2. Radiient Select 4-ce - The Nifty $200 Model

Visually, Radiient's Select 4-ce model is the coolest of the four I looked at for this article. With a transparent plastic casing, you can see all the inner components and lights, making it a fashionable addition to any home theater set-up. It's also quite small for a four-input box.

Radiient's Select 4-ce box looks as cool as its functionality.

I was very pleased with the output of this device. I saw no resolution problems at all. The products I tested on the 4-ce were the PS3, Xbox 360 Elite, Scientific Atlanta's 8300HD cable box/DVR and Toshiba's HD-A2 HD DVD player. The very distinctive lights on the box made it very clear to see which input I was using.

A picture of the 4-ce box from the back, in the dark.

There is also an indentation on the top of the box where users can rest the included remote control. I'd personally never use that. I'm way too unorganized for something that advanced, but it's an inventive use of the space. Since it's such a small box, you're not likely to put anything else on top of it.

A price tag of $200 is what you can expect to pay for this model, which is on par with most other four-input HDMI boxes. It's really a prime example of the mainstream option for consumers. It looks cool, has just enough functionality and is reasonably priced.