Either way, the device is drawing some amount of power. The problem is that the switch can’t understand the difference between these devices being asleep and being on. Xbox and PlayStation consoles and Apple TVs among others simply go into sleep mode. Unfortunately, a large number of modern devices never actually turn off. When it detects that an input device has been turned on, it will immediately switch to that device. See, the 550BN has an auto-switching feature. If you’re not, or if you’re using a non-compatible extension cable, you’ll get some janky results.Īnother time you might get weird results is if you’re connecting certain types of device. For those last two features to work, you have to be using an HDMI 2.0 cable. For newer hardware, you get support for Dolby Vision and 3D. For older hardware, the switch also supports 4K at 30 FPS, and even ordinary 1080p video. That’s not as impressive as 120 FPS, but it’s still very good when you’re introducing a switch into the mix. The 550BN supports video signals of up to 4K and 60 frames per second. They also provide 24/7 customer support if you need help setting the switch up. To back this up, Kinivo provides a two-year manufacturer’s warranty, better than the industry average. If your switch gets knocked over or dropped, it’s not going to crack open. The various aluminum components meet together well, preventing hot spots and keeping the unit as a whole cool. One thing we appreciated about the design is that it does a good job of heat dissipation. There’s also a manual switching button, as well as a round sensor for the infrared remote. The front of the unit houses a row of display lights that let you know which input is active. It accepts a barrel-style DC power adapter, and a block-style power supply is included in the package. The fifth HDMI input is actually located on the left, alongside the DC power port. There are four HDMI inputs on the back, with the HDMI output port located on the right side. Pretty much the entire outside perimeter is put to use. It has slightly rounded corners, so it doesn’t present a poking or jabbing hazard. The body has a two-tone design, with silver, powder-coated aluminum sides and a black top and bottom. This is a compact switch that measures 4.6 inches wide, 2.5 inches deep, and an inch thick. So it made sense to give the Kinivo 550BN HDMI switch a shot. We’ve reviewed their Bluetooth USB adapters in the past, and they performed fairly well. Kinivo is a manufacturer who’s known for their adapters and switches. Which one of these switches is the ideal choice? To find out, we’ll need to take a closer look at each one, and go over their features. This switch has four inputs instead of five, but provides multiple audio features. Last but not least, we’ll review the TESmart Fast Switch. This is a slightly slimmer switch an old school vibe, and can be used 100 percent manually. Next, we’ll examine the Awakelion HDMI Switcher. This is a 5-in, 1-out switch with a slick design and Dolby Vision and 3D support. We’re about to look at three of the best 4K HDMI switches available today. A switch lets you connect several more devices, so you’ll have plenty of ports. For another thing, your needs may simply exceed the number of HDMI ports on your TV. If you plug those devices into the switch, you’ll have one cable from the switch to your TV. And if you’re plugging in five devices, there are five cables crossing that negative space. If your devices are in a shelf and the TV is up on the wall, there’s negative space in-between. So, why would you do this instead of plugging directly into your TV? For one thing, you might want cleaner cable management. These work similarly to old-school coaxial switches, except with HDMI instead of coax. That said, there are times and places you might want to use an HDMI switcher. You can often connect three or four different HDMI sources and cycle between them. Modern TVs don’t strictly require this type of setup. Then you’d use the switch to choose which exact device you were using. When you wanted to use one of your devices, you’d tune the TV to Channel 3 or 4. If you had a VCR, an early game console, or other device, you’d need a switch to plug them all in. TVs of the day used a single channel, either three or four, for all signals other than antenna or cable. Many of us grew up with switches for coaxial cable. As technology advances, some things change while others remain the same.
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