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.
- Switch:
- The most reliably compatible switch I've found has 3 identical vendors. They all have the same guts. The only problem I've had is sending 4K60 output into a HDFury Vertex 2. Every other situation has worked flawlessly.
- VORKE HDMI Switch HDR 4k2k@60Hz(4:4:4) 18Gbps 4 in 1 Out HDMI2.0b HDCP2.2 HDR Auto Switch RS232 EDID ARC with Stereo and Optical Output Remote Control (HD41 Pro)
- 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
- 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]
- But, in some situations, the SGEYR 4K@60Hz 5x1 HDMI Switch HDMI Selector Switch 5 Port HDR IR Remote 4K HDMI Selector Box 5 in 1 Out Auto Switch HDMI Switcher 2.0 HDCP 2.2,Full HD/3D Compatible with /PS4/DVD//Xbox/Projector can be very useful.
- It's highly compatible. But it tends to lose 4K support if left powered and connected to a 4K source for approximately a week. Which can be remedied by resetting the unit or sometimes just unplugging the 4K source.
- It has an amazing property where it can be fully powered by an active HDMI input. Which allows you to use this switch for a star chain configuration. Which means you can expand 1 port of the reliable switches above into 5 ports. Giving you a total of 8 auto switched ports. Or 12 inputs if you do this with 2 ports (I do). Just plug in any hdmi consoles to the inputs. But do NOT plug in power to the switch. Whenever one of those consoles powers on. It will power the unit and will trigger any parented automatic switch. The only console I've had this setup fail with is PS4.
- Your mileage may vary on this feature. See viewtopic.php?p=1451131#p1451131
- The most reliably compatible switch I've found has 3 identical vendors. They all have the same guts. The only problem I've had is sending 4K60 output into a HDFury Vertex 2. Every other situation has worked flawlessly.
- Splitter: If you only need 2 ports. ViewHD Ultra HD | HDMI 2.0 | HDCP 2.2 | 4K@60Hz | 1x2 Splitter | One Input to Two Outputs | Support HDR and Dolby Vision | Model: UHD1X2 has been extremely reliable for me. When I decided I needed 4 way splitting, 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 has been giving me very good results. Except for PS4 Pro 4K60 HDR with 7.1 audio. At which point the audio gets garbled. I'm still looking for the perfect splitter with more than 2 ports of output.
- Audio Extractor: ViewHD UHD 18G HDMI Audio Extractor / Splitter Support HDMI v2.0 | HDCP v2.2 | 4K@60Hz | HDR | ARC | 3.5MM Analog Audio Output | Toslink Optical Audio
- Audio Embedder: J-Tech Digital 18Gbps Digital/Analog Audio HDMI Embedder Inserter Support 4K@60Hz 4:4:4 HDR CEC HDCP2.2/1.4 with TOSLINK Optical 3.5mm Audio Input Options [JTECH-18GAE] I only use this to integrate digital audio back into my OSSC output so everything stays in HDMI for easy management. It handles all the OSSC video modes and *most* audio + video combinations I throw at it. I haven't found any product with 100% compatibility. But this one is the closest. Compatibility table can be found at viewtopic.php?p=1380151#p1380151
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