TVs & players

[martykap]

Older tv without a hdmi port. How can I connect my Roku device?

[Strega2]

You'll be shopping for an HDMI to [whatever your TV has] adapter.

Hopefully [whatever your TV has] includes Component video - the 5-cable interface. If all it has is Composite video - the 3-cable interface, then I would recommend replacing the TV instead of spending more to keep it on life support.

Try to buy it from a place with good return privileges because these devices are a bit hit-and-miss.

And avoid the really cheap things that are basically just a cable. Those only work on a very limited number of devices that can put analog video on an HDMI connector.

[motley2659]

An HDMI to Analog (Composite Video, Stereo Audio) adapter will work fine. However, it has limitations. You are forced into 16:9 widescreen anamorphic mode. This is fine if the program is widescreen to begin with; it will be letterboxed on a 4:3 CRT. But if you are watching native 4:3 programs, it will squeeze the square image into a rectangle with black bars on the sides. You are also limited to stereo because analog outputs can't carry a Dolby Digital stream. If you get an older Roku with analog outputs, you can change to 4:3 native output, everything will display correctly and skip the HDMI adapter. But that introduces some other limitations such as price, menu slowdown, and/or streaming channel compatibility.