I recommend this HDMI Equipment for OSSC + 4K60 18Gbps

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DirkSwizzler
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I recommend this HDMI Equipment for OSSC + 4K60 18Gbps

Post by DirkSwizzler »

This data is current as of February 5, 2020

TL;DR: Through a lot of trial and error I have finally discovered a set of devices that covers my HDMI needs very well and I would like to highly recommend them just to save others money and frustration. If I had given this list to myself a year ago I could have been a much happier man.

While the testing matrix for HDMI is too large to comprehend. I do personally believe I'm testing a very large swath of inputs against devices that tend to be highly compatible when directly connected to the console/OSSC. I can only attest that I have not *lost* any compatibility over direct connection.

Longer:
In my quest to have a no-compromises fully auto-switched gaming setup. I've come across quite a few problems in the HDMI portion of the equation. I've got a graveyard of a dozen or so devices that claim to do what I need but don't. I've gone so far as calling HDMI "voodoo" because there's no way to know if something will work until you have it plugged into your chain.

Earlier this week I finally found the last piece of what I consider to be the most flexible HDMI setup you can acquire today. A splitter that actually supports every single OSSC mode I can generate. Including the test pattern. As well as the PS4 Pro's 4K @ 60Hz full RGB mode without dropping frames.

I have not yet tested extended periods in every OSSC display mode for every console. But I've verified that they all work for the several seconds I swapped through them. And extended play in a handful of modes has not yet dropped any frames.

Previously I've tried many splitters that turn the OSSC test pattern into garbage. As well as usually leaving other modes unsupported or dropping frames.

I've also tried many switches that usually end up dropping frames in various modes. As well as many that drop frames or completely fail to support PS4 Pro 4K 60Hz RGB even though they claim 18Gbps support.

But the following configuration works flawlessly in my setup for every single video source I can generate.

Have the OSSC & PS4 Pro connected directly to the recommended switch above. This leaves 2 ports for other devices or chaining other switches that handle consoles that are less finicky. I personally daisy chain to 2 5-port 4k switches. But that part of my chain is much more fungible.

Then connect the switch directly to the splitter with EDID set to port 1 cloning.

Then connect port 1 of the splitter to the audio extractor. With the video going directly to your TV. The audio going directly to your stereo receiver. And the EDID setting to "Out 2".

The audio extractor in this configuration presents itself as having all the video capabilities of your TV. And all the audio capabilities of your receiver. But it replaces the video going to your receiver with a stable 1080p 60Hz black screen. This is crucial with some receivers because they can't maintain a lock on the video signal. And the audio will stop playing whenever it needs to reacquire the signal. The replacement video stream has never dropped out on me once. And since you're not routing video through your receiver, you can be sure that you don't lose support for video modes your tv supports and receiver doesn't. And it can't introduce lag on the video portion.

Lastly, connect the second output of the splitter to your streaming device of choice. Or in my case, a PC monitor for when my TV is occupied by the family. No more dropped frames or unsupported modes. Unless your TV doesn't support them.



For reference. My receiver is a Denon AVR-X3400H and my TV is a Samsung QN65Q7F

I'm not claiming that you necessarily need this specific equipment for the modes you truly care about. But I am claiming that the switch, extractor, and splitter are the most flexible ones I've found yet and have thoroughly squashed weird behaviors in my setup.





And now for the graveyard. Please forgive my shitty memory here. All of these products have failed me in some way before ending up in the graveyard. But I didn't keep detailed notes and have no inclination to retest them all tonight.

Switches:
Monoprice Blackbird 4K 4x1 HDMI Switch with Audio Extractor, HDR, 18Gbps, YUV 4:4:4
This one had issues with PS4 Pro 4k 60Hz RGB dropping frames frequently. To the point I was having trouble disabling the resolution from the menu. I *think* it did well with the OSSC. But I'm fuzzier on that.

4K@60Hz HDMI Switch 5x1 Awakelion Premium Quality 5 in 1 Out Switcher with IR Remote Support,HDCP 2.2,UHD,HDR,Full HD
This one I use for more "normal" 720/1080p consoles. I chose it because it claimed 4k with 5 ports. I believe it has extremely similar behavior to the ViewHD 5-port listed next. They even look identical.

ViewHD 5 Port HDMI 2.0b 5x1 Switch | 4K@60Hz | HDCP 2.2 | HDR & Dolby Vision | Model: UHD5X1
I just hooked up this one tonight. It was infrequently dropping PS4 Pro frames. And was having occasional dropped frames in OSSC 5x 1080p with a NESRGB. But seems to be doing fine with XBox One X 4K 60Hz HDR with the "Allow 4:2:2" setting disabled. Sometimes it seemed like if I reset it, it would last longer. But finicky at best. I took a chance on this one because every one of my recommended devices is a ViewHD. But I think this might be identical hardware to the awakelion

djc5166 Reports that an UltraHDMI will cause this switch to always select that port. Even when the console is unplugged

ViewHD UHD HDMI v2.0 3x1 (Three Input to One Output) Powered Switch with Remote Control Support 4K@60Hz | HDR & HDCP 2.2 | VHD-UHD3X1
I think this one had good OSSC compatibility. A quick retest (~10 posts down) showed that there weren't immediate failures with OSSC. PS4 Pro 4K @ 60Hz RGB worked fine as well as HDR. I encountered problems trying to switch from another device to the OSSC without a full power down of the switch. So as long as the devices are directly connected and you don't mind some switching headaches this one seems to work ok.

