I bought a Roku Express a few days ago, and I have a Magnavox 32MF301B/F7 32-inch TV which is older. I needed to use a cable with an USB-A end to connect the Express to the TV. The Express turns on with a blue light, and the remote seems to work, but I can't see the Roku screen. Is it absolutely necessary to connect the HDMI end to an HDMI end? There is only one HDMI connection on the TV, but that is being used for our Blu-ray player. Will I have to disconnect the Blu-ray to use the Express? Thank you.
The USB port is only for power and you'll probably be better off connecting that to the power adapter provided and not use the TV's USB port. Yes, you need to connect the HDMI output to the HDMI input of the TV. You can get an HDMI switch like this one so you can connect both the Blu-ray player and Roku at the same time. You'll probably need another HDMI cable unless you get a switch with a pigtail. Don't get suckered into buying expensive cables. I get 3 ft cables at the 99 cent store and I've never had a problem with them.
My Roku keeps cycling on and off after I connected to my older (10 years) Magnavox. Ive reset it… Unplugged it… Removed the remote batteries… Change HDMI ports… Plug the Roku express plus receiver directly into the wall rather than the USB port. And the only thing I have left to think of is if it has not gotten fully charged yet. Does the TV does not support the technology offered by the Roku?
Hello,
If the TV or monitor has a VGA HD15 pin output, then all you have to do is use a VGA to HDMI converter cable, usually these are male gender on both ends.
Regards