ViewHD HDMI Splitter 1x2 | Support 1080P & 3D | One Input to Two Identical Outputs | VHD-0102M

First, let me just say I'm as confused as anyone regarding all the different brands of this splitter available on Amazon and elsewhere - they all look the same, and claim to do the same thing. Some of them might be cheap knock-offs that don't work so well, but the one I got seems legit and performs as advertised, so I can recommend this particular one.So on to the splitter. It's tiny, with a footprint slightly smaller than a business card. It came in surprisingly nice packaging, and the AC adapter is a very small switching unit like what comes with many cell phones, rather than a big bulky power brick. The HDMI jacks look to be of good quality and fit tightly. Most importantly, it works, though with a couple caveats. My setup is a Comcast HD DVR (Motorola) going to the splitter, then feeding two TVs - a Sony 40XBR9 via a 3' HDMI cable, and a Panasonic 32LX85 via a 23' HDMI cable.I did run into a couple problems. The first was puzzling - my two TV's became synced up. When I turned one off, the other turned off, and when I switched to my PS3 on the Sony, the Panasonic also switched to its other HDMI input. I basically could not get the TV's to watch two different things. I assumed this was due to the Bravia Sync feature on the Sony, which is their brand of control over HDMI, but when I check the Sony setup, only the PS3 was listed as a synced device. I knew the Panasonic had HDMI control too (VIERA Link), but I thought it was not enabled. I emailed the merchant, who referred me to the long Amazon "review" that has instructions. (Yes, it appears to be posted by the merchant, so it seems suspect as a review. Probably would have been better for them to include the info in the item description.) Anyway it turns out I missed a menu option on the Panasonic, and when I dug around a little more I found that VIERA Link was indeed enabled - silly oversight on my part (hey, it was Friday night and I was tired).Note that I only had to turn off VIERA Link on the Panasonic, and the Sony is still enabled for Bravia Sync so that my PS3 and Sony can "talk" to each other - the Panasonic is just ignoring those control signals now. But if you are using HDMI control on both your TVs, you are going to have to give it up on one of them to solve the syncing issue. The splitter acts as a hub for the control signals, and as far as I can tell they are sent broadcast style to and from all devices hooked up to the TVs. I don't know if this is according to the HDMI CEC spec, or if spliting isn't even covered and thus results in indeterminate behavior. Whatever the case is, it's no big deal for me, but something to keep in mind if you use HDMI control.The other issue was a bit more concerning. When changing between SD and HD stations, I noticed a bit more delay and an occasional visible glitch (green stripe or static). It was very minor on the Panasonic, but on the Sony, it was more pronounced. More annoyingly, I constantly got an "Unsupported Signal" error on the screen with HD stations. The weird thing is the picture and signal were still working fine, and if I cycled the power on the DVR it would go away, only to return after changing channels. I guess it is a negotiation/signal format issue that the Sony in particular has - I have heard of weird glitches like this, which is a little disappointing especially for a flagship product like an XBR.Anyway, I did a little fiddling around with my DVR, and it turns out I had set the HD output to 720p, as I thought this was a better format for my old 720p Panasonic. Now that I have a full HD Sony with very good motion processing, it makes more sense to use 1080i (letting the TV do 3:2 pulldown etc.). Problem solved - the error message is gone, and switching channels is smoother as well. Again, it's disappointing that the Sony is so finicky with signals when the Panasonic works just fine, but it is what it is.Other nits: The LED status lights are useful I guess to verify operation, but they are burn-your-retinas bright. The AC adapter prongs are oriented such that the adapter sticks out sideways, so as not to block the other receptacle in a traditional wall outlet, but if you're using a power strip with side-by-side outlets it'll block any adjacent receptacle to the right. And lastly, the included instructions basically amount to "plug it in" - you'll definitely want to refer to the Amazon review for more detail.Otherwise, everything is great now. Picture quality is perfect as far as I can tell, with no issues driving the 23' cable (a $18 Dayton Audio cable from Parts Express). Everything works as it should when devices turn on and off - I was worried it would increase boot times, but the signal negotiation seems seamless now. A lot can go wrong when you try to distribute HDMI (heck, even getting a single link to work can sometimes be problematic), so despite the initial glitches, I'm satisfied.Finally, I'll admit I'm sometimes a little sketched out by 3rd party Amazon resellers, but J&R Galaxies (which also does business under other names like BPBPUSA - don't be alarmed) was absolutely fantastic. The proprietor responded extremely quickly to all my inquiries in a courteous and helpful manner, and shipped the product out immediately - I received it in just 2 days. It was a terrific experience and I'd definitely buy from them again.

