Terk HDMI-31 Smart HDMI Switch (3 X 1) Reviews

• Excellent way to add HDMI capacity

  
  By AF6A0DDUVY3DL on 2007-02-28
  When I bought my plasma TV a year ago, I never imagined that I would want to connect more than one HDMI device. That changed when I bought a DVD player with HDMI and the ability to upconvert DVD's to near HD quality. After first considering spending $400+ on a new receiver with dual HDMI ports, I opted to first try this device for about $65. Money saved. The device automatically switches between the cable and DVD inputs when I turn them on and I now can enjoy the much improved DVD video quality (I had been using composite video on the DVD player) that comes from HDMI. There is no change in the input quality from my cable box HDMI input. There was virutaly no setup involved. I simply unplugged my TV's existing HDMI connection from the cable box and plugged it into the output on the Terk box. Then I ran HDMI cables from the DVD and cable box to two of the three inputs on the Terk box and powered up. That was it. Rather than buy super costly HDMI cables, I purchased two HDMI cables from Abacus 24-7 (an Amazon contractor) at $6.99 each. They work like a charm. Since for audio I use a recevier rather than my TV speakers and my receiver is not HDMI capable, I have connected my receiver to the audio outputs of my cable box and DVD player using digital fiber optical cable and get all the capability of surround sound that I could want. Those optical cables are $5.99 each from Abacus (I found them for $12.99 to $25.99 at Fry's Electronics).
  
  Update as of May 11, 2007. Still working like a charm. I haven't had to do anything to the unit and I basically forget it is there.
  
  Update as of June 13, 2007. I now use my computer as a digital recording device, like a TIVO-type box. I record HDTV over the air using a Terk HDTV antenna and a Hauppauge HDTV capture card. My computer graphics card has a DVI output, so I bought a DVI to HDMI converter cable ($12 at Amazon) which connects my computer to one of the HDMI source inputs on the Terk HDMI-31 Switch. It operates flawlessly. Another reason to have Terk's multiple HDMI connection capability.
  
  

• Doesn't Work (As Advertised)

  
  By A347P6FSCSX5KE on 2007-03-11
  It doesn't work with my system, as least not as advertised. It will automatically switch from my Samsung (HL-R4266W) TV to my Sony (DVP-NS75H) DVD player, but will NOT automatically switch back to my DirecTV (H-20) receiver. I'm very upset that I spent the money for what is essentially a manual switch.
  
  CORRECTION: After some experimentation, it seems that the TV and DVD player lock-up the link. I'm not sure which is the culprit. It turns out that if I turn off the TV and the DVD Player for the time that it takes for the TV to totally power-off (thus severing the link) I can turn on the TV and DirecTV and everything is fine!
  
  

• Worked perfectly

  
  By AC9MVSDBRQVOK on 2007-02-28
  There are switchers out there that comes with a remote, at a cost of $50 or so. But the fact that this unit is auto-switching eliminates the need for a remote completely, and avoided another remote to clutter up my coffee table. The switcher can also be placed out of sight because of this feature.
  
  Just remember to turn off one unit before turning on another unit for the auto-switching to work properly. Works like a champ with no static or green dots. AC adaptor is tiny, making it quite "power strip friendly".
  
  

• Automatic switching isn't for everyone...

  
  By ALQRLXWDOY0PB on 2007-03-29
  I ordered this switcher but it doesn't quite meet my needs. It works great as an manual switch, but beware if you're set on the automatic switching mode. Not all devices terminate the HDMI link when you power them off (such as my TiVo). If you have a device that doesn't terminate the link, this switch won't switch back to it because it triggers based on the inactive-to-active state change of a connection. For example, I put my TiVo on input 1 and my DVD on input 2. When I turn on the DVD, it switched to input 2 as desired. However, turning the DVD off and the TiVo back on DID NOT switch back to input 1 because the TiVo never terminated the HDMI link and therefore didn't trigger the switcher. Bummer. I wound up ordering the 4-port Hdmi Switcher Box w/ Remote Control (1 Year Warranty) instead which solves my problem by using its remote control.
  
