Connect ALL THE HDMI to ONE PORT! TESmart 16x1 HDMI Switcher Review
Вставка
- Опубліковано 25 лис 2021
- In this episode, we unbox and test out the TESmart 16x1 HDMI switcher box so that I can play all of my modern and retro video game systems through one HDMI port.
System Count:
1 - Switch
2 - PS4
3 - RetroTink 5x
Component Inputs
3.1- Super Nintendo Jr
3.2 - Wii
3.3 - PS2
3.4 - Xbox
SCART Inputs
3.5 - Super Famicom Jr
3.6 - Saturn
3.7 - TurboGrafx16
3.8 - JVC X'EYE (Genesis)
3.81 - Sega CD
3.82 - 32X
3.9 - Master System
3.91 - Sharp Famicom Twin
4 - HDMI Modded NES
5 - Wii U
6 - GameCube
7 - XBox One S
8 - TG16 Mini
9 - PlayStation 3
10 - N64
11 - Dreamcast
12 - Japanese Saturn
13 - Japanese GameCube
14 - Core Grafx
15 - ?
Never in my life did I imagine that I would have a video game collection as large as I have now. When I was a kid, we didn't have a whole lot of money. My mom had to stop working when I was a teenager because of her cancer, and that put financial responsibilities elsewhere. Now, thankfully, I am in a place where I can have this nice collection. One challenge of that, however, is the fact that if I want to hook them up and play them and record content off of each of them, I need to have HDMI connections for them. To date, I have been using an 8x1 HDMI switcher with a 5x1 daisychained into It. This is not the ideal solution, it did have some HDCP issues, and some signal loss to it.That's where the folks from TESmart stepped in to send me one of their 16x1 HDMI switches to solve my input issues .
As with all HDMI switchers, this one is fairly simple in its elegance. The face of the unit has push buttons for navigating your menus to select your input, but it also has the ability to be connected to a network through an Ethernet port on the front. How neat! Other features include an infrared remote control, brackets to mount to your entertainment center or a rack if you had it, an IR remote extender, and power supply.
Getting the system unboxed and tested out was very simple. One of the things I like most about this unit is the fact that the output is on one side of the system itself. My existing 8x1 has the output in the middle, and sometimes that can be a bit of a inconvenient placement. Getting everything connected took me a few minutes to swap cables in and out, And I was up and running in no time flat.
The first thing I had to test out was whether or not the PlayStation 3 would work through this. See, the PS3 was developed in an era where streaming really wasn't a thing as of yet, so as such Sony installed really difficult to bypass HDCP protocols into the system. For years, people have used simple and cheap HDMI splitters that strip out HDCP copy protection as a workaround, but it also adds signal loss. When you do that. I will tell you I was thrilled to see the PlayStation 3 played through the test smartswitch without any issues, without needing a separate HDMI splitter, or anything. This is truly wonderful.
I love and hate the remote control for this system. First and foremost, I think we got off on a bad foot because no battery was included. That kind of bummed me out. Navigating through inputs. Inputs one through nine is a snap, but once you need to get to input 10 things get a little, shall we say interesting. Going from an input higher than 10 back down to one. You might think that you should be able to just hit 01 and it goes. It. Doesn't. You just hit one, wait a few seconds, and it will switch to that input for you. Not necessarily intuitive, but I adapted pretty quickly.
Why it RoX:
- I can connect 16 systems via HDMI
- Included remote control
- Works with PS3 without a separate splitter!
- Audible town to tell you when you switch inputs
- Works with 4K 60 Hz
- Smaller units available to suit your needs
What could be improved:
- Battery for the remote control sold separately
- Going back from an input in the teens back down to one can take a minute to get used to
- While not crazy expensive, it is still not cheap
Should you buy one?
I admit that my use case is fairly unique. Most people will not have this many systems connected to one HDMI port. For that reason, I am glad that TESmart also produces smaller switches of similar quality for those who still need something. I'm glad that I was able to get rid of my daisychained HDMI switch, I'm thrilled that it works with the PS3 flawlessly, and overall I could not be happier with this unit. While I don't have all 16 inputs filled at this time, I do have plans for those open inputs. I still need to finish my HDMI mod of both my Dreamcast and my N64. Those are two HDMI ports that I'm going to need. I now have my TurboGrafx16 Mini hooked up, it wasn't before. I have options if I want to connect things such as my NES Classic or Super NES Classic. Overall, I am thrilled with the performance and simplicity that this has added to my gaming rig setup. If you need a large number of HDMI inputs, this is one you definitely need to check out.
#TESmart #HDMISwitch #VideoGames
Purchase the TESmart 16x1 HDMI Switcher, shown here, by visiting
See you in five years when T.E. Smart releases the 64×2 HDMI switcher matrix and I'll still complain it's not enough inputs OR outputs :P
Does it support audio format: dolby digital, dtx etc…
I fried a 3 to 1 HDMI splitter once trying to play a 4k Blu-Ray from my Xbox One S. So yeah very important to get a good quality switcher.
I have one and it's mase switching through all my consoles a breeze. No issues, easy to use. Recommended.
This is a good video thanks
This is awesome! When you get past anything bigger than a 4x1 options get scarce. When you do find something bigger a lot of times quality becomes a big issue. I have a Monoprice 8x1 switcher that does well but that was one of the only ones I could find at the time. This is a great thing for a gaming setup!
You clearly have never seen a 128x128 SDI matrix used in professional broadcast environment😅
Hey Gary! Nice device! Are u enjoying the F1 Season 2021?
Been searching for this for months, thanx! Need to buy 2, but it's so expensive :(
What kind of hdmi need for T-Smart 16in1?
Thanks Gary, always appreciate you trying this stuff out for us. I have like 13 devices I hook up to my hdmi tv. New tv has 2 hdmi 2.1 ports and 2 regular so this is going to work out really good for me in the game room. I'll have spare ports for less important things and random mini consoles
Ive been using this for a while now even before i found this video on it and im glad its being represented here as a great console switcher because I cant find anyone else on youtube using this for game consoles. i have the mclassic at the output of this and all my HDMI fitted console work beautifully with this. best purchase for my set up
I have a 4 port switcher and it automatically displays whatever device is on. No need to figure out what number is what unless you need to unplug something. I have a monitor that dose the same thing.
This looks similar to what i have, i have a box that connects ALL systems which 5 in this case, into one. Whatever system i turn on it detects it and automatically connects.... It even came with a small remote to switch it. In this case, this is a switcher no??
Im about to pull the trigger on a 16 port one. It mentions auto switching which I love for the one im lookong at, did yours have that option amd how good is it if you do.
Awesome review Gary!
So I have mine. Works great. One problem, I'm running my bluray player to it. The main menu has sound..but when I go to play the movie, no sound...if i rin it to my tv everything works fine. I cant figure out what could be wrong..Any suggestions?
I recently picked up a 5 in 1. For the moment it has enough ports but good to now there are some good options out there more inputs..
I purchased this last week and it’s awesome! Do you leave yours powered on or do you power it off after playing?