to play devil's advocate -- and by no means to I know if this applies here:
Sometimes manufacturers make the same product to different specifications and release them to different brands. My personal experience is in the tool and appliance sector. Case and point: Craftsman. Craftsman does not make any of its tools. Some are made by Bosch and Porter Cable, others are made by chinese companies. In most cases, the tolerances and build quality are only slightly less than the equivalent Bosch or PC product, but usually at a much reduced price. Not saying it's better or worse, just FYI.
Another example I can think of is garbage disposals. I put in a Kenmore disposal that was EXACTLY the same as the same In-Sink-Erator. Pricing wasn't much differnet than a deal from Lowes or Home Depot, but -- Sears gave it a 5 year warranty where the standard was only 1 year. In this case, the branding (Kenmore) gave the same product with better support.
For things like the switcher here, I would only pay the premium if it came with a much better warranty, or if there were anecdotal evidence that the cheaper ones had case dents, or noisy power supplies (sometimes the cheap ones buzz or hum faintly).
But if indeed the units are the same (warranty, return policy, and all) with a different sticker on the front, then by all means, get the cheap one and some movies.
Okay, rambling over, it's time for lunch