1. Never EVER EVER EVER plug in a device TRANSMITTING a signal TO the splitter while the device and splitter are plugged in. Either make sure one is off or the other is unplugged. Better yet, avoid any problem (particularly shorting the box) have the console turned off and the splitter unplugged while you hook up HDMI inputs. Output does not matter whether it is on or off but you can go one step further to ensure that is turned off as well.2. I use an HD blackcrystal capture card on my PC and AverMedia as my capture software. It comes with 2 ports on it. One is labeled "HDMI" and the other is "AV IN". AV IN generally required an add-on with component and composite connections that converts to an HDMI signal. It is only really useful for a Wii (even though you will suffer lag due to the processing of the video which the capture card must perform.3. MAKE SURE your HDMI (from your ps or Xbox) is plugged into the port on your capture card labeled "HDMI".***IF YOU HAVE THE HDMI CABLE PLUGGED INTO THE AV IN PORT YOU WILL NOT GET A SIGNAL TO EITHER THE TV OR THE CAPTURE CARD. MAKE ABSOLUTELY SURE TO DO THIS TO AVOID FEELING LIKE AN IDIOT LIKE I DID***3. Plug in your splitter to the power. Watch the lights. They will flash red ONCE then turn off. Then turn on your console and watch your lights. After a few seconds (no more than 10), they will power on blue.4. Your TV will come on. Great! Now open up your capture software. If you get NO SIGNAL then 1 of 2 things is wrong.a. You are having some weird HDCP issue. This splitter is HDCP compliant with Xbox 360 and Ps3. Try plugging and unplugging or switching out different HDMI cables to rectify the problem. REMEMBER TO UNPLUG YOUR SPLITTER WHILE SWITCHING OUT CABLES AND PLUG IT BACK ****IN BEFORE**** YOU TURN ON YOUR CONSOLEb. Your console is transmitting at a resolution higher than what your capture software can capture or your splitter can transmit. Xbox 360 should automatically correct this. Ps3 will default to the resolution OF THE TV (not the capture card) --- generally 1080p---. Thus, you must CLOSE YOUR CAPTURE SOFTWAREi.POWER DOWN YOUR CONSOLE.ii.UNPLUG YOUR SPLITTER.iii. HOOK UP YOUR CONSOLE DIRECTLY TO YOUR TViv. TURN ON YOUR CONSOLE, GO TO DISPLAY SETTINGS.v. SET YOUR HDMI RESOLUTION TO 720P OR BELOW. I HAVE NEVER HAD TO GO BELOW 720Pvi. TURN OFF CONSOLE, PLUG HDMI FROM CONSOLE BACK INTO THE SPLITTERvii. PLUG IN SPLITTERviii. TURN ON CONSOLEix. OPEN CAPTURE SOFTWARE AND TRY AGAINIf you still get no signal .Try restarting your computer. Still no signal? Your capture card is not compatible or you got a bum box. Order another and try again. This is a high quality product and my first one has lasted me 3 years and is actually still running perfectly. Due to my own stupidity I ordered another thinking it was busted and after checking the HDMI/AV IN issue, I found it was I who had screwed up. But at least now I have 2 in case one does crap out.Hope this helps anyone with any issues.

I have tested this product in many ways, first off this is a very good buy because its a splitter that has a power supply to boost the signal strength and prevent feed back that you get with other splitters that don't have a power supply. I tested this product with two different length of HDMI cables on two different sizes of TV's, I tested this with a computer, DVD player and a PS3. everything worked fine sound and video are perfect, the only feature it lacks is it is unable to send different picture qualities to the TVs meaning that you have to set up the device you are trying to split to the lower picture quality TV. for example my smaller 22 inch TV is only a 720 p and my 41 inch is a 1080 pi so for the computer and PS3 i had to set the max quality to 720. ( not a big deal ) If you want a great splitter for a good deal buy this one. If you want to go even more cheaper and get a non powered splitter thats only around $10 keep in mind that you also cant use different sizes of HDMI cables with and non powered splitter because it will create feed back, also when getting a non power splitter you have to make sure you have a device that sends enough power through the HDMI cable to split the signal and still retain quality, in other words non powered splitters will not work with DVD players, PS3 or Xbox and the only way it will work with a computer is to have 2 video cards so the computer sends enough power to each HDMI cable, basically don't buy a non powered HDIM splitter, it does not work with many of the newer devices out there. this is a great buy and i have recommended it to family and friends, its a little pricy considering its made with about $10 worth of parts but it still beats the price of any other splitter out there that can do what this splitter can. great buy no problems !