J-Tech Digital JTD-0801 Multi-Functional HDMI Converter Switch with 8 Inputs to 1 HDMI Output

So, I first received the 8:1 HDMI switchbox, and it had no power supply. Bad news, you think, right? I received the order on a Sunday, contact J-Tech support by email on the next day, and had a power supply by Wednesday! So, awesome customer service! Now, that I have the power supply, I have been using the switchbox since Wednesday, I find it does just what I want. If it had one more set of component connections, it would be absolutely perfect, but it is a pretty awesome little product! The only thing I find is that with some types of sources, the TVs internal audio will turn off. For example, this happens with my computer or with my little DVD recorder. But the solution is simple enough. I power cycle the TV and swtchbox and get internal audio again. I will also comment that I have the IR receiver connected and I find the little remote worthless. Maybe the battery needs to be switched out, I don't know. ANyway, you can switch inputs through a button right on the unit, but 90% of the time, the switchbox is pulling from my XBox on component, so I don't change inputs that often. Oh, another thing I noticed is that with the switchbox, is seems to squash the Xbox picture horizontally. However, for Xbox360 games, this is an easy fix, just go into the game settings and adjust the safe zone for the game's video settings.

UPDATED REVIEW: After using this product for 4 months now with various input devices, I'm lowering my rating down to one star. My original rating was based on the faulty observation that 4/8 inputs and conversions worked well; I now realize that this is not the case. Keep in mind, the product has not changed, degraded, or broken in any way from when I first started using it, but rather I now better understand its faults. The two new realizations I've come to are that, for the analog inputs, this device severely distorts the sound, and there's no way to tell the device that the input should remain in a 4:3 aspect ratio. Regarding the sound, much like how the digital inputs end up being scaled way too bright in the output, it seems as if the same thing happens to the sound; namely, it seems as if the analog-to-digital audio converter scales the volume way too loud, which results in a lot of distortion in mid to high tones, which just turning down the volume on my receiver or TV can't fix (and keep in mind, you WILL have to turn down the volume, because it is LOUD). Secondly, because this device outputs a 1080p signal to the TV, my TV or computer display won't let me change the aspect ratio to 4:3; however, this device scales the video input to fill the screen, meaning that any video source that's meant to be shown in a 4:3 aspect ratio will be stretched to widescreen with no way to change it, either on your display or through this device. I really want to like this product. On paper it's exactly what I need. However, everything that I originally wrote below still applies, and because of all of this device's flaws, I cannot recommend it. ORIGINAL REVIEW: Bottom line: the composite and component to HDMI conversions work great and as you would expect; the VGA and HDMI to HDMI conversions, however, do not. When the input signal is any of the VGA or HDMI inputs, then the output video is way too bright and washed out, like the signal is driving the lamps in my display to output maximum power. No amount of adjustment of my display could fix the problem. I contacted the manufacturer, and they said that this is a problem with the model, not just a defective unit. I was seriously considering returning it, but my AV receiver can't do component-to-HDMI conversion as well as this unit can, so I decided to keep it instead and only use it for its component and composite conversion capabilities. I'd give this product a 2.5/5 stars, because only 4/8 inputs work as they should, but I'm okay with a 0.5 star bump for pretty good customer service.

I looked all over the internet for a coverter box that does this and this appeared to be the best choice. With a new smart TV you cannot use more then one AV or component (if even 1). This gives you a bunch more input options for your TV and is definitely worth the cost. It has its own power supply and can be turned on or off. It has a remote control to switch between the different inputs. The sensor comes with a wire lead a couple of feet long so you can hide the box behind the TV stand and still use the remote. Surprisingly the box is very compact which was nice. I did have a issue running my security cameras through the box as my cameras have to run a specific resolution and the HDMI output of this box did not display them correctly. However, most of the time your entertainment systems will work great with this device. Also I do not believe you can run this on a universal remote which is unfortunate as you are stuck with the extra remote in order to use.

