It's becoming quite clear that HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is slowly but surely becoming the audio/video interface of choice for most electronic products' manufacturers, as it replaces the older analog standards (coaxial cables, composite video, S-Video, SCART, component video and VGA connectors) and some of the older digital ones as well (DVI). And this is exactly the reason why the people over at Aluratek came up back in the first half of 2007 with the 4-Port HDMI Video Switch with Remote, a device that allows user to chose the source of the HD signals without having to mess with the wires.



Since this thing is a switch, its main purpose is, obviously, to route the high definition video (HDTV resolution of 480p, 720p, 1080i, and 1080p; VGA, SVGA, SXGA (1280x1024); and UXGA (1600x1200, 1920x1200)), as well as the multichannel digital audio from any of the four sources. Thus, the user can connect up to 4 HD signal sources (HD-DVD/Blu-ray players, Next-Gen gaming consoles, HD cameras, etc.) to the same TV set, and change the source at will, by simply pressing a button on the IR remote control provided with the unit.



However, as any switch, this one does more than “share” the input from several sources. Thus, Aluratek's 4-Port HDMI Video Switch with Remote practically extends the range of the HDMI-compatible device without affecting the quality of the audio/video signals, since it equalizes and re-clocks the HDMI signal. By doing so, the device, which offers a video amplifier bandwidth of around 1.65 Gbps, is capable of maintaining the quality of the high resolution video.



The Aluratek 4-Port HDMI Video Switch with Remote retails for around 80-100 US dollars, depending on the vendor, which is actually an extremely small price to pay, taking into consideration the fact that similar solutions retails for up to 10 times this amount.