Wiring – output video single wire RCA signal out of 3 composite ports

coaxial-cablehome-theaterwiring

My projector has a single RG-6 cable with RCA terminals running to it from the console space in the front of the room. I wanted the cable to be hidden as much as possible and I didn't run an HDMI connection because I couldn't find a way to terminate HDMI terminals on unterminated stock HDMI cable, which is how I did with RG-6 and RCA terminals. Currently, I output the video signal out of an older model DVD player, which has a single RCA output. The video quality is good and the projection size on the wall is 98# in diameter.

However, I would like to buy a streaming video box, such as Roku HD, so that I can stream movies and music from YouTube and Netflix onto my home theater system. I ruled out Apple TV as it only has HDMI out. Roku HD has HDMI, which I can use for audio, but it also has three composite ports.

My question is: can I either just use one of those three ports to connect to the single wire projector connection or can I somehow convert the signal by using all the three and then some kind of adapter? If not, what are my options for streaming with this kind of video connection setup?

Best Answer

The Roku HD has 3 RCA plugs (not "composite outputs"). One (yellow) is a composite video signal, the other two (red/white) are stereo audio (left/right), clearly labelled:

Roku HD ports

So direct answer: Yes, you can use your RG-6 cable to get the composite video signal up to your projector. However, composite video is pretty low quality (480i), so don't expect greatness.

Alternatives to get HD video

  • Bite the bullet and run an HDMI cable through the wall (seriously, too bad you didn't put in a conduit at least!)
  • Use an HDMI-over-coax extender. This could use your existing RG-6, but does require installing a small box at your projector with power.
    • Alternatively, HDMI-over-cat5e/6 extenders are available, if you ran Cat5e or Cat6
  • Use a wireless HDMI sender/receiver pair (again, requires adding a powered box at your projector)
  • Put the Roku box at the projector
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