  

• DirecTV users beware

  
  By A27QQI408V2N8T on 2007-04-06
  Just boxed the switch up to ship it back. I am a DirecTV user and I have an HR20 HD DVR that will not pass through the switch. My DVD player works fine through the switch. My HR20 works fine connected directly to the HDMI port on the TV but when I connect the HR20 through the switch the HR20 crashes and has to be uplugged to reboot it.
  
  Bottom line is that the switch seems to work OK as long as you don't have an HR20. I have seen others having this problem as well after researching this online.
  
  I have also read of others using a different switch and the HR20 seems to work fine. Just placed the order for a different brand switch that I have read works for the HR20.
  
  
• Not for TiVo or other DVR owners!
  By A3DF6EAZ020LUI on 2008-03-01
  This product works great IF you can turn off unused components. However, if you record shows from your cable or satellite box, you know that the receiver must remain on at all times (as would the DVR if it's a separate component) or you would miss recordings. With a receiver and/or TiVo always on, this switcher won't be able to change inputs to, for example your DVD player or XBox, because it works by sensing whether a signal is being output over the HDMI cables, and thus won't switch if two inputs are active simultaneously.
  
  If you have a complicated setup like this, you should instead buy a switcher with a programmable remote so you can either use the switcher's remote to change inputs or train a universal remote to drive the switcher and other peripherals at the same time.
  
  
• Not as promised
  By A12F3TS5S4RA74 on 2007-05-30
  Out of the box, the switch was not passing any sound. The seller, Antonline, directed me to the manufacturer (Audiovox, owner of Terk) for repair. Audiovox acknowledged the problem with the switch. Received the repaired or replacement switch in approximately three weeks. This time both the sound and the automatic switching were not working. Given the hassle, did not send it for repair again. I am currently using it as a manual switch without sound. Still better than unplugging cables, but definitely a poor quality product. Not recommended.
  
  
• Horrible - Lots of noise!
  By A1LOUZJTF3N807 on 2007-06-04
  Horrible experience with the product. The switching works, but there's way too much noise (or snow) for all the outputs. I've tried it with my DVD player and PS3. Even tried switching the cables just to make sure that it wasn't a cable issue.
  
  Avoid at all costs.
  
  
• BEWARE !! Will not work with Direct TV HR20 HD receiver
  By A14ABYKF9AFQKV on 2007-06-15
  I purchased this product from Amazon and was sold by ANT Tech. Switch will not work with a Direct TV HR20 HD receiver, it will not recognize the unit.Therfore will not switch over. Audiovox sent me 4 replacements before they admmited that it will not work with Direct Tv.I am thinking that a large number of direct tv customers might consider purchasing this HDMI switch, I am here to tell you do not buy it or you will have the same problems that I had. The company ANT Technologies (seller of product) is a poor company. They do not have a customer service number and WILL not return you E-Mails.Thank god that Amazon.com is a reputable company, they gave me a full refund in a very short period of time. So my advice is to not purchase this switch and run and do not look back if what you are buying comes from ANT Technologies.
  
  
• Works better than I had expected - ignore the negareviews.
  By A1XJO5CDMBBY2K on 2007-11-24
  I was considering the nega-reviews fairly heavily when I purchased this, but they were outweighed when I considered other Terk products that I had purchased in the past. Though I know it's inconsequential nowadays as far as brand name goes since all this crud is made in China and quality is a shadow of what it was, I still got this HDMI switch (auto) thinking that the autoswitching wouldn't work and I'd have to get up and hit a button. I also thought that I'd have problems with video quality.
  
  None of these things happened. It switches automatically. The quality is great. The other bonus was that it was small and attaches with velcro easily to the DLP TV (Samsung HL-T5075S) it's out is going to.
  
  I have a PS3, an Xbox 360 Elite, and a Toshiba HD-A30 all attached to this switch box and every one of them works perfectly.
  
  Make sure to buy HDMI cables from an Amazon vendor as well - don't get taken by the promises of overpriced cables from your local superstore. It works fine for me with basic $2 HDMI cables.
  