HDMI Switch with Remote NiceHyacinth 4Ports4K HDMI2.0 HDCP2.2 Powered HDMI Splitter Switch Switcher 1X4 Support Ultra HD 3840 x 2160 Resolution and 3D
Sometimes freaks out when switching between nes OSSC 3x & 2x/1x . Didn't test other OSSC modes. Sometimes the screen jumps around like crazy, sometimes the signal is lost entirely, and sometimes it's fine. 4k@60 RGB seemed fine for the few minutes of testing I did.

Zettaguard 4K x 2K 4 Port 4 x 1 HDMI Switch with PIP and IR Wireless Remote Control, HDMI Switcher Hub Port Switches (ZW410)
Nes OSSC 5x drops the signal every few seconds. PS4 reports that 4k is completely unsupported.

TOTU HDMI Switch 4 Ports (4 x 1) 4K 60Hz HDMI 2.0 Switcher with IR Remote Control Support HDR & HDCP 2.2 Pass-Through & 3D &Full HD 1080P, Compatible for PS3/PS4, Xbox 360/One, HDTV, Blu-Ray Player
This one seems very promising. It handled all my NES OSSC scales fine. It switched to PS4 4K60RGB without problem. Switched back fine. It graduated to testing with the Vertex 2. And beats out the Vorke HD41 there because it passes along PS4 fine there.
The one thing that killed it for me is that the switch is powered off by default after AC power loss. And since my whole rack has a master switch, this means I have to turn it on after turning on the rack. Annoying to me personally. But given the other bonuses I might just see if I can mod the hardware to bypass the power button.

Unnlink HDMI Switch 5 Port 5x1 HDMI 2.0 UHD4K@60Hz/fps 4:4:4 18Gbps 10Bit Deep Color HDR HDCP 2.2 3D 5 in 1 Out Auto Switch IR Remote Compatible with Xbox One X PS4 Pro Roku Fire TV Box Computer
This is basically the junk. I had a couple problems that led to a quick rejection on my first pass. And my second pass where I planned to take notes, the unit apparently died. It felt flimsy so I'm not bothering to check if I just got a lemon.

FERRISA 4K 60Hz 4x1 HDMI Switch, 4 Port Auto HDMI Switch Box with IR Remote,Support HDCP 2.2 4Kx2K 3D 1080P,4 in 1 Out HDMI Switch Switcher Selector for Xbox360/PS4/PS3/Nintendo/Roku/to TV Projector
This one seemed to have good signal compatibility. But the auto switching was a bit bizarre. It would switch to higher priority ports automatically. But never back down even if I power cycled the OSSC.

J-Tech Digital 5 Port HDMI Switch & Audio Extractor SPDIF Jack Stereo Outputs with Ultra HD 4K ARC EDID Setting with Control4 Driver Available (5x1 Ultra HD)
I misread this as supporting 4K60, but it's limited to 4K30. Also apparently has no auto switching at all. I *think* it did fine with OSSC compatibility. If anyone demands better notes, I can retest eventually.

TESmart Ultra HD 4x1 HDMI 4K@60Hz 4:4:4 The Fast Switch 4Kx2K 4 Port HDMI Switch Box Selector 4x1 with S/PDIF and L/R Audio Output, IR Wireless Remote Control, HDMI Switch 4 in 1 Out (Red)
This one was highly compatible. And autoswitching seems to work pretty well when the OSSC is only competing with 1 other device. But I had a weird autoswitch result with 3 devices.
1. ps4 on port 1
2. xbox one on port 2
4. ossc
OSSC was always on. Powered ps4 and it successfully came up. Powered xbox on port 2 and then that took over. Powered down xbox and then the OSSC was displayed instead of the PS4. I'm holding out hope that this is actually a favorable result somehow for chaining switches on each port. Who knows.
It also had a similar issue to my Vorke HD41's where running ps4 pro 4k60 rgb with 7.1 LPCM worked fine feeding into my viewhd audio extractor. But as soon as I replaced the viewhd audio extractor with the hdfury vertex 2 (which has the same extraction feature). I would get single frame glitches every few minutes. Accompanied by a quick sound glitch.
This is better than the VorkeHD41 did though. I didn't navigate much past the PS4 dashboard because the glitches were so bad there. The glitches on this TESmart were only mildly annoying and still very playable.


