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[aparisi2274]

With the impending release of the X360, and eventually the PS3 and Rev, I was going to update my TV to a new Sony that has Component video jacks on it, however since there are only (2) component channels on the TV, I wanted to know if they make a decent to good component video switch box. I found a couple of the net, but I am not sure if they are good or not.

Can anyone let me know if they know of any good ones out there...

Thanks

 

[Dr_Cogent]

Don't have any recommendations on any particular model, but just know this - they are all expensive.

 

[aparisi2274]

I saw that already... cheapest I saw was $100

 

[piccolosan]

The HD Pelican System Selector Pro was only about $60. It works well for me.

 

[dhendren13]

Audio Authority 1154A ...automatic component vid and optical audio switching... my best gaming investment this gen...

 

[robot]

Audio Authority 1154A ...automatic component vid and optical audio switching... my best gaming investment this gen...

thats what I have - its definetly worth the money.

 

[aparisi2274]

this thing:

You guys would recommend this one?

 

[IJoel]

Cheap fix (3 Component input selector): http://hardware.gamespot.com/Story-ST-13904-1247-x-x-x

$25 or so.

 

[Crazymoogle]

this thing:

You guys would recommend this one?

Yes.

But I would recommend a receiver first.

 

[Dr_Cogent]

Audio Authority 1154A ...automatic component vid and optical audio switching... my best gaming investment this gen...

How does it know to automatically switch?

 

[crunker99]

You dont need a component switch box..

Any regular AV switch box will do it is exactly the same thing.

Just use the Red White And Yellow as Y PB and PR .. guts are exactly the same as a component switcher

 

[quin]

How does it know to automatically switch?

if it detects an audio signal it makes that connection active. It also will switch by connection. If you have an always on audio stream you put that on connection 1. connection 2 through 4 may have a game system or dvd player and each incrementing number over rides the previous number. turn them off and it goes back to the lowest number that has an active connection

 

[Shin Johnpv]

You dont need a component switch box..

Any regular AV switch box will do it is exactly the same thing.

Just use the Red White And Yellow as Y PB and PR .. guts are exactly the same as a component switcher

not exactly no

for HD images the componet signal has a higher mhz, and your switch box needs to be able to handle that otherwise it wont work


I have the Pelican Pro HD selector it has 8 componet inputs, 8 S-video, 8 Composite, 8 RCA Audio, and 3 optical and 3 ethernet ones, personally I have been INSANELY Happy with it

I get no signal problems at all the image is crisp and clean, I bought it when it first came out at like 90 or 100 bucks and have been very happy with it since

I run my Gamecube, Xbox, PS2, DVD Player, and Digital Cable box through it

 

[aparisi2274]

not exactly no

for HD images the componet signal has a higher mhz, and your switch box needs to be able to handle that otherwise it wont work


I have the Pelican Pro HD selector it has 8 componet inputs, 8 S-video, 8 Composite, 8 RCA Audio, and 3 optical and 3 ethernet ones, personally I have been INSANELY Happy with it

I get no signal problems at all the image is crisp and clean, I bought it when it first came out at like 90 or 100 bucks and have been very happy with it since

I run my Gamecube, Xbox, PS2, DVD Player, and Digital Cable box through it

You have a link for that Pelican Pro HD selector.... Just curious to see what it looks like...

 

[Cheesemeister]

You can get a Philips High Definition Switcher with 3 component + composite + S-video inputs, 1 composite + S-video input, and 1 component + composite + S-video output for $20 at Wal-Mart.

 

[hooo]

this thing:

You guys would recommend this one?

It's quite nice, though a bit costly. If you're going to buy one, get it from one of AudioAuthority's licensed resellers as it's about $50 cheaper. They're all linked off AA's site so start there.

 

[bob_arctor]

You dont need a component switch box..

Any regular AV switch box will do it is exactly the same thing.

Just use the Red White And Yellow as Y PB and PR .. guts are exactly the same as a component switcher

Yeah, I got an old-ass Naki A/V switcher and have my GC, Xbox, and PS2 all running on it via component on my 36" Wega with no problems on 480P (and the occasional 1080i).