  
  
  
• You get what you pay for
  By A10JXY2MAO7MNC on 2007-12-02
  I should have known better but I ordered this because of the low price. Its ability to auto switch was intermittent and it would not pass dolby digital signals throught the HDMI. Tech support was useless and suggested that I return the box for a new one that should work. Instead a bought a Radiient for more money, but it worked perfectly out of the box.
  
  
• Works in auto but Dish Network outputs even when off
  By A3635S3IY6WZLT on 2007-05-18
  Received the switch today along with two HDMI cables. Switching between Dish Network HDTV, HD-XA2 and PS3. Unit is HDCP and HDMI ver. 1.3 complaint according manufacturer's literature. I can see no visible signal degradation though I am only using it up to 1080i. I was hesitant to buy since there were so many people saying the auto switch did not actually occur, but it does, except when the Dish is connected. I noticed that after connecting everything the switch powered up sans the power supply and with all of the equipment off, then I turned on the Toshiba HD DVD and nothing happened, until I switched manually. I realized that it was likely the Dish because of the stupid screen saver that is always on even when the receiver is off. If I can find were that feature can be turned off then the switch will work fine since the PS3 and the HD DVD both work fine in auto without the Dish receiver hooked up. 4 stars was due to nothing really deserving 5 stars, it works as advertised and is a suitable stand in until the Onkyo 875 I want is released.
  
  If you want an HDMI switch on the cheap this is it, just remember the auto feature works on output from a component and if an output is present it will stay with that one even if a new signal is presented.
  
  
  
• Does exactly what it is supposed to...
  By A319FMZHFBC6OJ on 2007-03-08
  It's mind boggling why other HDMI switches are running around [...]. This switch is under [...]and works great!
  
  As for the features, I don't use the automatic switching capability myself, I usually push the button on the switch to change the input, since I'm usually up anyway to insert or remove a DVD.
  
  This does what it is supposed to. It allows you to insert multiple HDMI devices into 1 input. Works great with no signal loss or degredation.
  
  The only possible negative: That blue light can light up an entire room. It's on top of the unit, so it can be hidden (electrical tape will work as well), but just wanted everyone to be aware of it.
  
  
• It works...
  By A275UM8VQJINTZ on 2007-03-26
  This is a great HDMI switching product, priced right. Received it in two days with standard shipping and had it plugged in and working within two minutes . It switches automatically, sensing activity on one of three input channels. It's small, and it works flawlessly, handling HDCP without any hiccups. You can't beat the price, and I feel safer with a branded product like Terk than with an unknown vendor with their clunky oversized and overpriced boxes. My configuration has two DVD players (hi-def and regular) going to the Terk, which then goes to one of two HDMI inputs on my Sony DG1000, then on to my Sony KDS60A2000 big screen. I have the DG1000 switched to the Terk, and the Terk knows when I have started a DVD on one of the two players and switches automatically to the right source, and I do not get momentary green screens or bad source messages waiting for the receiver's repeater to catch up, and I'm using excellent quality very low cost (<$7ea) 6ft HDMI cables from Abacus24-7 with no problems. Don't waste your money on expensive HDMI cables, and forget all your analog cabling compromises from the past. This is the new way and the right way to configure and switch digital sources! If you need to switch among multiple DVD players, set tops, games, etc., buy the Terk to get the satisfaction of having real 21st century pure digital simplified connectivity! Everything else is just an excuse.Terk HDMI-31 Smart HDMI Switch (3 X 1)
  
  
• Auto switching does not work
  By A2STF5FE6HNGQJ on 2007-08-17
  Have a Comcast HD DVR box and an Oppo DVD player connected. Was really looking forward to smart switching, but the Auto-Switching does not work, always stays on input 1 even if I start with both devices turned off and then turn source #2 on. Does not matter which device is on #1 and #2. Manual switching works fine, but I only bought this for the auto-switching. It will only auto-switch to #2 if I actually pull the power cord or the HDMI cable from the device on #1.
  
  
• Cheapest and best auto switch around
  By AZCTBUT0T9RTV on 2007-03-03
  I agree with the other reviewers that this switch is the best for the money. I researched all others before deciding on this one. As previously mentioned with the auto switching there is no need for a remote. I placed mine behind my tv, therefore hiding the cables. It doesn't state in the product description but the package for the switch states that it is hdmi 1.3 compliant, therefore to some degree futureproof.
  
