OmniView SE Plus Series 4-Port KVM Switch
The
demand for high performance video switching has increased over the years,
especially with the popularity of high-definition television. Many of
these switchers are costly, making them unattractive for the general consumer.
High-definition video requires bandwidths that far exceed the traditional
standard-definition video products such as DVD. We searched for an inexpensive
solution for high-definition video switching needs and found Belkin's
OmniView SE Plus Series KVM (Keyboard, Video and Mouse) product. KVMs
are specifically designed to allow control of many computers from a single
user interface (monitor, keyboard and mouse). The OmniView is designed
to be daisy-chained with more units as the user's needs grow. The design
supports flash upgrades to current firmware versions and can hot-key switch
between systems using the keyboard. We used this product in a limited
role to switch between four different high-definition sources without
using the keyboard or mouse. Therefore, our review only focuses on the
video quality and not the many others features offered with the OmniView.
The video bandwidth supported by the OmniView can be as high as 2048x1536@85Hz,
which far exceeds the HDTV requirements.
The front panel of the OmniView has a flashing amber light to indicate the active channel. This can be a problem for home theater environments when using the switcher in a dark setting as no one likes to see a flashing light. Since a dedicated button is available for each input on the box, the indicators can be covered to prevent any distraction when watching the display.
The
rear panel of the OmniView accommodates four sets of computer inputs.
In our case, we used one HTPC and two other high definition sources for
testing. The main benefit for our setup was the high-bandwidth video switching
capabilities built into the OmniView. Our home theater system has several
high definition sources including a Sony Vaio PCV-RZ22G as our HTPC (Home
Theater PC) with a MIT MDP-100 high-definition receiver installed. This
gives us full high-definition recording and playback capabilities of over-the-air
content. We also connected our RCA DTC100 and Samsung SIR-T165 set-top
boxes. Belkin supplied their All-In-One PRO Series Plus cables to connect
our high-definition sources to the OmniView. Two different versions of
these cables are available (PS/2 or USB) up to 10 feet in length. None
of the other connections were used during our test.
Video quality was excellent with the OmniView KVM. We watched a variety of program material ranging from NBC's Tonight Show in HD to HBO's HD channel on DirecTV. We experienced no degradation in video quality even when comparing it to a direct connection to the display. Looking at our reference D-VHS tape from HD-Net showed no loss in video quality. It was great to experience such performance from a product that's actually affordable.
Conclusion
The Belkin OmniView
SE Plus Series 4-Port KVM Switch provided an inexpensive way to switch
four high definition video sources using a simple KVM unit. There are
not a whole lot of products on the market capable of switching high-definition
video with little or no degradation in quality and certainly not for $219.
Belkin's Omniview SE Plus Series 4-Port KVM Switch can solve your video
switching needs and does it without emptying your wallet. Images remained
very clean with no noticeable loss in resolution or color. This product
far exceeded my expectations and did so at a price that anyone can afford.
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Kevin Nakano