 

[crunker99]

not exactly no

for HD images the componet signal has a higher mhz, and your switch box needs to be able to handle that otherwise it wont work


I have the Pelican Pro HD selector it has 8 componet inputs, 8 S-video, 8 Composite, 8 RCA Audio, and 3 optical and 3 ethernet ones, personally I have been INSANELY Happy with it

I get no signal problems at all the image is crisp and clean, I bought it when it first came out at like 90 or 100 bucks and have been very happy with it since

I run my Gamecube, Xbox, PS2, DVD Player, and Digital Cable box through it

I have the pelican as well and it actually has a crappy image, interference galore, i had to run all boxes direclty into my lcd.. and i have not met one regular AV box yet that cannot handle a component signal.. and i have used 5 dollar bargain bin ones.... no need to spend 150 bucks on a component switcher when you dont have the equipment to notice the difference if there even is any

especially when some of the boxes listed above cost more than 200 dollars...

 

[Jim]

I've been using standard A/V selector boxes for quite a while with component connections (Xbox, PS2, GCN, DVD), on a 32" WEGA, and I've not noticed any distortion, interefence and whatnot. Maybe if you are an incredibly anal videophile, you could find something wrong with the signal, but I've never been able to.

Maybe on a nice big LCD or plasma, or a 60" DLP the difference would be more noticable.

 

[GitarooMan]

this thing:

You guys would recommend this one?

I have this and would recommend it. It works great and is worth the money (as you can see, it also has digital audio switching, which may be useful at some point). As others have said, I would avoid using cheap switchboxes for component as the bandwidth is not sufficient.

 

[Hellraizah]

I would not entirely recommend the Audio Authority one. I got one and it sometimes lose signal for no apparent reason and you lose the screen randomly when in automatic switch mode. It can become REALLY cumbersome.

 

[Shin Johnpv]

You have a link for that Pelican Pro HD selector.... Just curious to see what it looks like...

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0001GAYUE/102-3068662-1491331?v=glance

I have the pelican as well and it actually has a crappy image, interference galore, i had to run all boxes direclty into my lcd.. and i have not met one regular AV box yet that cannot handle a component signal.. and i have used 5 dollar bargain bin ones.... no need to spend 150 bucks on a component switcher when you dont have the equipment to notice the difference if there even is any

especially when some of the boxes listed above cost more than 200 dollars...

Well Im sorry youve had bad luck with it I would wager it being you got a bad one and should have returned it for another at the store, because you make only number 2 out of a large number of users who have had any kind of signal lose with the Pelican that I have seen

and the pelican isnt 150 Ive seen it going for around the 60 - 80 dollar range and it gives you 8 ports for Componet, S-Video, Composite and regular rc audio

 

[dhendren13]

Hmm - never had any problems with my AA before... i've got all three current consoles hooked up through it and is has been flawless over the past year...

 

[DEO3]

Cheap fix (3 Component input selector): http://hardware.gamespot.com/Story-ST-13904-1247-x-x-x

$25 or so.

I have this.

Pelican makes two models, I ordered the more expensive one (the HD System Selector Pro), but the comapny I ordered it from sent me this cheaper one instead. I tried for about three months to get them to give me an RMA number and exchange this one for what I ordered before I gave up. Fucking scammers, I wish I could remember the name of the store so I could warn others to stay clear - but this was months ago.

Anyway, it seems to do a decent job. There are only three seperate component ports, even though it says there are four. The fourth port is S-video only, and is behind a small flap on the front of the unit. I haven't noticed any decrease in quality for my game systems (I have the component cables for my PS2 and Gamecube), but then again my PS2 and Gamecube look like ass on my big HDTV anyway so who knows if the quality is the same or not. DVD quality is much poorer when running through the unit though. When watching DVDs the contrast is much weaker, and in the darker areas you see these gray running horizontly across the screen, slightly askew.

I'd go ahead and recommend this unit to anyone using an SDTV, but if you spent the money on a large HDTV you're probably going to want something better because this unit does produce some flaws in image quality.

