Kinivo 501BN 5-Port High Speed 4K 30Hz HDMI Switch With IR Wireless Remote And AC Power Adapter - For Xbox 360/One, PS4/PS3, Nintendo Switch, Blu-ray Player, Apple TV etc

This review relates to using the Kinivo 501BN purely to share one screen between two pcs like a KVM switch.I needed a way of connecting two pcs, but as I'm on a limited budget I couldn't really warrant spending £74 on this kvm switch with DVI (digital) connectors:StarTech 2 Port USB DVI KVM Switch with Audio and CablesSo I did a bit of research and I figured I could get the same results from this Kinivo box and connected my two pcs via three of these DVI to HDMI cablesPremium HDMI to DVI Cable Gold 2 Metre - Star-E-ShopThats one for each pc and one from monitor to Kinivo box; cables work fine for me so far despite being cheap as chips. But if you're a cable snob you might want to spend a bit more on these.The Kinivo box itself looks quite cool, although mine came with silver sides rather than white, and is quite small like USB a hub. The remote is about credit card sized and VERY light. I have no trouble at all switching from each pc and there is only a couple of seconds delay when using the controls. It will automatically swap to the pc you just turn on instantly. In short I think its a great little box at a fantastic price.The second part to my dilema was how to get the keyboard and mouse shared between the two pcs so I've recently ordered this simple little splitterUSB 2.0 Manual Switch - Share Peripherals such as: Printer/ Scanner/ Camera/ Webcam/ Skype Phone/ Flash Drive/ External HDDIt allows you to share ONE USB device between two pcs, however if you attach a USB hub to it first you can share all the devices plugged into the hub between two pcs. Probably best to get a powered USB hub i.e. one with a power adapter as otherwise things like external hard drives won't get enough power so won't work.PROS of this setup vs KVM switch:1) CHEAPER - I speant £29.61 total... (£14.99 on Kinivo; £6.63 on cables; £7.99 on USB splitter; and a decent powered USB hub about £15 but I didn't need one)2) FLEXIBILITY - I still have 3 free ports on the Kinivo and I can always use it for other future setups3) USB share - I'll be able to share multiple USB devices not just the keyboard and mouse4) REMOTE CONTROL - is quite useful and it saves wear and tear on the switch button thats on the box itselfCONS of this setup vs KVM switch:1) You have to press two buttons rather than one to switch between pcs. One for the screen (Kinivo) and one for the USB devices.2) Together with the powered USB hub you'll need two free plug sockets rather than one3) Slightly more of a complicated setup with three little devices rather than one bigger.4) No Audio connection (ONLY if going from a PC DVI connector to HDMI. Anyone using this for normal TV setup WILL have audio in the HDMI cable so don't worry)Final note: No I don't work for Kinivo, Bluerigger or a marketing company, just a happy customer.

I don't usually write reviews but this product has compelled me to!After purchasing two other HDMI switch boxes for use with my devices (PS3, Wii U and Xbox 360 and WDTV Live) they both struggled to work with the PS3 when running 1080p.The Kinivo 501BN HDMI switch box however works brilliantly with all my devices. Setup was extremely simple and just a case of plugging in devices to the HDMI input ports on the switch and then plugging in the output cable to your amp / TV. An added bonus is the auto switching that features a port priority so that the device on the lowest number port will become active if switched on even when a device on a higher port number is already on. If you have one than one device on the switch box also comes with a handy remote control to enable manual switching.My only criticism is that I wish the device was a little bigger so that all the HDMI ports could be placed on the back of the device rather than having the output HDMI port on the right-hand side.Perfect for maximizing HDMI ports on your amp, as you’re unlikely to play multiple consoles at the same time.Overall a great little device that not only looks goods but works great too!!

The television in our kitchen is a pretty cheapo JVC HD tele which only has one HDMI socket. In the past we've either used a SCART socket for the V-Plus box in there or tried various HDMI switches with varying degress of success. This is the best yet. There were cheaper ones out there on Amazon; some of them a tenner cheaper, but this had good reviews and the all important promise of auto-switching capabilities.It was delivered quickly and was well packaged, etc. The device itself looks nice, and seems sturdy enough. There are five inputs and one output on the unit, plus the power socket and a manual "switch" button. There are handy red and neon blue lights which signifies whether a port is being used. Not essential but a nice bonus. The remote is simplicity itself with up/down buttons and the 1-5 buttons corresponding to each port. There also a pretty comprehensive user manual too which is handy to have. I had this set up in seconds and connected our V-Plus box, PS3, Chromecast and Fire Stick. Works fine, picture quality good. However, the PS3 won't auto-switch when turned on. Reading the manual this seems to be a problem with various devices - such as an Apple TV - which go into a standy mode rather than turning off. I think the Fire TV stick is probably stopping the auto-switch mode. To be honest though, it's not a problem as we have the remote. The only disappointing thing was the remote is IR so it has to be in line-of-site of the HDMI switch. I wanted to tuck it away behind the tele. Again, not a big issue and really not worth deducting marks from it or anything.Overall, I'm pleased with this switch. Easy to set up, easy to use, comprehensive user guide to help you out if you need it. Works well apart from the auto-switch, but that is not a fault with the Kinivo, just how devices connected to it behave.There are cheaper units out there but I'm pleased with this.