DVI switch - powered or passive?

[Muse]

I want to be able to switch between my computer's 19" LCD and my Sanyo PLV-Z2 projector, both of which accommodate DVI (Have an HDTV card in the computer). I've been manually switching, but this has stopped working reliably, so I want to buy a switch. I see one at Monoprice, costs around $40 shipped and taxed and it's electronic, has LEDs and a wall wart. I can get a passive switch on ebay for around $34 shipped from Korea. I hate wall warts! Would the passive one work just as well? My thinking is it might work OK for a while but after hundreds (maybe thousands) of uses over several years the mechanical one may stop working reliably.

Active at Monoprice:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=101&cp_id=10110&cs_id=1011004&p_id=4069&seq=1&format=2

Passive on eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/DVI-2-1-Manual-Selector-Switch-Switcher-Box-HDTV-LCD-/280496233523?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item414ee0dc33

 

[Drako]

The active one is for going from two source devices to one display, and is not what you are looking for.

 

[Muse]

The active one is for going from two source devices to one display, and is not what you are looking for.

Yes, that's what it says in Monoprice's online description for that switch but I went online with Monoprice's technical chat this morning and the guy said it would work the other way too, using two different displays with one source. Which device would be better?

 

[sdifox]

your video card doesn't have dual dvi?

 

[Muse]

your video card doesn't have dual dvi?

It does, but the other connector is used to run my dual 19" LCD monitor setup on the desk. My HDTV card (MyHD120) has a PCI daughterboard that has DVI out. That goes to my main display, either my main 19" LCD for desktop use or to my rear projector when watching HDTV. That either is where the switch comes in.

 

[Muse]

In another forum a guy said I could use a cheaper HDMI switch and use a couple of HDMI-DVI cables, makes sense. I need to decide whether to get a powered switch or a non-powered one. I haven't been able to find any discussion of the advantages of one over the other. Why do they make powered ones and are they better? Why?

Here's the unpowered cheaper HDMI switch at Monoprice. Link to the powered one is in the OP.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=101&cp_id=10110&cs_id=1011001&p_id=2786&seq=1&format=2

 

[sdifox]

It does, but the other connector is used to run my dual 19" LCD monitor setup on the desk. My HDTV card (MyHD120) has a PCI daughterboard that has DVI out. That goes to my main display, either my main 19" LCD for desktop use or to my rear projector when watching HDTV. That either is where the switch comes in.

dvi switch it is.

the ebay one looks really shoddy though. I would keep shopping.


I do like the idea of using hdmi-dvi cables + hdmi switch.

like this one http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10110&cs_id=1011002&p_id=6416&seq=1&format=2

 

[piasabird]

I use a DVI-HDMI adapter plug between my integrated video on my motherboard (No video card) to my TV. Seems to work well. Of course this limits you to about 720p due to the conversion. This may just be my lousy integrated video.

You probably give up some quality going through a switch or a converter.

 

[Muse]

I use a DVI-HDMI adapter plug between my integrated video on my motherboard (No video card) to my TV. Seems to work well. Of course this limits you to about 720p due to the conversion. This may just be my lousy integrated video.

You probably give up some quality going through a switch or a converter.

Well, I don't think there's any conversion going on. 720p is exactly the native res of my projector, so at least for the moment, I'm OK with that. Looks like the safest and cheapest solution is to buy the cheap ($15.70) mechanical 2x1 HDMI switch that Monoprice sells and do the modification that at least a dozen of the feedbacks talk about, either shorting or reversing the two diodes inside so that it works instead as a 1x2 (i.e. a splitter). Easy mods, and I'm not clear if there's an advantage to reversing the diodes rather than simply shorting them out. People don't report any loss of quality, but a few suggest it could be advisable to use better HDMI cables (e.g. 24AWG) in some cases or else artifacts might occur.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?pg_no2=4&c_id=101&cp_id=10110&cs_id=1011001&p_id=2786&seq=1&format=4#feedback