 

[Truelize]

Where do you guys hide that AA switch? It doesn't look like something I would want to be visible amongst all my entertainment equipment.
Or can it be hidden behind everything due to the automatic swithing?? That would be awesome.

 

[Meantime]

I would not entirely recommend the Audio Authority one. I got one and it sometimes lose signal for no apparent reason and you lose the screen randomly when in automatic switch mode. It can become REALLY cumbersome.

I used one for 2 years with next to no problems. Only slight issue was after turning off my DVD player, about 30 seconds later it would switch signals for about a second before going back to whatever it was on. Other than that it was great. A remote would have been nice though

 

[dhendren13]

I have my AA hidden behind everything... I couldn't even get to it if I wanted, so thank god the autoswitching works...

 

[Meantime]

Where do you guys hide that AA switch? It doesn't look like something I would want to be visible amongst all my entertainment equipment.
Or can it be hidden behind everything due to the automatic swithing?? That would be awesome.

Automatic switching works well most of the time, but you'd probably want it accessible to switch manually sometimes. It also does digital audio switching, if no one mentioned that before.

 

[cyberheater]

You dont need a component switch box..

Any regular AV switch box will do it is exactly the same thing.

Just use the Red White And Yellow as Y PB and PR .. guts are exactly the same as a component switcher

Yep. Been doing that for a while myself. Works great.

 

[Marty Chinn]

I just have mine behind my consoles on my shelf. It's out of the way and pretty unnoticeable, but all I have to do is push my GC to the side and I can reach it pretty easily.

One thing to point out that hasn't been mentioned is that it will convert digital audio between coax and optical. So if you have like 2 optical sources and one coax, you can have them all output via coax or optical. It's really a great feature if you have a mixture between coax and optical.

Another thing to point out is that while basic video switchers will let you switch component video, that doesn't mean it will work well with high definition video. You need to make sure the signal doesn't degrade to much to have a strong HD signal. So it may work great now, but if you're going to all HD stuff, you'll probably want to spend some money on something that works well.

There are some good reasons why the AA costs $150 and why people are willing to pay for it. People aren't blindly just buying it because they don't know better despite what appears to be cheaper alternatives. With those cheaper alternatives come catches.

 

[Mayor McCheese]

I've been using the JVC switchbox and it's pretty decent. I got it for $79 off Buy.com. It has 3 component in and 2 other ins without component (so 5 total inputs).

 

[mr_sockochris]

I got one of these from lik-sang...

Anyone use it? I've not been able to try HD with it yet but I'm praying it works.


Anyone know of a place that would ship the Pelican HD selector to the UK? They don't sell them anywhere here

 

[Truelize]

I got one of these from lik-sang...

Anyone use it? I've not been able to try HD with it yet but I'm praying it works.


Anyone know of a place that would ship the Pelican HD selector to the UK? They don't sell them anywhere here

Good luck getting a quality signal through those tiny little cords. That looks pretty lowend man.

 

[Teddman]

I've been using the JVC switchbox and it's pretty decent. I got it for $79 off Buy.com. It has 3 component in and 2 other ins without component (so 5 total inputs).

Me too, I am still using the good ol' trusty JVC JXS111. Only has three-way switching, but it's quality and probably no more than $60 nowadays.

$70 at http://www.bhphoto.com

 

[mj1108]

Me too, I am still using the good ol' trusty JVC JXS111. Only has three-way switching, but it's quality and probably no more than $60 nowadays.

$70 at http://www.bhphoto.com

I have one of those as well as the cheap $25 one above and have been really happy with both. I use the cheaper one for my game systems and the JVC one for my DVD player & HD cable box.

 

[KennyL]

You can get a Philips High Definition Switcher with 3 component + composite + S-video inputs, 1 composite + S-video input, and 1 component + composite + S-video output for $20 at Wal-Mart.

I got this one too. Works fine.

 

[atomsk]

i love my JX-S111. been using it for about 3 years now.

though with next gen coming, i need to prioritize what systems need to stay hooked up to the TV (current count is 7. all accessable through 2 switchboxes)

 

[Yusaku]

Cheap fix (3 Component input selector): http://hardware.gamespot.com/Story-ST-13904-1247-x-x-x

$25 or so.

