Due to the good product reviews and the low price I had ordered my HDMI Switch with ARC, for I had had various operational scenarios. Unfortunately, however, does not of its many features. In short, the device is a disaster. The switch makes with its metal housing a very sophisticated look and has no perceptible signal delay. But those are the only positive points, I could find it. First scenario: The switch should only be used between a Panasonic SC BTT 290 EGK 5.1 system and a Samsung SyncMaster S27B350H monitor to allow it to operate a headset in parallel and in sync with the 5.1 audio. At power but is only a green image to see instead of the output of 5.1 system. When one turns on the HDMI inputs and again the correct dialing, you can see the image, but the 5.1-conditioning is no longer sound. It is not possible to listen to image on the Syncmaster and sound at the 5.1 system simultaneously. Second scenario: The switch should only be used between a Panasonic SC BTT 290 EGK 5.1 system and a Panasonic TV 55ETW60 to allow it to operate a headset in parallel and in sync with the 5.1 audio. The coupling between the Panasonic devices running without a switch on ARC, with Switch comes with the 5.1-conditioning no sound on. The ARC sound from the TV is output from the analog output of the switch when it is PCM. Dolby 5.1 can not downconvert the switch and output at the analog output. In addition, the TV reports with Switch that the connected HDMI devices should be checked. A Viera-Link (HDMI CEC) coupling between 5.1 system and TV is not possible with the switch. If the sound from the Blu-ray player of SC BTT 290 EGK comes, he is at the closed analog to the switch headphones actually in sync with the 5.1 audio. Then, if but comes PCM audio from the TV, you have to manually activate the switch ARC so that sound can be heard on the headphones. This is very inconvenient. The sound is then anyway not heard because ARC is not forwarded by the switch, so this usage scenario also retires at the 5.1 system. Third scenario: The switch is connected to the HDMI1 Panasonic 55ETW60 TVs and to the inputs of the switches other devices such as a hard disk receiver and a video camera. The idea was thus to circumvent the limitation of Panasonic TVs 55ETW60 that he does not accept 5.1 signals to its HDMI inputs. About the Toslink output of the switch I wanted to connect the 5.1 system and thus you can hear 5.1 sound on the system and headphone sound on TV at the same time the analogue audio input of the TV at the analogue output of the switch. Since the switch but 5.1 audio not downmixes to stereo outputs and the analog output, so you can hear the TV and headphones connected to it nothing. In addition, I had to, unfortunately find that the selected input sources are only sometimes output at. Most of the screen remains black.
In summary: The switch forwards the HDMI signals my impression not just through transparent and embeds the audio signal, but communicating as an independent HDMI participants with the connected devices and thereby goes much wrong. HDMI-CEC does not work, ARC is not sent to the selected HDMI input, the switch takes some time on the applied signal, at the output to see something up and be heard is, if you're lucky. Otherwise remains the screen black or green and / or the sound is not heard. This happens often in the middle of operation.