This review is for the "Multi-Functional HDMI Converter". Overall it is a fantastic product which I have used to upscale component and composite video to 1080p and convert it to hdmi. It also upscales and converts VGA, Rf coaxial (not shown), and digital spdif (also not shown) to 1080p hdmi. It also functions as a "switch" so you can easily switch between multiple video sources (included are 3 incoming hdmi ports). Everything it claims to do it does fantastically but it has 2 negatives in my opinion: 1) Older versions of this product are still being sold until stock is depleted. These older versions automatically switch channels when a signal is disconnected but the problem with that is that some component video products (like the gamecube and wii) occasionally re-verify the signal and this device views that as a disconnect and then produces about 3 seconds of black screen time every time that occurs. Fixing the issue is as simple as contacting the company and waiting for them to exchange your version for one of the newer models but that raises two issues with me. Firstly, I had to wait to get the newer version which had to be restocked and meant a week of not gaming which was pretty painful; and secondly that I feel it is very dishonest to sell the old broken versions to people at full price and just hope they don't complain. They should be clearly marked with the systems they are not compatible with listed and sold separately and probably at a discount. 2) It only covers 4 of the 5 main video inputs consoles use. Rf coaxial, composite, component, and hdmi. I am really disappointed I need to purchase another upscaler+converter from a different company to handle s-video when many composite devices have adapters to s-video that greatly improves the quality. I would really like to see an s-video port added to this so I can play snes, n64, ps1, and Sega Genesis over s-video for the best possible quality.

After first hooking up I thought it was dropping audio and video every 10 minutes or so. I chose not to write a review until I could troubleshoot it some more. It is not doing that now and is working exactly as expected. It could have been my Direct TV networking - I'm not exactly sure. But the video and audio that I'm watching through this device is working just fine. I do wish it also had one or two s-video inputs, but you can't have everything ! I had to buy another adapter to convert my legacy s-video std def Dish TV output to HDMI. I like that it also multiplexes other HDMI sources into it's HDMI output. Build quality is outstanding, runs cool. Very nice - solid - connectors. It's a quality product. Would be nice if the remote control had a way to label the inputs. Not sure if the remote control IR codes are available - if I ever wanted to incorporate it into a "universal/smart remote". I haven't had any issues with upscaling or the other issues that some of the other reviewers have had.- although I have to say after reading some of them - it sounds more like the tv settings weren't correct rather than a failure of this device.

UPDATED REVIEW: J-Tech came through with an updated version of this switch which appears to be working perfectly. I have had this switch plugged in for two weeks without having to resort to replugging it to get it to work as I had to do with the old model before it ultimately failed. Currently I have an Xbox 360, Wii, and original Xbox hooked up with no issues switching between these consoles. Throughout the reported issue I had with the old model, the customer service has been fantastic and J-Tech really went above and beyond to provide me with a functional unit. I'll certainly keep J-Tech as my go-to for all my home A/V needs. ORIGINAL REVIEW: Would have been the perfect solution for my gaming and entertainment setup if it didn't keep breaking. After a couple weeks of use, it stopped working, and so did the replacement. However, the seller was extremely helpful and offered a refund after the second unit broke. Best customer service I've received ever on Amazon. Just a bit bummed because it was the perfect idea for my setup that includes AV, component, and HDMI devices.

UPDATE 2/22/16 We are thoroughly disappointed with the product and the hollow promises of the company to allow us a return of the device. We were told we could return it or wait for an "updated" version to be released. We opted for return, but heard nothing back. THIS WAS AFTER THE SECOND UNIT FAILED. The device was a blessing only while it lasted, which was not long. We opted to do the same job through a Denon tuner and it has been flawless, although it takes up a lot more space than this little unit. We purchased one of these a few weeks ago for classroom use. It was needed to connect a new TV to several different devices, including DirecTV Satellite (HDMI), Blu-Ray player (HDMI), LaserDisc Player (AV), DVD-VCR Recorder (HDMI), and a Classroom Jeopardy Game Console (AV), We were using the unit primarily for the DirecTV HDMI connection, and every so often it would cut out the feed to the TV. The screen would go black and come back on in about 20 seconds. This would not happen when we connected the satellite receiver directly to the TV. After a couple weeks of periodic use, the switch completely failed. The receiver dongle for the remote lit up, but no other lights would engage to indicate the input selection, and there was no output to the TV. We have now gotten a replacement unit, and now right out of the box this one is doing the same thing. While typing this sentence, the video and audio feeds to the tv went dead for about 20 seconds and have come back on. This is not going to be acceptable for our classroom environment when instructing students.

