Monoprice has just posted their 4x1 1.3b HDMI switch - Page 4

My original HDMI switch from Monoprice (2786 2X1 Manual HDMI Switch - Push Button Type) Works fine between the PS3 and and my video system. The 4x1 did not, They were out of stock in January and I was waiting for a new batch to come in, I wonder if there were problems with the last batch they sold, I see a lot of good reviews from previous purchases, but most of the recent reviews show problems.

I must disagree, The problem often is not with the switch but with the whole implementation of HDMI/HDCP. If you read the other threads you will see issues with all switches. It is not that the switch may not work as intended it is the problem with everything working together with the hdcp handshake. I have tried the Xbox 360, the PS3 a Toshiba XA2, A Panasonic BD30 and a Oppo player with this switch and it works for me. I think it is easy to blame the switch when there are so many issues that can cause problems. I have seen many issues with Gefen and even the new Oppo switch. The problem is that all companies have not followed the HDMI/HDCP specs and putting a switch into the chain can cause issues for some. I understand your frustration but the blame should be put on the HDMI/HDCP association and the manufactures of sets and other equipment. The biggest issues for me is the design of the cable and port with 19 connectors and no way to secure them. If even one connection does not make contact nothing will work. I have used over 10 with no failures. I have often found other issues such as loose cables or sets that must be linked in a special sequence. It is very easy to blame one component when one adds it to the chain. In reality it could be something else.

I have had issues with HDMI/HDCP since day one and I understand the frustration. Do a search on this or other threads on the fourm and you will see all kinds of issues. Many people blamed Panasonic when the BD30 caused flashes with several Samsung sets. In fact it was Samsung's problem but Panasonic did develop a work around. A early projector with HDMI the Sanyo Z2 never really got the HDCP issues resolved. Sanyo washed their hands of the problem These are just two examples. I could go on and on.

DRM and HDCP has and always will be a less than optimum solution. That is why so many professional installers refuse to use it on top jobs.

On an end not I feel your pain having spent countless hours trying to resolve HDMI/HDCP issues in the past. I am keeping my fingers crossed that everyting will continue to work.

There is one thing you might want to try to see if another switch will work. Use the same setup and try a different brand switch with not other changes.

Good luck.

Off topic a bit...
I am wary to spend another dollar on "cutting edge" AV stuff.
The Monoprice switch was cheap and not much of a loss, but 2 other items on my list are not cheap and by posts on this board show problems that keep me from buying.
I am waiting for the Panasonic BD50 to come out, but it may have similar LFE bugs like the BD30 (They say a fix is in the works) I would also love to lay down $700 for an Onkyo 805 to complete my HT but I use a CRT projector and there is a lot of talk of lip sync problems on the 805 on CRT projectors.
Whether it be Onkyo, Panasonic, Monoprice or whoever; I don't want to spend my hard earned money to be a hardware Beta tester.

The Bd 30 LFE bugs have been fixed. You might also want to wait for the new Onkyo receivers due out during the summer. They will have more HDMI inputs. Regarding being a beta tester. The problem is that there are so many combinations and it becomes very difficult to get things to work together in all cases. The Onkyo has adjustment for lip Sync and that should solve your problem. I don't think you really need to waith for the BD50 because the Onkyo will do the decoding for you and could save you a few dollars. I own a BD30 and with the release of firmware 106 the LFE bug has been fixed and the player works great. The only issue I have is that a few disks are not perfect. The argument reminds me of those who favor the PC and those who favor the Mac. The Mac probably has fewer issues because it uses only Apple software and parts designed by them. The Windows operating system must work with all kinds of different designs. I think of Windows when I think of the problems with HDCP. If I only used Panasonic equipment with their HDCP one would probably have few handshake issues. The issues develop when one tries to link one brand with another. This should not happen but some companies have not followed the HDMI/HDCP specs.

Any new news on this switch? From reading all of the posts, it sounds like I'm S.O.L. here with a Panny plasma, a Comcast Motorola HDDVR box, and a PS3.

Well mine still works just fine with a Toshiba 34hfx84 cinema series set, Toshiba A2 hd-dvd player, Panasonic DMP-bd10a, Denon 757. I'd say just order one and see how it goes. The switch is very nicely made, all metal and pretty heavy for its size. It does take a bit to sync up when changing live inputs but so far it always works for my stuff.

