In-laws just got a new tv. It has 3 inputs. Two hdmi and a coaxial "antenna in".
MIL has an old dvd machine with a hard drive that she uses to convert all her old home video to digital storage. This machine is her favorite thing in the world. More than the piano. It isn't going anywhere and she refuses to replace it with something more modern or use a computer to do the same job.
So, what is the preferred method of attaching rca inputs to a tv that doesn't have rca ports? I see cheap rca to hdmi adapters, would these work? Walmart has them for $10. Or would I be better to adapt into the coax input? Thanks!
I will also ask about an old VCR , output is the same RCA plugs,
And how had is the quality of VHS tapes on a big screen ?
I do not think the aspect ratio is the same :)
I use a variant of the RCA to HDMI to make my PS2 play nice with my modern TV. Works just fine. Just be aware that the picture quality is a few steps below what you might remember.
I did just discover that the TV actually has what looks like an RCA video in stashed amongst the component inputs. Hmm, maybe it's time for a comparison.
californiamilleghia said:
I will also ask about an old VCR , output is the same RCA plugs,
And how had is the quality of VHS tapes on a big screen ?
I do not think the aspect ratio is the same :)
You should be able to set the aspect ratio in your TV's settings. There are still a few 4:3 OTA broadcasts out there, I believe.
Generally a TV's image processor will do a better job upscaling composite signal than a $10 made-in-china-for-$.20 box, but not too much better. There's a limit to how much it can pull out. If the TV definitely doesn't have composite, those $10 boxes work pretty okay. You have to remember that the old TVs were inherently fuzzy, but the cathode-ray tube tech fit that level perfectly. Now you're going to take a lossy format and convert it to digital, so yeah, it's not going to look spectacular, but it'll probably be more than good enough for her.
On another note, make sure you backup all of those old tapes off of that harddrive!
Since now I know that I have composite in, I'm tempted to do a back-to-back comparison with the PS2.
Does the TV in question have any Component RGB ports? Most of the time, the green colored video port doubles as a Composite A/V pass-through. Plug the yellow wire in there and it may work.
If it doesn't have any at all, it depends on how good of quality you want. You can get those cheap Composite-to-HDMI boxes, but the image may be stretched or not compatible at all; it depends on the source output and the converter's capabilities.
Retrogaming people (like me!) have to deal with this as well; a lot of the older game consoles output 240p and that can create problems when trying to use them on new TV's. I use a device called a RetroTink 2X Pro that takes the signal and doubles it so it behaves normally on a modern TV. And there's no noticeable lag while playing, which is really important. They aren't cheap; mine was about $120, but it works great. They do make a cheaper version that doesn't have S-Video output for around $80.
In reply to Keith Tanner :
There are some special Playstation 2 to HDMI converters that'll work better than a vanilla converter. Back in the day, I had a Playstation 2 component (5 RCAs - 3 for video and 2 for audio; it could do 720p or 1080i) cable and played Gran Turismo 4 in HD in 2005.
I have one of the special converters. I'm not sure it's any different than a vanilla converter other than the fact that it has a special PS2 plug, but it does require the PS to be in component output to work. It doesn't seem to output HD though.
I've played GT4 in 2019, so there! ;)
In reply to Tony Sestito :
No component inputs at all. One coax "antenna", two hdmi, and a USB port.
Looks like we'll be getting one of the "vanilla" adapters. And I may just stretch the Christmas budget this year and buy MIL a new video camera. Pretty sure that would fix the main issue. And I'll only need to use the adapter for the rare instance I fire up the DVD player.
I'd go with the cheap converter, and be sure to back up that harddrive on her machine.
Keith Tanner said:
I have one of the special converters. I'm not sure it's any different than a vanilla converter other than the fact that it has a special PS2 plug, but it does require the PS to be in component output to work. It doesn't seem to output HD though.
I've played GT4 in 2019, so there! ;)
I wouldn't expect HD from a PS2. Don't they top out at 480p?
I think GT4 will do some sort of 1080 over composite. I'll have to play with it.
Keith Tanner said:
I think GT4 will do some sort of 1080 over composite. I'll have to play with it.
I played it on Sunday, it's the only game system I've ever owned and besides sonic it's the only game I've ever owned lol. It looks pretty good still considering it's almost 20 year old technology in an industry that improves every 20 minutes.
and yeah, the converter thing works pretty well
I use all kinds of converters at the theater to cobble together cheap crap from the last 5 decades. One of our plays I used a TV from the 60s that still works and converted HDMI to cat5, then cat5 to coax into a resistive converter (a-la vintage atari antenna interface) to the two fork-ish connectors on the screws on the back of the TV. I was able to make the TV show some vintage commercials from files I digitally ripped from youtube.
Hit up amazon for converters. You'll find a dozen chinese brands that all look like the same box with a different name. If Jtech sells one, it's a good bet.
Edit: Jtech doesn't sell one. This one is highly rated
