Joytech HDMI Trilink Switcher

It’s a problem that nearly all of us have run into – a lack of inputs on our TVs. I’m sure every one of us has experience from days gone by, of leaning over the back of a hulking CRT TV and trying to unplug and re-plug A/V connectors without looking. The experience is often more time consuming and frustrating than you'd think, and worse still, might even damage your equipment.

Just because we now have flat panels and HDMI inputs doesn’t mean that this problem has gone away. With their pin-based connectors, HDMI cables, like the SCART ones that Europeans were used to before, aren’t very easy to disconnect and reconnect without looking at the input on the back of the TV.

Up until now, HDMI switch-boxes, to cure this problem, haven’t been easily affordable. Joytech’s “HDMI TriLink Switcher” is a revolutionary product for this reason. Available for only £35, it promises compatibility with the Playstation 3, HD DVD, Blu-ray, and other HDMI video devices, and allows 1080p video to be switched without problems. Naturally, I put it through our usual hardware grilling to see if it lived up to the promise at its low price point.

First Looks and Build Quality

From looking at the packaging, you wouldn’t really know that Joytech’s switch-box was a cheap device. The packaging is pretty ritzy, with a little window cut to show the device under the hard transparent plastic that’s holding the various parts. After finally busting my way into the rock-hard plastic container, I discovered:

• The TriLink Switcher
• A remote control with preloaded battery
• Power Supply
• USB Cable (explanation in a minute)
• Infra-red Extender
• Manuals / Catalogue

In case you’re wondering why the package contains a USB cable, it’s because the TriLink switcher pays attention to its design roots as a games console accessory and allows you to draw power directly from one of the Playstation 3 console’s USB sockets, saving you a precious power socket and meaning that you can pack the power supply away in its box. This is an incredibly smart design decision. The number of Home Theatre components that include USB sockets is growing: Home Theatre PCs will obviously have them as standard, and all of Toshiba’s HD DVD players include them as well, despite currently having no dedicated peripherals to make use of them. The fact that this device can be powered by any nearby USB device is innovative thinking that you wouldn’t expect to find in a £35 switch-box.


After unboxing, I connected the Tri-link Switcher up to a Playstation 3, an upscaling DVD player, and a PC (using a DVI to HDMI cable). I chose these devices to really put the Switcher through its paces, because each of them outputs a different type of video signal. The PS3 was outputting 1080p resolution with a 60hz scan rate, with Digital Component (Y/Cb/Cr) colour. The Upscaling DVD player was outputting 720p video at 50hz, also with Digital Component colour. Finally, the PC was outputting 1920x1080p at 60hz, but with RGB colour.

Each one of the devices operated without any problems whatsoever. Switching between the different inputs occasionally presented a static pattern on screen for a split second, which is a result of the HDCP Copy Protection system. This sort of behaviour is to be expected from switching between inputs and is nothing to worry about. I experienced no HDCP errors as a result of including the Switcher in the connection chain.

Remote Control

Joytech’s remote control is a miniature device powered by a slim CR2032 watch-type battery. The remote simply has three buttons on it, allowing you to choose Input 1, 2, or 3. It’s by no means ergonomically pleasing, but once again taking the price and functionality of this unit, it would be difficult to hold this against them.

The Switcher contains its own Infrared Sensor, so simply pointing the remote very close to the unit will allow you to switch inputs. You can also press the button mounted on the top of the Switcher for the same effect. However, the Switcher also comes packaged with an Infrared Extender, which is simply an Infrared sensor attached to a generous amount of cable, which plugs into the Switcher. The end of the Extender has a removable adhesive pad, which means that you can easily mount it on the bottom of your TV and plug it into the Switcher, and hide it away from view. I did this, and was able to switch inputs from the other side of the room.

The only criticism

My only main complaint regarding the Switcher is the fact that its size negatively influences its form factor. It’s small and lightweight, and all four of its sides are covered in holes of some sort, meaning that you'll quite likely have things plugged into at least 3 sides of it, making it hard to place in your home theatre setup. This means that it’s the sort of device you’ll want to plug in and hide away, but even this is partly a moot point as Joytech have included the Infra-red extender, allowing you to do just that.

Conclusion

It’s interesting that this revolutionary-priced AV product has come from a company that makes video game peripherals. I think that says a lot about how much the gaming and home theatre worlds are converging. All in all, Joytech’s device lived up to all of its promises and surprised me with the inclusion of an IR Sensor and unique (optional) USB power method. And, as it does its job properly with no problems, there’s no way that we could fail to recommend it to absolutely anyone who finds themselves needing more HDMI connectivity. Highly recommended.

One more question I've been asked: no, the Trilink Switcher doesn't come packaged with an HDMI cable - you'll need to bring your own. Once again, at this price - who can complain?