  
• Did not work with my DirecTV HD DVR!
  By A1AGIWHHLNLEE8 on 2007-04-13
  I have a LCD TV with only one HDMI input so I purchased this product to connect my DVD upconvert player and HD DVR into one input without switching cables every time I would switch from one to the other. The auto switching worked great! It did what it says, when you turn on your source, it switched to it automatically. But I could not get a picture from my DirecTV HD DVR! Sound-yes! Picture-no! I also had to keep changing the resolution back to 1080i on my DVD upconvert player because for some reason it would switch back to 480i when using this auto switch. I would not recommend this product!!
  
  
• Not that smart !
  By AMU1APU4W6NXP on 2007-04-18
  The wonderous automatic Smart Switch as described works 'smart' when toggled manually between components. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to have found it as I only have only (1) HDMI plug on my TV and (2) HDMI devices. And I don't mind the extra exercise so no big deal.
  
  
• Unable to switch DirecTV HD receiver not fault of switch
  By A3FVT9763N0PLN on 2007-07-10
  As another reviewer had mentioned this switch will switch a DirecTV HD receiver off automatically when another unit is turned on but will not switch back on. This is due to a locked link from product being switched. I found this out by manually unpluging the HDMI DVD player from the back of the switch and then it would switch back to DirecTV HD receiver. I would also recommend a switch with a remote and then with a Harmony remote you can intergrate the commands in the activities section of the online software.
  
  
  
• Doesn't Work Properly - No Audio
  By A1AZC7U2BX6YJC on 2007-08-26
  Read the reviews past the first 2! This thing doesn't work for me, and after looking a little deeper on these reviews, many others aren't satisfied either. I could get one component to work properly (DVD), but never could get my Scientific Atlanta HD8300 HD/DVR box to push audio through. Sent it back.
  
  
• Item does not work with Netflix Roku & DVD Player
  By AEW4HSN0NS2RI on 2008-07-11
  I like many others read all of the reviews and decided to take the plunge after a few others specifically mentioned that this works with the Netflix Roku movie downloader.
  
  Well... for me it didn't.
  
  The other thing everyone mentioned was that in order for this unit to work properly, you need to turn off one device before turning on the other or the unit may not auto switch peoperly.
  
  That doesn't work either.
  
  In addition, the ROKU unit is "always on" so there is no turning it off.
  
  Regardless though, after using several different hdmi cables between the Roku, DVD player and TV... ultimately i give this 1 star for appearance only. What an utter disappointment this unit is.
  
  EVEN WHEN MANUALLY SETTING (which you can do) it still did not send the signal to the TV properly.
  
  When i plug the DVD player directly into the TV... works like a champ. When i plug the Roku unit directly into the TV... works like a champ.
  
  So... i blame the TERK unit.
  
  Now i'm back to looking. This time though i'll find someting with a remote since the ROKU unit is always on. That i did not know until after i bought it.
  
  I hope this helps
  
  
• gets the job done
  By A1I2BLZNPQ757Q on 2007-04-16
  It would be nice if it came with a remote that allowed you to switch manually instead of using the auto switching, but for the price I can't complain. The auto switching has worked just fine.
  
  The blue lights that indicate power on and source selected are extremely bright. I have this hidden behind my TV but the glow lights up the ceiling in low-light viewing conditions. I've been meaning to put a piece of tape over those lights.
  
  The switch has worked just fine. The lack of a remote and the extremely bright lights are the only things keeping it from getting 5 stars.
  
  
• dissapointing
  By A1RTCUEWX0YM0X on 2007-05-07
  I bought this switcher because it said it automatically detects the source of the HDMI signal switches to that part. It doesn't do it with any consistency
  I have to frequently get up and change the switch to the signal source. Nice idea if it worked sucks I have to manually do it myself.
  
