8x1 A/V Switcher

Great for connecting multiple retro game consoles, easy to use and for a great price. Can't say enough for how useful this has been. Came in good quality and works great.

I was previously using a 4 port s-video connector by RCA but I was getting crazy amounts of checkerboarding on the TV screen (36 inch Sony Trinitron XBR) and it was super annoying to see that on really good systems. I think the problem was internal grounding on that connector because with svideo and AV combo jacks it sends partial signal to the svideo cable and partial signal to the AV cable. After waffling for a few months I finally bought this unit box after someone had recommended it online. I am glad that I did this, not only for the fact I can now hookup 8 units but that the checkerboarding is gone. In all honesty depending on the console/system there is minimal differences in visual quality seen between AV and svideo as far as I can tell, and to not have to deal with the checkerboarding this thing is well worth it! I have attached a picture to the review, nestled in the middle of some of the consoles I have hooked up to it. Currently the 8 consoles that are hooked to it are: Sega Saturn, Sega Genesis/CD/32X, Panasonic 3DO, Nintendo 64, Playstation 1, Sega Dreamcast, Atari Jaguar/Jaguar CD, and Philips CD-I. For the majority of them the signal output with AV as this unit does vs svideo which I had cables for some of them, it basically the same, meaning it looks just as good but now I have no checkerboarding. Svideo is often sharper with better blacks around the edges and AV is more blurry/fuzzy and bleeds colors more, but I can live with that and am really happy with this current product. Definitely recommend this to anyone who needs to hookup multiple consoles to a TV that only has 4 inputs!

I purchased this switcher to connect multiple "retro" game systems to an LCD tv. So far, I am quite happy with the picture and sound quality coming out of this product! I have a Retro-Bit RetroTRIO, Nintendo 64, Playstation, Playstation 2, XBox, and a Wii consoles connected to it. I hope to connect an old Atari 2600 to it soon, as well. Originally, I had an old 4-input Pelican RCA switcher with the game systems connected to it. I upgraded to this Panlong switcher because I needed more inputs. I can notice a definite difference in the video quality with the Panlong. It has much crisper visuals coming out of it, compared to the old Pelican switcher (which I bought back in the late 90s!). When I was running my N64 and NES through the Pelican box, the video looked a lot more pixelated on my LCD tv, than they do with this Panlong box. There is also a lot less "ghosting" of fast movements on the N64 with this switcher. However, I have to say that any LCD/LED TV will pixelate and ghost the older game systems no matter what. Those systems were made for old tube TVs, and the way they display pictures. The new HD TVs will only make flaws in the resolution of the old games stand out. Eventually, I may purchase an up-converter for the RCA output of this box, and connect it via HDMI to the TV. I hear that helps a little on resolution. But, I am currently quite happy with the video quality that this Panlong box gives out. I would definitely recommend this switcher to anyone! *Quick disclaimer: I connected all these old game systems to a smaller 26" LCD TV. I did not try it with my 52" TV. I assume, as with any of the older systems, the video quality will decrease a small portion due to the larger size of the HD screen being used. But, I don't think it would be a deal-breaker. When I used the old Pelican box on my 52", the quality was a lot less than if I connected the NES to the TV directly. Seeing the improved quality of this Panlong box, I don't think that would be an issue here.

I bought this switch so I could have multiple Video game consoles connected to my old CRT TV. I am currently using it for PS1, XBOX, NES, and N64 but I am sure it will work with any composite source. Switching works flawlessly and no notifiable loss of video quality when going through the switch. Great cheap option for switching composite sources on an older TV with limited inputs. Made of metal and feels rugged.

Id like to start out and say this is a good, functional switch. It does what it says on the box. That’s all fine and dandy but there’s a glaring issue. I don’t think there’s enough shielding between the closer inputs. 1 and 2 for example. When two inputs are both connected and on, a “ghost” of input 2 will show while input 1 is in use. It can be avoided by spacing out inputs that might overlap or be on at the same time. In the video you can see the Xbox logo ghosting on the blue of the VCR. Other than that, great overall product.

For the price, this is a good buy for anyone needing a reliable AV switch. Construction is far better than I'd hoped; the chassis is solid, all metal construction that seems like it will hold up rather well. The switches are smooth, but I'd be interested to see how they'd hold up to a year or two of heavy use. Overall, my first impression was that it was smaller than I'd expected. You could probably fit eight of these units inside of an old Nintendo Entertainment System console it's that small. Yet it is still well laid out and easily set up and operated. It's a passive unit, so no power required to operate. I was able to simply plug in and test the unit with no faults out of the box. All of the jacks were firm and mounted well. Not the slightest hint of cheap construction. [EDIT: Another review mentioned the backplate of the unit -4 way version- so I inspected mine a little closer. Yes, the back is a bit wishy-washy and does seem as though it could be pushed into the case itself with a small amount of force. This is more force than should be needed to plug in cables, but it is still something to be wary of. However, in most cases, you would not be constantly plugging in and unplugging units from the back of this device, so it should not present a problem for most users]. Overall, I woud recommend this unit to anyone.

I have 6 concoles plugged into this box and I have never had any issues with the buttons or anything. Feels like it's built pretty solid and mine gets used daily for over 2 years.

If any of the inputs are not working property, it may be due to loose ribbon cable connections inside of the device. Instead of sending it back and waiting for a new one, or buying something else, fix it yourself.

Have had this for a year or so, and never had any issues. There's a loud-ish click when you switch inputs, but that's hardly a dealbreaker.