I didn't test it. But I noticed that the Vorke HD41 & ViewHD Prosumer switch appears to have shown up under JTech branding as well.
J-Tech Digital HDMI Audio Extractor Switcher 4x1 HDMI 2.0 4K@60Hz with 18Gbps, HDCP 2.2, HDR10, Analog/Digital Audio Output, Supporting CEC, ARC, with IR Remote and auto-Switching [JTECH-SWE41]

ViewHD HDMI 4X1 Switch with Audio Extractor | HDMI + Optical + Headphone Audio outputs | 4K@60Hz | HDR | ARC | Auto Switch | Model: AU4X1
This one seems a bit cool because it's a switch and audio extractor in one unit. Unfortunately I couldn't get auto-switching to work reliably after the first device shut down. Double tapping the "Auto" button would get it unstuck every time. But that's not really automatic, is it.
Also had problems relaying PS4 4k60rgb along to the vertex 2.
If nothing else, it seems like a useful replacement for the recommended audio extractor if that ever stops being sold.

J-Tech Digital HDMI Switch 5X1 HDMI2.0 4K@60Hz, HDCP 2.2, HDR, Dolby Vision, YUV 4:4:4 with remote control and auto-switching function with Control4 Driver Available [JTECH-18GSW5]
NES at 4x and 5x drop/glitch
PS4 4k60rgb works fine directly to my tv. But not at all into the vertex 2. And Xbox One 4k60 (not sure what color space) had little horizontal lines when forwarded to the vertex 2.

Kinivo 550BN 4K HDMI Switch with IR Wireless Remote (5 Port, 4K 60Hz HDR, High Speed-18Gbps, Auto-Switching)
This one had an interesting property where it would show you which input & output ports were connected along with which ones were active. It also failed to detect an active output when it was connected to a vorke hd41. So it's a bit quirky but might be useful for diagnostics.
NES 5x had dropped frames
PS4 4k60rgb worked fine. Although I apparently omitted whether that was directly to my tv or through the vertex 2.


5 Port 4K@60Hz HDMI Switch 5x1 Optional Auto-Switching IR Remote, SwitchDeck Sewell
I had some quirks with ps4 connectivity that were hard to pin down. I was able to reach a stable working state. But something weird was going on when first setting up.
NES 5x drops frames
ps4 into the vertex 2 had the usual errors.

NIERBO HD HDMI for Switch 5 in 1 Out 4k@60HZ HDMI 2.0 Switch with IR Remote Support HDCP UHD Full HD for Xbox PS4 Pro PS3 Roku HDTV BLU-Ray DVD Projector and More
NES 5x had drops
PS4 4k60rgb worked fine for about 10 minutes then started getting quirks.






Splitters: Mostly just failing with OSSC.
Monoprice Blackbird 4K Pro 1x4 Ultra Slim HDMI Splitter, HDR, 4K@60Hz, HDCP 2.2
Don't recall specifics.

AV Access Ture HDMI 2.0 Splitter 1x2,Supports 4K 60Hz (4:4:4),HDCP 2.2,Auto EDID Management,Built-in Surge/Lightning and ESD Protection,HDR10 & Dobly
Don't remember specifics. Never tested with 4k.

Sewell Direct SplitDeck, 1x2, 4K HDMI Splitter - Supports full HD, 3D, HDR signals, 4k@60hz (One Input to Two Outputs)
Don't remember specifics. Never tested with 4k.

ViewHD 1x2 HDMI Splitter with Integrated Audio Extractor with Optical and RCA L / R Stereo Outputs | VHD-1X2HSACi
I *think* this was my previous best for OSSC support. I *think* it only messed up the test pattern. But no 4K 60Hz support.

HDMI 2.0 Splitter 1x4 Awakelion 4 Way Splitter Premium Quality 4K x 2K/60Hz HDR HDCP2.2 (1 Input 4 Outputs) HDMI Splitter V2.0 and AC Power adapter
Don't remember specifics. Never tested with 4k.

VORKE 4K@60Hz HDMI Splitter 2.0b 1 In 2 Out RGB YUV4:4:4 18Gbps HDR 3D for Blu-Ray player/Amazon Fire TV/4K TV/PC/Notebook/XBOX/DVD/TV BOX/CABLE BOX/R
Don't remember specifics. Never tested with 4k.

HDMI Splitter NiceHyacinth 4 Ports 4K HDMI2.0 Powered HDMI Splitter 1X4 Support Ultra HD 4096 x 2160 Resolution 18Gbps and 3D Mode - 1 In 4 Out
Don't remember specifics. Never tested with 4k.

ZettaGuard 1x2 HDMI Splitter 1 In 2 Out Digital 1 x 2 Splitters with Full HD 4K x 2K, 3840 × 2160, 3D Support (ZW120)
Don't remember specifics. Never tested with 4k.

TESmart HDMI Splitter 1x4 1 in 4 Out HDMI Splitters 4K@60HZ 4:4:4 Supports HDCP 2.2 HDMI Splitter 4K Supports Output 1080P@60Hz and 3840x2160@60Hz 4:4:4 for Different Resolution Monitors
This one seemed pretty compatible with signals. But it was a bit harder than I expected to wrangle EDID for audio. I think it uses port 1 as it's sole definition of what's audibly supported. But I'm not 100% clear.