  
• unsatisfied
  By A2YUEH1P9RM4HO on 2007-05-07
  the item never worked and when i went to the product site, the site didnt offer any answers as to why it didnt work
  
  
• Great product with manual use
  By ANP4HL2WRRN6X on 2007-06-26
  I have a Cablevision HD box and an Apple TV connected to this. It unfortunately won't automatically switch between the two. However, the manual button on top is no problem, and it is a small enough device to simply sit on top of my cable box. Other's have complained about the blue light -- I actually think the blue light is a great effect from inside the cabinet. It is a very deep shade of blue, and it is no brighter than the other lights on my receiver...
  
  Finally, it is a little hard to discern from the photo, but it comes with a great little stand that holds it up off of whatever you set it on. This is especially handy to help dissipate heat from whatever you place it on.
  
  
• Doesn't auto-switch
  By AYEVDM40UY0BN on 2007-08-29
  The manual switching works, but after about an hour of messing with it, I gave up on the auto-switch. I have a Time Warner HD cable box and an RCA DVD player.
  
  From experimenting with it I learned:
  
  If I unplug an active HDMI cable and move it to another port, the unit will switch to the new port. It will also pick the correct port if the power cord is detached and re-attached. Hardly auto-switching.
  
  I will probably keep the unit because I can live with manual switching (not that lazy). I am just using it for video, so I don't know if the sound works or not, as others have complained about the sound.
  
  If you are looking for smart switch, look elsewhere because this unit doesn't live up to its marketing.
  
  
• 1080i only, not 1080p, hopefully it's a bad unit
  By A2MGI7VCM9B65C on 2007-12-27
  The auto switch works very well, you don't need to switch a component off before switching to another. If the switch senses another device being turned on then it will switch to it. To go back to the original device though, you would have to turn off the 2nd device.
  The biggest problem I had with it was even though the box claims it will pass 1080p signals, it didn't for me, as I had to change everything down to 1080i for it to work. I will be getting a replacement, and see if I just got a bad unit.
  
  
• Don't buy this
  By A3RROCVS9F81JE on 2008-03-14
  I bought this through amazon and used to connect it to my PS3 DVD and TV (all Sony products. After a month the picture became snowy and it no longer switches automatically. I had to send it back to Audiovox through UPS ($14) because they will not accept it through regular mail. (Audiovox owns Terk. They recieved the switch Jan 22, 2008 and untill now they have not sent me a replacement. Called them several times, first they don't know why I have not received a replacement, 2nd they cannot find in their system if the replacement was sent, 3rd they said it was on back order and will send it in April. It's been 2 months!!!! DON'T BUY ANY AUDIOVOX PRODUCTS, THEY ARE WORTHLESS!!!
  
  
• GOOD, BUT NOT PERFECT
  By A25D74A91RQX07 on 2008-06-25
  I've only been using this switch for about a month, and so far it seems to work very well. The picture and sound quality appear to be perfect. My one complaint is that the auto-switching feature only works with two of the three devices I have connected to it. My PS3 works perfectly all the time with the "Smart-Switch" technology. The problem I'm having is with my DVR and DVD player. Only one or the other will work with the auto-switch feature, depending on which one is plugged into "Port #1". Whichever one is not plugged into the first port, I have to switch over manually, but then it plays just fine. FYI, I chose to plug the DVR into port 1, because I have to get up to put a DVD in the player anyway, so it's not too big of a deal to go ahead and manually change the switch while I'm up. I just have to remember to change it back to "Auto" when I'm through with the DVD player. All-in-all I guess I would have to say that I'm pretty happy with this product. I wish the "Smart-Switch" feature worked perfectly all the time, but it works with 2/3 of the devices I have attached to it, and it still works fine manually with the 3rd. Bottom line is, I needed an HDMI Switch and this one was a very good deal, and if bought on Amazon, it came with a free HDMI cable to boot. So, I can safely say that I recommend this product, especially if you buy it from Amazon.
  
  
• does 90% of what it should
  By A2DXHG4YDEFJFC on 2008-07-02
  The hdmi switcher does great when there is only 1 hdmi output one. If there are two on at a time it doesn't switch. With that said for most of my daily needs, PS3 or cable box, it does great, auto switches and has no problems telling which is which. I just had to program my remote to cut off one before the other came on. If I want to leave both on and just change outputs, then I have to hit a button on the device. Plus the lights on this thing are insanely bright.
  
  

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