Hi I just bought the MonoPrice 4x1 and seem to have problems. I dont know if the box is defective or its just not compatible. I connected my XBox360 and PS3 and it giving me alot of flickering on the screen and than screen goes blank. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks

check to see that your cables are seated. it sounds like that there is a bad connection.

HDMI has 19 connectors in the cable and if anything is not seated properly there can and will be problems. you could also have one bad cable.

Mine did the same thing, In an email Monoprice asked me to do everything except stand on one foot and swing it over my head, but nothing would allow it to work. I sent it back and am using a Monoprice manual switch that works fine. When my tax money comes, I will pick up the Onkyo 805 and that will do it all.

Thanks guys I just set it up again and carefully seated the wires and all seems to be working fine

The switch is working well for me. I have Panasonic BD-10A, Toshiba A2/A30, Accurian HDTV tuner, and a Popcorn a-100. I also tried a Zenith DVB-318 and a HTPC, both works.

What switch should I get to use with a HR20, PS3 and a HD-A30? I would like for it to be able to be controlled by a Harmony 880.

If I buy this switch, I plan to hook up the following devices:
Comcast HD DVR (Moto 6412)
HTPC (using DVI->HDMI cable)
PS3

I have 3 questions about this setup...

1) This switch has an HDMI out. However, my TV (Samsung HLN567W) has only a DVI input. Has anyone tested how this switch performs when using an HDMI->DVI cable for the output?

2) It seems like people are having issues with cable boxes. Has anyone tested with the Moto 6412?

3) This switch supports HDMI 1.3b, which the PS3 also supports, which I think involves "Deep Color" or something. What is the deal with this? Does it make a huge difference, or if I used a different switch that does not support 1.3b would I be missing a great deal? Does my TV have to support this also?

Thanks!

Update - Well I solved my own problem...

My setup was a 10' HDMI cable from the monitor to the switch, then a 1.5' cable from the AppleTV to the switch and a 3' cable from the 360 to the switch.

I started thinking that if the issue was signal strength, and the devices put out a strong enough signal over the 10' cable to work flawlessly on the monitor, that the switch must not be putting out a strong enough signal. So, I moved the switch right next to the monitor, connected it with the 1.5' cable, then used the 10' cable to connect the AppleTV to the switch and the original HDMI cable my 360 Elite came with to connect it to the switch. Now everything works flawlessly through the switch!

Bought the 4x1 1.3b and it doesn't work at 1080P. I only have 2 HDMI devices, an AppleTV and a Xbox360. With both devices, regardless of what port or power on sequence I use, the image will flash purple/green/snow and flicker in and out. Both devices work flawlessly when connected directly to my Dell 2408WFP, so I know the problem is not the monitor, the devices, or the cables.

Based on this I tried setting the resolution on both devices to 720P and lo-and-behold they both worked flawlessly through the switch. So, unless I got a defective unit, the problem is the switch can't handle 1080P, or is messing up the 1080P signal in some way.

Does anyone have a switch that works at 1080P with an Xbox360 and/or AppleTV?

I tried this switch and could not get it to work with most of my equipment.

I have a Sony VPL-VW40 Projector that is connected to an Onkyo 705. I have the output of the switch going to one of the inputs on the 705.

I also have a PS3, a 360, and an HD-A30.

The HD-A30 works with the switch at all resolutions, including 1080p/24.

The PS3 only works at 1080p/60. When I start a bluray movie at 1080p/24, the signal is lost.

The xbox360 at 1080p will not work at all (the receiver does not receive a signal from the switch).

I wanted to use the switch because I also have a verizon fios hd-dvr and the 705 only has 3 HDMI inputs. I'm gonna have to connect the dvr via components now. It wouldn't affect PQ anyways cuz the highest resolution the dvr outputs is 1080i.

I'm gonna see if I could use this switch with my 3yr old 55" sony rear projection TV that only has 1 hdmi input. it maxes out at 1080i (native 768p) so it shouldn't have a problem with this switch.

I am surprised that you are having this issue. I have the same switch going to A Panasonic AE900 and I have similar equipment and everything works. I have used this switch with other Sony equipment and I have had no problems including outputing 1080/24. How long is your cable run? The extra few feet of cable could be causing some type of loss. I would also check the settings on the 705 to be sure your have the HDMI outputs set correctly for monotor output. I have the 605 and I did not get things to work until I reset my outputs. Monotor on Sound output off from HDMI.

well...I do have a 25 ft run from the receiver to the projector, but I am using a 22gauge 1.3 HDMI cable from Monoprice. The connections between the receiver, the switch, and the rest of the components is via a 3ft 28gauge 1.3 cable.

