Philips PH-61153 4x1 Automatic Audio/Video Selector and RF Modulator (Discontinued by Manufacturer)

This product works great right out of the box. Just plug it in and hookup your cables in the order preference(priority) of you choice and then your set. The auto switcher fits my needs well as I have 4 component video cables that need to use. There are 3 input component video/s-video connections on the back and one on the front. There is also one component video/s-video on the back. There is an F - connection for coaxial cable both in and out. The only downside is you have to choose the output you want (coaxial or component/s-video. It will not do both for video, but the audio jack still output via component to a stereo or such. It would be nice if when no devices were turned on the two lights on the front would turn off, but its not a big deal. The switch also has auto, manuel and scan modes for selection. The suction cups for vertical positioning are nice as well, they attach for horizontal positioning too.

Exactly what we had hoped for -- works straight out of the box; uncomplicated (in fact, automatic) switching between devices. It works so well, our 3-year-old is able to put on a Sesame Street counting video by himself, then switch back to the Sesame Street TV show simply by turning off the DVD player. This allowed us to use an older, coax-only television in his room instead of wasting money on a newer TV that he simply would not appreciate (he's smart, but an AV-snob?!?)Brilliant! Buy it without hesitation.

This was dead on arrival, and I could understand why... it's made out of cheap plastic that felt like it was ready to fall apart in my hands.

I wanted to use this for iPOD input and my mp3 player input and the output goes to a home theater system. If I play videos on my iPOD, this auto switch works fine. But if I play music alone, then it stays at input 1. So, detection of signals for auto switch is based only on the video line and NOT the audio line. This was not very apparent in the description

I installed this for my uncle who gets confused about running the VCR, DVD player and Digital TV converter. With this unit, there is one thing less to worry about. All that needs to be done is turn on the TV, and the machine that you want to watch. No more having to switch cables or check for the correct setting of a manual switch. The video quality is excellent using the S-Video input of the TV set and the S-Video outputs of the VCR, DVD player and DTV converter. The only problem this unit has (and why it didn't get 5 stars) is that the base is not substantial enough, so the unit flips over on it's back from the weight of the connecting cables. While it doesn't look good, this does not affect how the unit operates, so I still recommended buying this device.

Like many modern humans, I have far more gadgets that hook into my TV than my TV has inputs. Just like several outlets in my house are a spider-web of powerstrips and extension cords, my TV was a wall of cords that I would have to plug and unplug every time I wanted to change from my  Wii  to my DVD player.No more! Now I just have all my stuff plugged into this "Philips PH-61153 4x1 Automatic Video Selector," and a push of the power button gets me on the system I want to use. Life is easy.I am really glad I went with this model because of the automatic switching capability. Some, like the clunky  Sony SB-V31G Game and Video Selector with 3-Component Functionality , require you to manually flip a switch from device to device. With this one, they are all lined up by preference, and turning the power on one of your devices automatically switches to your device with the highest priority. For example, if the TV is #1, it will be overridden by the DVD player at #2, which will be overridden by the video game consul at #3, etc...you can plug a total of four devices for automatic switching.This is not going to be a great device for people with ultra-modern TVs, as the best input you can get is an S-Video cable instead of component input. That's not a problem for me, because my TV is too old to do component input, but I did find out that my DVD player is too modern to do S-Video input, so I had to go with the standard yellow/white/red cords that can hook up anything. My cable does have S-Video though, so that has been nice.The only major drawback to this device is its stand. There are basically some suction cups on the bottom that don't work at all, and the device always falls over due to the weight of the cables plugged in. However, since it switches automatically you can stuff it out of sight somewhere and there are no problems at all.

This thing is just pure awesome. I have a PS2, Wii, xbox, and DVD player attached to this. One reason in particular I like it so much is the ability for it to prioritize which component comes on based off of the inputs it is connected to. That's very handy for playing a movie while being in a game at a point where you can't save the game - but you don't need to turn it off or unplug it in order to watch the movie. It's surprisingly convenient. Also, it makes the wire nest behind your TV next to nothing.I'm very happy with it, although the unit doesn't really stand rigidly in my entertainment cabinet but it doesn't matter since it's generally hidden from sight anyway.

Easy to hook up. Easy to use. Works as advertised. For the little extra money that this unit cost, over and above what the less expensive models offered cost, it has desirable extra features, like the ability to hook up more than one piece of equipment and the ability to change from one component to another with the push of a button. The only negative observation has been noted by other reviewers - the unit is a light plastic and tends to topple over if put upright into its plastic holder. But other than that, 5 stars!