I think I got mine for like $20 at Walmart. It works well, and even includes a pair of component, av, s-video, and ethernet cables.

The real question is, where are the cheap dvi/hdmi switch boxes.

 

[gkryhewy]

You dont need a component switch box..

Any regular AV switch box will do it is exactly the same thing.

Just use the Red White And Yellow as Y PB and PR .. guts are exactly the same as a component switcher

This is intriguing to me, as I have a composite/s-video switch that is powered (my understanding is that being powered will prevent signal loss). But if you do this, how do you handle audio switching?

 

[sirris]

This is intriguing to me, as I have a composite/s-video switch that is powered (my understanding is that being powered will prevent signal loss). But if you do this, how do you handle audio switching?

Yea I use a regular A/V switcher too. Theres really no signal loss unless your insanely anal about it. I'd hazard a guess to say you lose about 2% picture quality. Its so minimal its not even worth the extra cash and power supply.

 

[gkryhewy]

Yea I use a regular A/V switcher too. Theres really no signal loss unless your insanely anal about it. I'd hazard a guess to say you lose about 2% picture quality. Its so minimal its not even worth the extra cash and power supply.

Again, though, how do you handle audio switching?

Also, anyone have any opinions on this switch

 

[gkryhewy]

I've been looking at component switch options off and on today, and I'd appreciate your advice on which way to go. Basically, I'm looking to permit HD switching without any serious signal degredation.

Option 1 (most expensive):
Audio Authority 1184A - recommended earlier in thread, good build quality, auto switching, $175+/-

Option 2 (middling expensive):
Mid grade POWERED component switcher such as the Cables-to-go 3-PLAY - powered (=no signal loss??), $50+/-

Option 3 (CHEAP):
Use Component switching over the RCA jacks for the powered Pelican A/V switch I already own, and buy a second cheap RCA switch for audio, $20+/-.... any signal loss from the Pelican (it is powered)?

 

[Mejilan]

Option 1 (most expensive):
Audio Authority 1184A - recommended earlier in thread, good build quality, auto switching, $175+/-

WINNAR!

 

[sirris]

Again, though, how do you handle audio switching?

Also, anyone have any opinions on this switch

I use optical on a seperate optical switch box. Radio Shack sells them.

 

[tedtropy]

I use optical on a seperate optical switch box. Radio Shack sells them.

Or they did sell them. They seem to be discounted or at least unavailable at alot of Radio Shacks. I had to buy the display model, but it works well.

 

[Evenball]

You can get a Philips High Definition Switcher with 3 component + composite + S-video inputs, 1 composite + S-video input, and 1 component + composite + S-video output for $20 at Wal-Mart.

I got this one too. Works fine.

I have this one as well, seems to work great. haven't tested on anything higher than 480p yet though. I don't see any interference.

 

[Yusaku]

Again, though, how do you handle audio switching?

Also, anyone have any opinions on this switch

Bumping because my cheapo $25 Pelican box is getting flakey. One of the component inputs aren't working anymore.

The JVC JSX111 is $62 on Amazon.com. I like it because hopefully a name brand like JVC will be more reliable than some game accessory company.

That one you linked looks real interesting too. Good price, remote, and digital audio. Did you buy that one by any chance?

Buy.com has that Impact Acoustics 3-play for $42 after rebates, so I'll probably go with that unless someone suggests otherwise.

 

[Dez]

this thing:

You guys would recommend this one?

definitely recommended.. it's awesome.

 

[ArcadeStickMonk]

I just got a HD set, so I'm in the market for a switcher too. The Audio Authority was a shoe-in until I realized that the recievers I was also looking at would switch component too.

I'm currently looking at a Onkyo reciever that handles three component switching.

Now, I totally buy into the "signal loss" arguement for cheap switchers, so does anybody want to give an opinion about the Audio Authority box versus the Onkyo reciever?

 

[Warm Machine]

Just get the Pelican Pro System Selector Pro or whatever it is called. It really is an amazing box and I've yet to see any signal loss (probably because it is powered).