The PS3 is weird because I could see the XMB fine...the signal disappears though when I start a bluray movie.

The 360 just refuses to form a connection between any of the four ports.

The A30 works fine, at all resolutions.

The 705 is configured properly (Monitor on, sound off). With all 3 components connected directly to the receiver, I dont have problems with handshaking.

Oh well, I could have a defective unit but its working perfectly with my old TV so i'm keeping it.

I'll just have to wait to upgrade my 705 with a receiver with more HDMI inputs.

I have the switch and it works fine. The output goes to a Panasonic AE900 projector. I only use 2 inputs. One for my HTPC, and the other for a Sony Blu-Ray BDP-S300.

As a follow up:
I just bought what may be the most expensive HDMI switch and it works fine
The Onkyo 805 did what the Monoprice switch could not.
Using the exact same cables and devices, the Onkyo switches all my signals flawlessly into my projector, not to mention with some real Kick Azz sound to boot

It would be interesting if you try the Monoprice switch going to one input on the Onkyo.
I know you now dont need it but I bet it will work. I am using the switch going to an Onkyo 605 and it works. Enjoy your 805 but check out the firmware update thread on the receiver forum section. There have been a few issues with DTSMA causing speaker damage. Enjoy your new toy

I'm thinking of ordering the switch but have read some negative reviews when connecting it to a Panasonic.

I have a Panasonic TH50PZ700U Plasma. My cable box is connected to the TV's first HDMI input so that's fine. For the 2nd HDMI input, I'm going to use the switch to connect my Sony BDPS300 blu-ray and a Sony RDRGX350 DVD recorder.

I have heard the the blu-ray player works fine but I'm just not sure that the switch will work with a Panasonic plasma. Any advice?

Thanks!

It is worth a try. Monoprice will take it back if you have an issue. I am using the switch with a Panasonic AE900 projector with no issue. I have a Toshiba XA2 and Bd30 and a PS3 and have no issues.

Thanks. However, I am in Canada and shipping is more. It could be a hassle having to return it. It is a great price though!

I have question about HDMI switches I can't seem to find the answer to here. If anyone can shed some light, that would be awesome:

When using a switch like this going into a receiver like the yamaha 663, does the switch successfully switch the AUDIO with the video? All the retailers talk about it switching the video source to your TV, but I'd need it to act as a switch into the receiver, switching audio and video together, since the receiver is what is plugged into the TV.

Thanks.

Audio and Video will switch using HDMI. You must be sure that your settings in the receiver are correct.

are any of you having luck with dtv boxes and this switch? i just got dtv today and had one of the first monoprice 4x1's (not sure of the model). it worked fine with my moto hddvr cable box and ps3, but not so well with the dtv hr21. i have it connected to an espon 1080 home projector.

I am having the oposite problem. My PS3 is blank until a movie starts and and plays all the way through at 1080p/24fps. Is the PS3 menu in a different resolution?

I think the PS3 menu runs at the highest resolution it can... mine runs at 1080p/60 if 1080p is enabled. 1080i/60 if only 1080i is enabled.

Movies and games run at their native (if the resolution is available)

I just got my HDX-401E today...Does not work with my xbox360...I get a flickery screen and no audio. If I change my xbox to 1080i, it seems to work fine.

I'm replacing a year old Terk switch because I wanted a switich with an IR remote so i can use it with my new Harmony 880.

Tried different cables and different switch ports, no joy. All my other devices seem fine with it (PS3, Dish PVR, Panasonic DVD carosel, Yamaha amp) just my xbox having issues with it.

As I know both the cable and port are fine (work with other devices) and all these devices work in my old Terk 3x1 - - - does anyone have any tips or tricks for me to try?

Thanks.

Called Monoprice, they said they typically have no issues with xb360, reccomended I try a better HDMI cable like 24AWG...I ordered 2 new HDMI cables to replace 2 of my 6 that do look to be slightly smaller/thinner than the others...Unhooking a larger cable to test is not realistic for me as I have my components on these built-ins shelves I made, so I'll just wait for my new cables....I hope this is it as nobody else seems to be having any XBox 360 issues with this switch...will update once I get the cables and can try them.