch also includes a wireless IR remote for selecting the input as well. The switch can route the digital sound from HDMI sources as well.

Installation & Use
The Impact Acoustics 5-port HDMI Selector Switch is so very easy to use all you need to do is connect your five sources to the inputs for HDMI and connect the single HDMI output to your TV or AV receiver. The switch requires an AC connection for power to operate.

I connected my HDMI cable box, PS3, HD DVD player and Xbox 360 to the switch and couldn’t tell a visual difference between using the switch and connecting the devices direct to the TV. Blu-ray and HD DVD playback were both perfect and without issue.

The sound quality was also the same when using the switch as it was connecting direct to my TV. The small credit card style IR remote works well for changing inputs. The only complaint I have with the device is that it doesn’t offer optical digital inputs as well for components that don’t send sound over the HDMI cable. The IR remote works well, but the switch is so low that if you put it inside an entertainment center that has doors, as mine does it can be hard to get a good line of site for the remote to work.

Verdict

Conclusion

Pros

Greatly expands HDMI port availability
HDCP compliant
Sends sound as well

Cons

No optical audio inputs

Verdict
If you have lots of HDMI devices rather than resort to other cabling methods what you need is the Impact Acoustics 5-port HDMI Selector Switch. This switch is easy to use and performs flawlessly in use. You can use this switch without fear that your HD devices will lose image or sound quality.

9.5

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Shane McGlaun
Leading our review center, Shane knows technology inside out. His extensive experience in testing computer hardware and consumer electronics enable him to effectively qualify new products and trends. If you want us review your product, please contact Shane.
Shane can be contacted directly at shane@i4u.com.