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Author Topic: HDMI to Component questions  (Read 3276 times)

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Offline amigadaveTopic starter

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HDMI to Component questions
« on: November 20, 2014, 11:14:06 PM »
This is not entirely related to Amiga Gaming, but does apply to very narrow circumstances when talking about NG Amiga Gaming display from the HDMI output on some of the newer video cards and trying to connect that output to the input on an older (one of the first made) HD televisions that does not have HDMI inputs, only Coaxial, Composite, S-Video, and Component.

The Component input on my old rear screen projection HD television is the best available input of all those I listed above.  The TV has 2 separate Component inputs, so multiple devices can be connected and switched to with the Input Select function of the TV.

My question is this; HDMI is a digital signal, while Component RGB is an analog signal, but I see many cables available which are HDMI on one end and Component Video and Stereo Audio (5 RCA jacks) at the other end.  How can such a cable work, if no conversion of the digital to analog signal is taking place?  Would the use of such a simple and inexpensive cable harm any devices at either end, if plugged in to see if it would work?

I have looked for HDMI to Component Video and Stereo Audio adapters/convertors, but they are fairly rare.  Most devices are only designed for the reverse, to convert Component output to HDMI input, so that some of the older Game Consoles, like the PS3, or X-Box One (which I believe have Component output RCA jacks, but no HDMI outputs), can work with newer monitors or TV's which only have Composite, Coaxial and HDMI inputs (some of the newest monitors and TV's don't even come with coaxial inputs any longer).

I have no problem buying the correct convertor box to do the digital to analog conversion from HDMI output from my video card (as well as my Blu-Ray player) to Component Video & Stereo Audio, so I can connect to the best inputs on my old large screen projection 1080i or 1080p TV, but I thought I would ask the smartest people I know (fellow Amiga.org members) if they have ever had any experience with these cheap cables, to ask if they will damage any of my equipment if I plug them into my TV to test what results I would get.

I don't understand why such a cable would be manufactured (and there are tons of these cables available), if they can't be used on anything.

Can any of you explain this to me, and why such cables exist in such large numbers from so many different outlets, if they won't work, because of the digital to analog signals present on the two different connection standards?
How are you helping the Amiga community? :)
 

Offline amigadaveTopic starter

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Re: HDMI to Component questions
« Reply #1 on: November 21, 2014, 04:41:36 AM »
Thanks for the replies guys, but I have already found a few HDMI to Component Video & Stereo Audio converter boxes that I can buy.  Converting to S-Cart and then using an S-Cart to Component cable set doesn't really help answer any of my questions, though I appreciate you finding that and trying to help.

If you read my OP again, you will see that the questions I am asking are about the widely available HDMI to Component Video & Stereo Audio cables, and how they can be of any use when the signals are digital on one side and analog on the other side.  Also, can any of the connected devices be damaged by plugging in one of those cables when no conversion is taking place?  In other words, what happens when you plug a digital HDMI Blu-Ray player into an analog Component TV input?

I have found the adapter I need and will order one of them today or tomorrow.  I also have a $4 cable that will arrive in a few days, but did not want to risk damaging any of my equipment by testing it, unless my smart friends at Amiga.org know the answer and tell me that there is zero chance that testing the results of that cable will damage any equipment at either end of the cable.  I had already ordered the cable before I thought about the differences in the two signal types used and wondered how such a cable could work.  Since so many of those cables are being sold, I wondered what they are being used for and if they had the potential to cause damage, I would think that they would be pulled off the market, instead of selling in the tens of thousands by every distributor who sells them.  There is another potential problem with those simple pass-through cables that do zero conversion of digital signal to analog signal, and that is HDCP.  It is my understanding that all output from devices designed to display copyrighted media send the signal out encrypted for it to be decrypted at the other end, so if this old HD rear projection TV does not have HDCP built-in, it won't be able to display the video output from my Blu-Ray player anyway, but my understanding of HDCP is very limited, so I might be wrong.

To hook up a Commodore Amiga with RGB port for video output, I will look into buying one of the community hand made RGB to Component adapters, but that is another topic and problem to solve, not related to these questions.
« Last Edit: November 21, 2014, 04:57:44 AM by amigadave »
How are you helping the Amiga community? :)