Accell Intros 2-to-1 HDMI 1.3a Switch

By Geoff Duncan August 14, 2007

Accell Intros 2-to-1 HDMI 1.3a Switch

If you’ve on of those home theater fans who’s already jumped on the HDMI 1.3a bandwagon but you find your receivers, displays, or other systems aren’t quite keeping up with you, accessory and cable maker Accell Corporation might have a solution for you in the form of its UltraAV 2-1 HDMI 1.3a Category 2 Switch. The premise is simple: two HDMI 1.3 signals enter, one HDMI 1.3a signal leaves—and you control which one via a handy remote control.

"A/V devices that support any part of the HDMI 1.3a Category 2 are starting to emerge, and Accell plans on being the frontrunner in its connectivity," said Accell VP of sales and marketing Tenny Sin, in a statement. "Home users expanding their A/V system with HDMI devices may find their TV lacks enough HDMI inputs, therefore building a system with an HDMI 1.3a Category 2 Switch provides built-in scalability for the inclusion, presently or in the future, of products that support features from this specification."

The UltraAV 2-1 Switch supports HDMI 1.3A Category 2, including resolutions up to 1440p, 10.2Gbps data transfer, and 4-bit deep color, and, of course, the switch also supports audio transported via Dobly True-HD and DTS-HD audio formats. The switch doesn’t need any external power support, and the unit ships with a small inrared remote and an infrared extender so the switch (and the HDMI cables) can be tucked out of sight.

Accell plans to offer the UltraAV 2-1 Switch for $99, and will be exhibiting at next month’s CEDIA expo in Denver.

Editors' Recommendations

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Audio / Video

Your old HDMI cable isn’t good enough anymore. Here’s why

The UGREEN 90-Degree HDMI cable.

Not long ago, good advice for selecting an HDMI cable was pretty simple: get an HDMI cable. Nowadays? Not so much. Whether you’re just about to set up a next-generation game console or building a big entertainment system, if HDMI is involved, you need to know the game has changed.

And if you’ve already discovered that something is up because you’ve been having problems getting picture or sound on your new gear, well then you have definitely landed in the right spot.

Deals

Add 3 extra HDMI ports to your TV with this simple $13 accessory

Gana 3-to-1 HDMI Switch

While the modern world has some great technology, one big downside is that there are just too many things to plug in and not enough ports to plug them into. This can be a problem, especially if it's something like a recessed TV where you constantly have to try to get behind it to reach the HDMI ports or switch the plug between devices. Thankfully, there is a solution, and HDMI switches help solve the issue of having too few ports. A Gana three-port HDMI switch is even on sale right now at Amazon for $13, down from $18, so it's certainly worth a shot if you're looking for a more convenient way to hook up multiple devices to a TV.

With this little device, you only need to plug it into one HDMI port on your TV to connect three different devices. It works perfectly fine with pretty much any device that connects via HDMI, from gaming consoles like an Xbox to streaming devices like an Apple TV. Even better, this little device can handle 4K at 30Hz, which is pretty impressive for something that costs a little bit less than $15. While most devices run better on higher resolutions, 30Hz at 4K isn't too bad. Also, given that it's HDMI 1.4 compatible, that means it should handle 1080p at 120Hz just fine, so for those of you who don't have a 4K TV, this device should function exactly the same as if you had connected the cable directly.

Audio / Video

B&W Panorama 3 soundbar: Easy Dolby Atmos for $1,000

Bowers & Wilkins Panorama 3 front touch panel.

British audio company Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) has taken the wraps off the $999 Panorama 3 -- its very first Dolby Atmos-capable soundbar. The all-in-one speaker is available starting March 3 at bowerswilkins.com and select B&W retailers. At that price, the Panorama 3 joins a growing collection of near-$1,000 Dolby Atmos soundbars that includes the $899 Sonos Arc, $899 Bose Smart Soundbar 900, and $1,000 Sony HT-A5000.

B&W might be best known in audiophile circles for its $35,000 per pair floor-standing loudspeakers, but the company also knows a thing or two about building speaker systems for those who want to keep things simple. In fact, that's the whole premise behind the Panorama 3: There's no wireless subwoofer, no HDMI inputs, and no option for rear speakers. Instead, B&W has put everything you need inside one remarkably slender speaker enclosure. There are 13 individual drivers, including three 3/4-inch dome tweeters, six 2-inch cone bass/midranges, two 2-inch cone Atmos (height) drivers, and twin 4-inch subwoofers -- all powered by 400 watts of amplification. The result, B&W says, is "a room-filling and powerful sound no one-box rival can match."