J-Tech Digital Scaler/Multi-Resolution Output (MRO) 18GBps 1x4 HDMI 2.0 Splitter HDR10/Dolby Vision 4K@60Hz 4:4:4 [JTECH-18GSP14M]
No 240p or 480p support. NES 5x frequently failed. And the graphics had this weird interlacing that didn't make any sense. It wasn't based on fast motion or anything. Alternating lines would just have little comby bits sticking out.

gofanco Prophecy HDMI Splitter 4K 60Hz HDR 1x4 - YUV 4:4:4, 3D, HDMI 2.0a, HDCP 2.2, EDID, 18Gbps, Auto Scaling, Low Heat, Cascadable, Firmware Upgradable, 4 Port 1 in 4 Out
This one works fairly well compared to others You can set a really permissive fixed EDID. It seems to play well with all the signals I can throw at it except PS4 Pro 4k60 HDR with 7.1 audio. Which it garbles the audio. Once or twice I had issues switching into NES 5x on my computer monitor but not my TV. Not a consistent enough behavior to worry me yet.

SIIG Premium 1x4 HDMI Splitter 4K 60HZ HDR with EDID - 18Gbps - HDMI 2.0 - HDCP 2.2 - Aluminum Housing - 3D, 4:4:4, UHD 4 port, 1 in and 4 out
This one doesn't downscale like the others. Not a dealbreaker, but the downscaling is a bit nice for my current setup. The mixed EDID learning freaked out trying to connect my PS4. Had to power everything off to get a signal again. And the fixed EDID maxes out at YUV420. And the shape is really odd compared to every other switch and splitter I've bought. Not recommended.





Audio Embedders. I use these to integrate SPDIF audio into OSSC output:
gofanco Prophecy 4K 60Hz HDMI Audio Extractor & Embedder via S/PDIF Toslink + 3.5 MM Stereo, 4K 60Hz YUV 4:4:4, HDR, HDMI 2.0a, HDCP 2.2, 18Gbps, ARC, CEC, Audio Extraction & Embedded
Silence most of the time at 1080p scale. Occassionally dropped frames but I don't have good notes for this one because it's one of the few devices I've ever returned.
The SPDIF input has a little spring loaded door that broke on 2 separate units with only a few gentle uses each time. And once that door breaks, the Toslink cable isn't secured anymore and flops out easily.

Monoprice Blackbird 4K Series HDMI Audio Inserter
All the 5x scales glitch out. 240p might have had crackling audio at 192khz

Monoprice DVI Video + Digital Coaxial and Digital Optical Audio to HDMI Converter
I was completely unable to get this thing to integrate audio at all. Doesn't perform it's only task. I think it also failed on OSSC test pattern. I didn't test it much past "doesn't work at all". And when I revisited it again this week. All the video was tinted yellowish. Maybe it doesn't handle RGB color space over hdmi.

Gefen EXT-DVIAUD-2-HDMI
Does not support 240p video. Does not support 96KHz or 192KHz at 480p.
720p 192KHz has crackling noise.

VPI DVI-HD-CNVTR
I'm pretty sure this is just an alternate branding of the Gefen above. Looks similar and has similar issues. I also have a note that it doesn't support 44.1KHz at any scale. That might apply to the gefen as well.

Black Box AEMEX-HDMI-R2
960p video cuts out.
192Khz doesn't have audio for 240p, 480p, 1920x1080, and 1920x1200
96KHz doesn't have audio for 1920x1080 and 1920x1200
240p and 480p vido cuts out at 96khz

Kramer FC-49
720p 192KHz video cuts out
No audio for 240p 96KHz or 192KHz. No audio for 480p 96KHz

ViewHD Prosumer HDMI 3x1 Switch | 4K@30Hz HDMI v1.4 | MIC Audio Injection / Combiner | HDMI Audio Extractor | Optical / Coax / RCA L/R to HDMI Audio| ARC | Model: VHD-PH3X1GS
Seemed to work pretty well with NES 240p with 96KHz sound at scales 1,2,3, & 4. All the 5x scales had varying graphical glitches.
Doesn't work with higher sample rates than 96KHz, and a couple spot checks of lower rates shows spotty support.
I cut the test off there since it had no hope of beating the JTech embedder. Still, my gut just tells me this thing is going to be useful somehow.



Once again. I don't claim that this is the most scientific or comprehensive set of tests. But if you're in the market for HDMI flexibility. Why not give my recommended set a try first and see if your results line up with mine.

If you feel inclined to post a scenario where one of my recommendations does not perform as well as you had hoped. Please verify that your expected outcome works with as few ancillary HDMI devices as possible. I.E. Compare a direct connection to your TV against one where a recommended device is in-between with nothing else added.

I hope this is helpful to someone out there.

Lastly. I should mention the caveat that I have not actually attained the "auto switching" part of my goal. Sometimes I have to manually toggle the hdmi switch's input to land on the correct thing. But not all the time.


