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The Best 4K UHD Video Pass Through

Last updated on November 19, 2021

We looked at the top 5 4K UHD Video Pass Throughs and dug through the reviews from 11 of the most popular review sites including and more. The result is a ranking of the best 4K UHD Video Pass Throughs.

Best 4K UHD Video Pass Through

Our Review Process

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Watching TV with high quality video and sound is an elevated experience that differs considerably from the low quality options available. With the right visuals and audio, you can feel like you’re sitting in a movie theater or immersed in an interactive game. Fuzzy signals, however, can ruin the experience and make it feel like your technology is decades behind where it should be.

A 4K or UHD video pass through is a tech gadget that enables you to pass data through the system without losing any quality. As a result, you can send audio and visual signals from other devices, through the pass through, on to you 4K TV or 4K projector, all without losing any 4K resolution. With a 4K UHD video pass through, the signal can come from the source component to the TV without any alteration. This means that the signals enter and exit with the same quality.

Why should you use a 4K UHD video pass through in the first place? If you want to attach more than one or two devices to your TV, projector or computer, you will need a pass through unless you want to constantly have to deal with unplugging and plugging in devices. Most TVs only come with a few inputs, but you may have several devices you want to connect, such as a DVD player, game console and speaker. If you have 4K or UHD compatible devices, then you will want to make sure that their signal remains that quality while passing through to your TV.

If you’re interested in upscaling your signals, some pass throughs have this feature as well. They have the ability to take lower resolution data and upscale it into 4K UHD signals. This way, you might not need to purchase new devices as long as you have a 4K UHD TV or projector and a 4K upscaling feature on your pass through.

The most important thing to look for when you’re getting a 4K UHD video pass through is compatibility. The audio and video quality of the pass through needs to match your TV or projector. Some pass throughs support multiple resolutions and audio quality, so be sure to check the specs carefully.

Our Picks For The Top 4K UHD Video Pass Throughs

View All Recommendations
Product Overview
Our Take
Pros
Cons
 Our Top Pick

J-Tech Digital 4K Ultra HD HDMI 18Gbps Audio Extractor

Don't Waste Your Money Seal of Approval

J-Tech Digital

4K HDMI 18Gbps Audio Extractor

This pass through is for Dolby Digital DTS formats. If you want to decode these formats for analog output, you will need to use an HDMI source set to PCM audio. This device also supports HDMI High Bit Rate (HBR) audio pass through.

Overall Take

Handy OptionThis device can pass through Dolby Digital DTS audio.

Pros
" The J-Tech Digital has a 2-channel analog stereo output or multi-channel Audio (S/PDIF) output."
 Runner Up

TOTU HDMI 2.0 Switcher & Pass Through, 4-Port

TOTU

HDMI 4 Port 2.0 Switcher & Pass Through

You can connect up to four components with this pass through. It switches seamlessly between devices. It has a wide compatibility with HDMI devices and is easy to use.

Overall Take

Connects ComponentsThis pass through has four HDMI input ports.

Pros
" 4K and HDR support. Relatively affordable. Remote included."
Cons
"It is a little expensive (crossed the $40 boundary at times)."

Pengo 4K HDMI Video Pass-Through Grabber

Pengo

4K HDMI Video Pass-Through Grabber

Overall Take

Pros
" Good value. Clean output. Mic in port and headphone monitoring port are useful. UVC device so plug and play in Windows."
Cons
"Expensive price range."
 We Also Like

ViewHD Prosumer 4×1 HDMI Switch

ViewHD

Prosumer UHD HDMI 4X1 Switch With Audio Extraction

This device has multiple inputs and outputs for use with different devices. It features full metal jacket construction for durability. This pass through is perfect for home theater settings.

Overall Take

Several Inputs and OutputsThis pass through offers flexibility and versatility.

Don't just take for granted what one reviewer says. Along with our own experts, DWYM analyzes the top expert reviews of the leading products and generates a score you can actually trust.
12

Products Considered

We identified the majority of the 4k uhd video pass throughs available to purchase.
5

Products Analyzed

We then selected the leading and most popular products for our team to review.

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11

Expert Reviews Included

In addition to our expert reviews, we also incorporate feedback and analysis of some of the most respected sources including: The Gadgeteer, Techster's Blog, Know Techie, Official Top 5 Review, Play3r.

4,041

User Opinions Analyzed

We also incorporate user reviews from the leading retailers including

Our experts reviewed the top 5 4K UHD Video Pass Throughs and also dug through the reviews from 11 of the most popular review sites including and more. The result is a ranking of the best of the best 4K UHD Video Pass Throughs.

DWYM is your trusted roduct review source. Our team reviews thousands of product reviews from the trusted top experts and combines them into one easy-to-understand score. Learn more.

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The Best Bang For Your Buck

TOTU HDMI 2.0 Switcher & Pass Through, 4-Port

Our Expert Score

8.0
4 expert reviews

User Summarized Score

8.8
1,958 user reviews

Our Take

You can connect up to four components with this pass through. It switches seamlessly between devices. It has a wide compatibility with HDMI devices and is easy to use.

What other experts liked

4K and HDR support. Relatively affordable. Remote included.
- Top Ten Reviews
Has 12-bit Deep color per channel. Efficient and profound resource management.
- Gaming Cutter
Easy to use. Plug-and-play functionality. Great compatibility. Compact. Durable.
- The Tech Lounge
Durable design. HDCP 2.2 pass-through. Wide compatibility. Affordable.
- TechieTechTech

What other experts didn't like

Not the cheapest (but worth it).
- Top Ten Reviews
It is a little expensive (crossed the $40 boundary at times).
- Gaming Cutter
Not the most reliable remote.
- The Tech Lounge
If your source device is HDCP 2.2 and HDMI 2.0, you’ll have to set 4K@30Hz resolution.
- TechieTechTech

What to Look For

  • Take a look at how many input ports you will need on the 4K UHD video pass through versus how many you already have on the TV or projector. In many cases, the TV or projector will only have one or two ports, which you can use to connect the pass through. The remaining devices will need to be connected to the pass through instead of directly into the TV.
  • Many 4K UHD video pass throughs are manual, which means that in order to switch from one device to another in the pass through, you have to press a button. In some cases, the buttons are directly on the pass through itself and you just have to press which input you want to activate. In other cases, the pass through comes with a remote that lets you select which input to use. If you’re going for the ultimate convenience and want to avoid getting up off the couch every time you want to activate a different input, then go with a pass through that comes with a remote.
  • Keep in mind that a pass through, an HDMI switch and an HDMI splitter are not the same thing, though they do have similar jobs. An HDMI switch is used to connect multiple devices to a single device using HDMI ports. Some HDMI switches have 4K UHD compatibility, but others do not. If you want to use an HDMI switch with your 4K TV, then you’ll need to make sure it can handle a 4K signal. An HDMI splitter is like an HDMI switch, but it only has one input and multiple outputs.
  • Not sure what kinds of devices you can use with a 4K UHD video pass through? It all depends on the type of pass through you have, but some options include cable boxes, DVD or Blu-ray players, gaming consoles, cameras, laptops and tablets.

4K UHD Video Pass Through Rankings

1. J-Tech Digital 4K Ultra HD HDMI 18Gbps Audio Extractor

Overall Score: 8.9
Reviews Included: 3

2. TOTU HDMI 2.0 Switcher & Pass Through, 4-Port

Overall Score: 8.8
Reviews Included: 5

3. Pengo 4K HDMI Video Pass-Through Grabber

Overall Score: 8.7
Reviews Included: 6

4. ViewHD Prosumer 4×1 HDMI Switch

Overall Score: 8.2
Reviews Included: 1

5. IOGEAR Wireless 4K UHD 60GHz HDMI Video Pass Through

Overall Score: 7.7
Reviews Included: 5

More to Explore

4K sounds like a pretty high-tech descriptor for a TV, but what does it really mean? 4K is a type of high-definition TV resolution. Most TVs display 4K resolution as 3840 by 2160 pixels (also known as 2160p). However, an HD 1080p image is only 1920 by 1080, so that is inferior to a 4K. In fact, a 4K screen has around 8 million pixels, which is four times the amount that a regular 1080p TV can display. How do pixels work on a TV? If you think of a TV like a grid of pixels, an HD TV has 1080 rows with 1920 columns. However, a 4K TV has 2160 rows and 3840 columns.

4K gets its name from the quantity of its pixel width (3840 pixels, or approximately 4,000 — which is referred to colloquially as 4K). You might be confused about why a 4K TV is named after the pixel width while a 1080p TV is named after the pixel height, but unfortunately there is no easy answer there. It’s not clear why the TVs are named after different aspects of the resolution as opposed to the same aspect, which would make it easier to compare their features.

More to explore