Roku setup

[DavidofNB]

I have the Roku Express Model 3930CA.  I want to connect it to a 20-year-old rear-projection TV.  The TV has no HDMI so I want to use an HDMI to Component adapter.  When I connected everything, the screen looked like this:

I can recognize the screen but it's unviewable.  Because I couldn't set Roku up on the TV, I connected it to my computer monitor because it has an HDMI port.  When the system sent me an activation email, I had a problem.  My only computer with email is my desktop which I disconnected from the monitor so I could setup the Roku.  When I clicked "Activate", the Roku wasn't connected at that moment and I think the account didn't activate.

I want to setup the Roku on the TV so I hope someone can suggest what is causing the problem in the image.  And suggest a solution.

[renojim]

Component or composite?

Try swapping the cables around  Does the converter have a NTSC/PAL switch?  Can you post a link to the converter and the model number of the TV?

[atc98092]

Yeah, that image doesn't look like the correct refresh rate, and if it's set to PAL that could be the cause. Also be aware that your TV very likely doesn't support 1080p (most all of those old rear projection sets supported 1080i). If the TV doesn't support 720p (again, some from that era only support 1080i or 575p in a digital connection) you might simply be out of luck getting the correct display.

Many of those old sets had a DVI input, and a simple DVI to HDMI adapter cable will work. But again, the TV would have to support 720p in the DVI input (DVI is digital, just like HDMI, just no audio path). No Roku device available that is still supported (other than the Express+ 3710/3910) has the ability to output an analog signal. And frankly an SD analog signal probably isn't going to look very good on that set.

[DavidofNB]

As you'll see, the adapter was very basic.  No NTSC/PAL switch.  Not much to adjust at all.  You just connect everything and it works or doesn't.  I contacted the vendor who responded promptly but said he didn't know what was wrong.

For the rest, here's a link to the adapter on the Amazon Canada site.

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B09N8K7SPQ?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

And RCA TV, made in January 2004, Model D52W20

[Strega]

The device seems to do everything automatically, but I wonder if Roku sends it a 1080p signal, can it figure out that your TV may only do 1080i?  I’m not sure how well something like that works between an automatic gadget and a 20 year-old TV.  Have you been able to see enough of a UI to try 720p?

[DavidofNB]

As it happens, the TV has the DVI port and I had an HDMI>>Component adapter plug.  But the screen image was just as bad.  I didn't take a picture but everything was blurry and out of focus so that I could only guess what the buttons on the Setup screen actually said.  And that's why I used my computer monitor instead.

For this TV, it's only being used to watch movies on DVDs.  An SD image will still be better than what I've seen so far.  There is another adapter I was looking at on Amazon but, not knowing what the current problem is, I didn't want to buy it.

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07VGWL5P1/ref=ewc_pr_img_2?smid=AHWCC048SI87U&psc=1

[atc98092]

OK, I would have expected a product like that to work. Remember that when the HDMI is converted to component, you now have an analog signal, not digital. The DVI connection remains in the digital realm, so what's likely happening there is the Roku is sending a 1080p signal and the TV can't process it. The analog/component connection should not have that issue, but for whatever reason the TV isn't processing it. And my guess is it's the TV's issue, not the converter. 

I was able to find a manual online, and it confirmed what I feared. The DVI connection only supports 1080i and 480p, and the Roku doesn't support either resolution. Why the component converter isn't working I can't say. But my guess is it can't properly convert the Roku signal correctly. 

[DavidofNB]

The first adapter has been returned.  One comment on the product page was that it doesn't permit scaling of the image.  The other adapter, linked in my previous message, does scale.

Since returning the item is an option if it doesn't work, I'm thinking it might be worth a try.

[nnjjoe50]

hey david, i had the same problem when trying to connect an HDMI only cable box to an old projection tv. i ended up not being able to use the tv after going through 2 hdmi to component converters. i did get it to work on another old tube tv at one point. but i am trying to do what you're doing now. i have a roku express+ that i have connected to a very old tv using just AV out, but the picture quality is not great. it has 1080i capability. i just tried using the 2 converters in this case, but actually got the same results you did too. i might play around a little more to see if i can get it to work. i'll let you know if i do. i hope you'll post if you get yours to work or another solution.

i was actually wondering if roku made a device with component output. haven't found one yet, but if anybody knows...

[Strega2]

This is a handy page for finding out about past and present Roku models:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roku

The only Rokus I see with component came out in 2009 and 2010 and they were last updated to Roku OS 3.1.  (12 is the current version.) I would not recommend bothering to find one of these.  They probably do very little if anything today.