EDITS:
-My memory of the receiver dropping signal was inaccurate. It doesn't support any 15KHz OSSC output. But otherwise stays synchonized. This must have been my old receiver I'm remembering.
-Found out I'm an idiot and the PS4 Pro downgrades the 4K@60Hz signal from RGB to YUV 4:2:2 when HDR is active.
-Retested the ViewHD 3x1 switch listed above and expanded the notes.
-Added link for ViewHD Prosumer 4x1 alternative VORKE branding for Europe as pointed out by Fudoh
-Fixed the blackbird splitter being listed in the switch section of the graveyard. Added link to the blackbird switch that I tried as well.
-Changed official switch recommendation to the VORKE HD41 Pro since it's identical to the ViewHD unit and cheaper.
-Removed notes about "speckles" in some tests. Turns out this was a bad cable (I've got 5 more of the exact same cable and didn't even consider that there might be a dud)
-Fleshed out some notes on switches (nicehyacinth, zettaguard) after testing them again.
-Officially bumped up the SGEYR 5x1 to the switch recommendation
Last edited by DirkSwizzler on Sat Apr 24, 2021 3:03 am, edited 25 times in total.
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Fudoh
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Re: I recommend this HDMI Equipment for OSSC + 4K@60Hz RGB H

Post by Fudoh »

The ViewHD switch is great indeed, but here in Europe it's hard to find under the ViewHD branding. Instead it's available under the "VORKE" branding (under 60 EUR on Amazon). It's the identical unit and performs nicely.
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DirkSwizzler
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Re: I recommend this HDMI Equipment for OSSC + 4K@60Hz RGB H

Post by DirkSwizzler »

My test matrix for OSSC is every line multiplication mode the OSSC 1.6 on firmware 0.80 can generate for the following consoles in various boot screens. Including coverage of 5x in 1920x1080, 1920x1200, & 1600x1200

-A/V Famicom modded with NESRGB
-SNES mini with Voultar mod
-N64 with Voultar mod
-GC Dual.
-Wii
-Genesis with a 32x
-Saturn
-Dreamcast with a Toro box. Tried both RGB and VGA modes
-Neo Geo AES
-SuperGrafx through SSDS3. SSDS3 is unmodifed. Supergrafx has a Voultar PCE mod that's on the unused output.
-CD-I
-XBox
-PS1
-PS2

I've only gone to boot screens for most of these while testing the splitter so far. But the switch and audio extractor have been tested for a few weeks now with various actual gameplay.

The only mode I can't verify is 480i/525i in 3x mode. Both my TV and PC reject this when directly connected. So it also fails when running through the splitter. I can only assume the splitter is handling it well, but can't guarantee that.
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Gara
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Re: I recommend this HDMI Equipment for OSSC + 4K@60Hz RGB H

Post by Gara »

Great write up. Did you have a lot of trouble with the hdmi ports on your Denon AVRX3400H? I've read it does pretty well with ossc modes. Were you able to measure any actual delay when routing video through the receiver? Or was it more of a "just in case" kind of thing?

I'm going to pickup the audio extractor and see if it improves my setup by moving video directly to my TV. I'm still using a f8500 Samsung plasma so all the bells and whistles on the viewhd are wasted on me but it will be there whenever I upgrade.
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Re: I recommend this HDMI Equipment for OSSC + 4K@60Hz RGB H

Post by ldeveraux »

Is the audio extractor to eliminate lag by porting directly to the Denon? I love the Denon BTW, considering one myself! This setup is only for games, or would it help with other media inputs (FireTV, Roku, etc)? I assume that the HDMI input switching on the Denon itself introduced too much audio lag even with video processing off?
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Re: I recommend this HDMI Equipment for OSSC + 4K@60Hz RGB H

Post by DirkSwizzler »

Gara wrote:Great write up. Did you have a lot of trouble with the hdmi ports on your Denon AVRX3400H? I've read it does pretty well with ossc modes. Were you able to measure any actual delay when routing video through the receiver? Or was it more of a "just in case" kind of thing?
It’s possible I’m remembering wrong. But I believe I was getting occasional dropped frames in some OSSC modes. But it’s possible this was from earlier testing with bad switches or splitters.

I was also paranoid about added latency. But have not proven it added any.

I should redo a test routing through the receiver without the extractor to see if dropped frames are still a problem. I will hopefully have time for this test tonight.
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Re: I recommend this HDMI Equipment for OSSC + 4K@60Hz RGB H

Post by DirkSwizzler »

I had 15 minutes available for a super quick test this morning bypassing the audio extractor and routing through the receiver to my tv.

In that quick test I didn’t get any dropped frames like I remember. Maybe it required longer play.

But it did completely fail to handle 240p in 1x scale. The graphics skewed their sync horizontally to make an X pattern.

So the receiver definitely doesn’t have full compatibility on its own. I’ll still try a longer test again in the near future for dropped frames in higher scales.
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Re: I recommend this HDMI Equipment for OSSC + 4K@60Hz RGB H

Post by Xyga »

Fudoh wrote:The ViewHD switch is great indeed, but here in Europe it's hard to find under the ViewHD branding. Instead it's available under the "VORKE" branding (under 60 EUR on Amazon). It's the identical unit and performs nicely.
Thanks a lot DirkSwizzler, this thread saves me a lot of trouble. Also thanks for the tip Fudoh, I have ordered the last unit available at my local amazon. :p
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Gara
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Re: I recommend this HDMI Equipment for OSSC + 4K@60Hz RGB H

Post by Gara »

DirkSwizzler wrote:I had 15 minutes available for a super quick test this morning bypassing the audio extractor and routing through the receiver to my tv.

