Well, your roommate is wrong. An HDMI to AV converter has a digital to analog device inside. There's no way to take a digital signal and output it as analog without one.
It is unlikely that the converter damaged the Roku. Possible, certainly. But unlikely. The only way to test it would be to connect a different HDMI device into the converter and see if it works. However, if the converter is defective, you run the risk of damaging the second device as well.
My suggestion would be to first try a new HDMI to analog converter, and use something other than the Roku to test it. Since the Roku didn't work when you tested it on a different TV, it likely does have issues.
The Express 3930 is now a 3 year old design, and Roku is offering far better players for a good price. The RokuĀ® Streaming StickĀ® 4K is currently on sale for $25, and would run circles around your old Express. I never recommend the basic Express, as it's simply not much more money for a much better player.
I think a lot of support people soon figure out that if you say āI donāt knowā people continue to ask why so they just give some answer and if youāve mentioned any other (not my product) devices, then thatās a good thing to blame. Oh, you have gerbils? Didnāt you know that they are notorious for sneaking out of their cage at night and opening electronic products and chewing on the circuit boards? š
Ha ha ha! Exactly.
Thank You š