I'm a lifelong gamer in my 30s, and as such, I own a lot of consoles. Instead of leaving them all to collect dust in a box, I decided that I wanted to connect all of them to one TV in my game room. Unfortunately, due to changes in technology over the decades, that is easier said than done. Ostensibly, this switchbox would have solved all my problems, allowing me to connect my PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, and N64 to my TV and connect them via one HDMI cable so I could easily mount it on the wall. Technically, it did what it was advertised to do. However, I found that the picture was very weird with the inputs that weren't originally HDMI. The picture wouldn't display properly and nothing I could adjust would fix it. So I just decided to connect the PS2 (the worst offender) to the TV directly. This was a bummer, but the other inputs worked fine. Problem solved right? Wrong. Several months later, I bought a new TV for the living room and decided to play musical TVs, replacing my game room TV. The new game room TV had a better picture with no burn-in like the old plasma, so it was ideal for playing older games. Imagine my dismay when everything was all hooked up and the TV said, "Unsupported signal. Please check device output." Since there's only one output and no way to adjust it, there's no way I could make it work. I contacted J-Tech and they couldn't help me. So I unhooked the thing and gave it to another gamer friend. Story over right? Wrong. He couldn't make the thing work on his TV either! Both our TVs are 1080p, and mine is newer while his is older. So now I'm stuck with this expensive doorstop that never worked as well as it should have. Heck, I didn't even talk about how badly the remote works. It's like they used the cheapest technology possible to build this thing and charged an arm and a leg for it. My advice--instead of buying this thing, buy a small switchbox for all your devices of the same output type, so like one for all HDMI and one for all component. That will decrease the number of cables you have to thread through the wall while giving you the optimal native resolution. Plus, it'll be roughly half the price.

Worked as intended, had problems with the remote but the customer service was quick and professional to get me back up and running!

This is a quick review of the "J-Tech Digital JTD-0801 Multi-Functional HDMI Converter with 8 Inputs to 1 HDMI Output" based on my own personal experience with this device. The product itself seems well built and looks professional, and the three HDMI inputs provided excellent results with no visible image quality issues. However, the two component video inputs as well as the single VGA input were not of the same quality. I connected an original Xbox game system to the first component input and a Nintendo Wii to the second. I also connected a Sega Dreamcast to the VGA input. Being able to connect these older game systems was the primary reason for my purchase. In all three cases, I witnessed random but frequent screen flickering and tearing when output through the JTD-0801 via HDMI to my television. When I tried connecting the Xbox and the Wii directly to my television's built-in component video input, the flickering and tearing disappeared. When I reconnected them to the JTD-0801, the flickering and tearing re-appeared. The same was true of the VGA input. When I connected my Dreamcast to the VGA input of a PC monitor, there was no visible flickering or tearing. When I re-connected the Dreamcast to the JTD-0801's VGA input, the problems re-appeared. I tried the JTD-0801 on two different televisions (a Panasonic P65ST50 plasma and a Sony XBR65X900B LED) and experienced the same results on both. The flickering and tearing from the component and VGA inputs rendered this device unusable. Also, both component inputs resulted in an image that was considerably darker than the HDMI inputs. In fact, the image was so dark that it rendered many games unplayable, and no amount of adjustments on the television could fix it, including changing the HDMI dynamic range option from Limited to Full (which did correct the brightness level for the VGA input). Even if the screen flickering and tearing was not an issue, the overly dark component video image was definitely a deal breaker. Another issue I experienced with the component video inputs, especially with the Nintendo Wii, was that the JTD-0801 seemed to get confused whenever the game system would switch between its main dashboard menu and an actual game. The screen would go completely black for several seconds before the signal was re-established. It appeared to be an issue with the JTD-0801's 1080P upscaling, as if it wasn't sure what to do at these times and simply gave up. This issue did not occur during actual gameplay but was quite annoying and frustrating when launching games. I did not try the composite video inputs, so I can only assume the results would have been the same as with the component and VGA inputs. However, as I said, I didn't try them. If you're looking for a simple 3-input HDMI switcher, the JTD-0801 will work perfectly but there are much less expensive alternatives that would work equally well. If you're buying this device for it's component and VGA inputs, based on my experience, I highly suggest looking elsewhere, as the component and VGA inputs all showed screen flickering and tearing, the component inputs suffered from an overly dark picture, and an apparent problem with the 1080P upscaling caused occasional signal loss. I will be returning this device for a refund.

Great for hooking up legacy devices where inputs are no longer supplied for electronic devices

Good quality switcher, has all the inputs you'd need. Plays nicely with my Harmony universal remote.

Great looking product. And it does what it says to boot! Easily route all your devices to one converter. Great to convert all you analogue and "not-so HDMI" devices into one HDMI compliant TV or projector. Reduces your cabling needs.