In that quick test I didn’t get any dropped frames like I remember. Maybe it required longer play.

But it did completely fail to handle 240p in 1x scale. The graphics skewed their sync horizontally to make an X pattern.

So the receiver definitely doesn’t have full compatibility on its own. I’ll still try a longer test again in the near future for dropped frames in higher scales.
Thank you for the test. Denon is the receiver I'm looking at for whenever I make the jump to 4k. It would be a shame to give up all those hdmi ports. Especially the 4400 model with dual output. I think at least one of the my life in gaming folk use the 3400 in their ossc setup as well.

I'll keep an eye out for any future tests. Great setup
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Re: I recommend this HDMI Equipment for OSSC + 4K 18Gbps

Post by DirkSwizzler »

I ran a longer test of skipping the extractor and routing video through the receiver. It did not drop any frames as I remembered so I have reworded the severity in my original post. It's possible that I'm thinking of my older Denon receiver from nearly a decade ago that I used until the beginning of 2018.

This extractor most definitely does fix 15KHz video support which my tv supports but my receiver does not. So I still recommend that it be a tool in every HDMI toolbox.

I also discovered that I'm an idiot and the PS4 Pro downgrades the 4K@60Hz signal from RGB to YUV4:2:2 when HDR is on. So 4k@60Hz RGB HDR is not a thing as far as I can tell. I have updated the topic title to help reflect this.
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Re: I recommend this HDMI Equipment for OSSC + 4K 18Gbps

Post by CastingDreams »

This is great, thanks DirkSwizzler! I need to get a 4K compatible replacement for my beloved ol' VHD-1X2MN3D splitter.
Did you happen to come across any 2x1 or 3x1 switches that perform as well and were a little bit *cough* cheaper? I was going to try out this one from your list:
DirkSwizzler wrote: ViewHD UHD HDMI v2.0 3x1 (Three Input to One Output) Powered Switch with Remote Control Support 4K@60Hz | HDR & HDCP 2.2 | VHD-UHD3X1
I think this one had good OSSC compatibility. But was limited on ports and never got tested with actual 4k. Might be good if your console count is small.
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Re: I recommend this HDMI Equipment for OSSC + 4K 18Gbps

Post by DirkSwizzler »

I’ll retest the 3x1 tonight now that I have a more stable setup than the last time I tested it.

But I expect the 4x1 prosumer switch to beat it on some axis. That switch has given me zero grief so far.
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Re: I recommend this HDMI Equipment for OSSC + 4K 18Gbps

Post by Hoagtech »

Have you tried auto switching between your video types?

I am having issues with OSSC deciding to stop cycling inputs on the new auto switch firmware.

My goal is to be 100% automatic when I hit the power switch.
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DirkSwizzler
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Re: I recommend this HDMI Equipment for OSSC + 4K 18Gbps

Post by DirkSwizzler »

I got a chance to run some quick tests.

For clarity, let me define my shorthand:
"3x1" : ViewHD UHD HDMI v2.0 3x1 (Three Input to One Output) Powered Switch with Remote Control Support 4K@60Hz | HDR & HDCP 2.2 | VHD-UHD3X1

"Prosumer" : ViewHD Prosumer 4K UHD 18Gbps HDMI 4x1 Switch Support HDMI v2.0 | HDCP 2.2 | HDR & Dolby Vision | ARC | Audio Extraction: Optical Audio Output | RS232

"5x1" : ViewHD 5 Port HDMI 2.0b 5x1 Switch | 4K@60Hz | HDCP 2.2 | HDR & Dolby Vision | Model: UHD5X1


I swapped out the Prosumer switch and replaced it with the 3x1. It was a mixed bag.

PS4:
It handled PS4 Pro 4K @ 60Hz RGB as well as HDR tests without dropping frames. So that's a plus.

XBox One X:
When hooked up directly. It seemed to handle this just fine.

OSSC:
I ran through a quick mode test of Genesis, Saturn, and NESRGB. With a couple minutes of extended play in NESRGB. I didn't notice a pervasive problem of any kind.
However, I repeatedly had problems getting the OSSC test pattern to display. Usually needing to restart the OSSC several times.
I also ran my gameplay OSSC test immediately after shutting down the XBox One X. And I could not get the OSSC to display on screen even though the 3x1 said it was the active input. I tried unplugging just the 3x1 but it stayed powered through the HDMI connection. I had to fully shutdown the rack to get it back up.



Overall it seemed like the 3x1 suffered signal negotiation problems.

Also, I forgot how annoying it was to have the 3 inputs on 1 side of the switch and the output on the other. A bit annoying when stacking HDMI equipment.

