The Problem With HDMI Inputs - There Aren't Enough!

[Jeremy Charette]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.livedigitally.com/?p=962' target='_blank'>http://www.livedigitally.com/?p=962</a><br /><br /></div><i>"...around Thanksgiving I see this great sale on a 32″ LCD set from Syntax Olevia, and I buy one. A week or so later and I get a Comcast HD DVR, hook it up with component video cables, and am happy in HD-land. But then I discover HDMI and learn a few more things about HDTV. And I get a Moviebeam and a Samsung upconverting DVD player. And everything became a problem, as I literally had to leave HDMI cables dangling behind my mess of a ‘rack’ and picked up a DVI-HDMI adapter from the ‘Shack. Everything looked good on-screen, but was a major pain to manage. Until I discovered Gefen..."</i><br /><br /> <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/133901510_11f0c212d4_m.jpg" /> <br /><br />I encountered a similar problem when I bought an HDTV. Luckily all of my inputs are component video, but I only have one component input on my HDTV, and no component switching on my A/V receiver. I picked up an inexpensive Pelican Accessories switcher, and now I have my DVD player, Xbox 360, and Time Warner HD box all plugged into the switcher. Video goes to the TV, audio to the receiver, and I can change inputs with one button press. If you have more than 1 or 2 devices, and don't have a switcher already, get one!

[Felix Torres]

Earlier this year, I tried buying an AV receiver that HDMI switching at a reasonable price. (Manufacturers are pricing the things as high-end products:4-digit prices.)
Couldn't get it to work with two separate samples.
User support swore I was doing everything right but it just didn't want to work for me so I punted and went with a slightly cheaper component-switching receiver. Mostly, I was just looking for an optical audio-switching solution since my display is DVI-based and with 5 HD ports it has almost enough for any application I may need.
Of course, the 06 version of the same display added an HDMI port, bringing it up to 6 HD ports. That sounds about right. &lt;sigh>

I figure I'm covered for the rest of the decade, but I still don't understand why manufacturers are shipping HD sets with one HDMI, two component, and 4-6 *composite* ports. Some name-brand vendors are even taking off HD ports, of late. I've seen models with no VGA, one HDMI and one component port only.

What century do they think this is? :roll: