InstaPrevue promises an end to HDMI roulette

By Chris Davies/Sept. 8, 2011 11:34 am EST

Silicon Image first gave us HDMI connections that switched quicker; now it wants to preview exactly what's plugged into each of those ports. The company – whose InstaPort technology is found in Samsung sets among others – has outed InstaPrevue, offering a live, picture-in-picture glimpse of what's playing through each HDMI input.

Silicon Image argues that seeing what's coming through each connection makes far more sense than either "HDMI 1", "HDMI 2" and "HDMI 3" or even customized labels for "CONSOLE" and "CABLE". Manufacturers that pick up InstaPrevue, meanwhile, will be able to customize the appearance of each preview window, as well as change its size and the position it appears on-screen.

It will also be possible to integrate the windows with a custom UI, presumably opening the door to smart TV that shows local sources alongside internet streams and on-demand content in the same interface. No word on when we might expect it to show up on commercial sets, however.