I plan to stick with the Prosumer at this point because I don't like the added headaches. But if you need to keep costs to a minimum. The 3x1 isn't terrible

Edits:
-Removed note about white specks when daisy chaining xbox one x. This was a defective cable.
Last edited by DirkSwizzler on Fri Jan 18, 2019 7:13 am, edited 1 time in total.
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CastingDreams
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Re: I recommend this HDMI Equipment for OSSC + 4K 18Gbps

Post by CastingDreams »

DirkSwizzler wrote:Overall it seemed like the 3x1 suffered signal negotiation problems.

Also, I forgot how annoying it was to have the 3 inputs on 1 side of the switch and the output on the other. A bit annoying when stacking HDMI equipment.

I plan to stick with the Prosumer at this point because I don't like the added headaches. But if you need to keep costs to a minimum. The 3x1 isn't terrible
Thanks for running these tests.

After analyzing my convoluted chain of connections, I realize that the only inputs I'm switching are the Akura, Framemeister and OSSC.

Since none of these are 4K sources anyway, do I even need to upgrade? I am assuming a 4K TV would just upscale from 1080p (or whatever weird resolution the OSSC is outputting).
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Re: I recommend this HDMI Equipment for OSSC + 4K 18Gbps

Post by BuckoA51 »

This could do with being wikified, would that be ok DirkSwizzler?
OSSC Forums - http://www.videogameperfection.com/forums
Please check the Wiki before posting about Morph, OSSC, XRGB Mini or XRGB3 - http://junkerhq.net/xrgb/index.php/Main_Page
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Re: I recommend this HDMI Equipment for OSSC + 4K 18Gbps

Post by DirkSwizzler »

Fine by me if nobody minds all the “I don’t remember details” bits.

I’m also fine loaning out my hdmi graveyard if anyone wants to do the individual failures legwork.
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Re: I recommend this HDMI Equipment for OSSC + 4K 18Gbps

Post by DirkSwizzler »

Also, I'm hoping someone else can vet my claims besides just Fudoh on the switch. And/or I'm hoping people can post their own HDMI graveyard.

HDMI devices are such a large set that I imagine there may actually be cheaper devices with the same performance that I simply haven't run across.
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Re: I recommend this HDMI Equipment for OSSC + 4K@60Hz RGB H

Post by djc5166 »

Fudoh wrote:The ViewHD switch is great indeed, but here in Europe it's hard to find under the ViewHD branding. Instead it's available under the "VORKE" branding (under 60 EUR on Amazon). It's the identical unit and performs nicely.
I think all of these that look like this (rs232, IR, toslink) use the same internals with the same stm32 arm core and hdmi switch chips,

I stupidly tried to update the firmware on my Vorke model from their website, all it does is brick the unit.

The swclk and swdio pins are exposed on the pcb for the stm32, I was going to try getting a stm32 programmer and flashing the firmware manually.

Not sure if it will work, but the programmer is like 7$ so it's worth a shot, Vorke has 0 customer service. They will absolutely not help you with the unit even though they provide the tools to update/brick your switch.
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Re: I recommend this HDMI Equipment for OSSC + 4K 18Gbps

Post by djc5166 »

DirkSwizzler wrote: ViewHD 5 Port HDMI 2.0b 5x1 Switch | 4K@60Hz | HDCP 2.2 | HDR & Dolby Vision | Model: UHD5X1
I just hooked up this one tonight. It was infrequently dropping PS4 Pro frames. And was having occasional dropped frames in OSSC 5x 1080p with a NESRGB. But seems to be doing fine with XBox One X 4K 60Hz HDR with the "Allow 4:2:2" setting disabled. Sometimes it seemed like if I reset it, it would last longer. But finicky at best. I took a chance on this one because every one of my recommended devices is a ViewHD. But I think this might be identical hardware to the awakelion
This one doesn't play nice with UltraHDMI, the switch will always get stuck on the input connected to the ultrahdmi, even if the n64 is not powered.
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Re: I recommend this HDMI Equipment for OSSC + 4K 18Gbps

Post by DirkSwizzler »

djc5166 wrote:
This one doesn't play nice with UltraHDMI, the switch will always get stuck on the input connected to the ultrahdmi, even if the n64 is not powered.
I’ve noticed that some devices have this behavior. For instance if you daisy chain the awakelions into anything they’ll output a constant enough signal to make the recipient switch nearly always switch to them. But almost always the device has to be powered.

I wonder if that’s an install issue with the ultra hdmi. Is it drawing power in a way that bypasses the power switch?

I’ll update the original post
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Re: I recommend this HDMI Equipment for OSSC + 4K 18Gbps

Post by djc5166 »

DirkSwizzler wrote: I wonder if that’s an install issue with the ultra hdmi. Is it drawing power in a way that bypasses the power switch?
I’ll update the original post
It's not even plugged in.
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Re: I recommend this HDMI Equipment for OSSC + 4K 18Gbps

Post by DirkSwizzler »

djc5166 wrote:
DirkSwizzler wrote: I wonder if that’s an install issue with the ultra hdmi. Is it drawing power in a way that bypasses the power switch?
I’ll update the original post
It's not even plugged in.
Whaaaaaat. And I assume you’ve powered something else on in the meantime. Does a long hold on the “switch” button change the behavior? In quite a few switches that controls whether auto switching is enabled. But there’s usually an indicator light.
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Re: I recommend this HDMI Equipment for OSSC + 4K 18Gbps

Post by nmalinoski »

Is it possible that the UltraHDMI is getting some amount of power from the HDMI cable?
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Re: I recommend this HDMI Equipment for OSSC + 4K 18Gbps

Post by DirkSwizzler »

I’m fairly sure HDMI has the source send a bit of power to the sink to keep the sink’s EDID circuitry awake even when your sink is powered off. But I’d never heard of that going the other way.
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Re: I recommend this HDMI Equipment for OSSC + 4K 18Gbps

Post by DirkSwizzler »

I tested my recommended setup with the MiSTer after seeing Smokemonster have troubles streaming last week.

Works great. I plugged it into the ViewHD 5 Port HDMI 2.0b 5x1 Switch | 4K@60Hz | HDCP 2.2 | HDR & Dolby Vision | Model: UHD5X1

Which daisy chains into the 4 port prosumer switch and then the rest of the chain is as recommended.
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Re: I recommend this HDMI Equipment for OSSC + 4K 18Gbps

Post by pyroman512 »

I was going to get the awakelion switch before reading this. Do you think this would work by itself without the need for extra daisy chains? I'd like to get as many ports as possible for my setup. I don't need the ARC and splitter and other things because my sound bar wireless connects to the tv. Only 4k device I need to work right now is the Xbox One X. The rest of the devices are some hdmi modded retro consoles and other 1080p devices.

Side note: I'm curious about this KINIVO switch. It's predecessor was one of the most popular hdmi switches opn that could support up to 4k@30fps. This one is the 4k@60fps version. I'd bet this would work fine. But this whole ordeal is more stressful than it should be.

Since I'd prefer a 5 port switch over the 4 port one you recommend do you think the awakelion would work well enough for my needs?
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Re: I recommend this HDMI Equipment for OSSC + 4K 18Gbps

Post by DirkSwizzler »

pyroman512 wrote:I was going to get the awakelion switch before reading this. Do you think this would work by itself without the need for extra daisy chains? I'd like to get as many ports as possible for my setup. I don't need the ARC and splitter and other things because my sound bar wireless connects to the tv. Only 4k device I need to work right now is the Xbox One X. The rest of the devices are some hdmi modded retro consoles and other 1080p devices.

Side note: I'm curious about this KINIVO switch. It's predecessor was one of the most popular hdmi switches opn that could support up to 4k@30fps. This one is the 4k@60fps version. I'd bet this would work fine. But this whole ordeal is more stressful than it should be.

Since I'd prefer a 5 port switch over the 4 port one you recommend do you think the awakelion would work well enough for my needs?
As long as you don't care about OSSC and PS4 Pro 4K@60Hz RGB. Then it will probably be fine. I also wanted to maximize ports. But if I remember correctly, the awakelion had issues with the OSSC. So for a long time I had the awakelion for PS3, X360, and Super NT. And had that chained into the ViewHD 3x1 to incorporate OSSC. But that still had tiny frustrations with selecting the OSSC as active some of the time.

So far the prosumer 4x1 is only a must for PS4 and OSSC. But this is all subject to individual testing. HDMI is voodoo.
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Re: I recommend this HDMI Equipment for OSSC + 4K 18Gbps

Post by CastingDreams »

DirkSwizzler wrote:HDMI is voodoo.
That is so, so true! Before my recent switch (excuse the pun) to 4K everything just worked. Now I'm constantly checking out cable specs and wondering whether I've selected the proper HDMI mode in each of my devices.... argh! :shock:
Of course, when it does work, it is truly stunning - got round to watching Planet Earth II tonight, I can't think of a better showcase for UHD and HDR. :lol:
DirkSwizzler wrote:So far the prosumer 4x1 is only a must for PS4 and OSSC.
What do you think makes the OSSC such a challenge for a HDMI switch - its non-standard video modes?
Ever run into problems using OSSC with older (480i or 480p) consoles? I currently have it hooked up to my Dreamcast using FirebrandX's settings.
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Re: I recommend this HDMI Equipment for OSSC + 4K 18Gbps

Post by RGB0b »

I found a few more I'm considering pickup up. None support 4K60, but I just need OSSC support in all modes and audio breakout.

12x2 HDMI, not matrix (both outputs cloned), no audio breakout: https://ebay.to/2GbkKDt

Some 6x2 Matrix switches with audio breakout:

HDMI v1.4: https://ebay.to/2RQsOLd

4K30 HDCP v2.2: https://ebay.to/2RT0Zlm

4K30 (HDCP not listed). These look like they're made by the same company that makes the ViewHD switches:
https://ebay.to/2ruJgFr
https://ebay.to/2zV9cyo

...and these are the same generic-looking ones on Amazon:
https://amzn.to/2QtwxBB (just bought this to test)
https://amzn.to/2UCTcd5
https://amzn.to/2QnP2r7
https://amzn.to/2UD7Voi
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