How To Hook Up DIRECTV Box To TV Without HDMI?

Are you looking for ways on how to hook up DIRECTV box to TV without HDMI? While most TV sets nowadays have a working HDMI slot for connection for various devices.

But there are some instances when a user would like to use their TV or cable box for a TV without HDMI.

Usually, you can hook up your DIRECTV box to your TV even without HDMI by trying to find other ports to use in connecting it. You can either use an RCA cable, a cox, or an HDMI converter.

Always remember, both your device and various TV sets have more than one ports for connections, not just an HDMI port.

So how do you do it then? Is it as hard or as confusing as you think it might be? Here are the steps as well as the other things that you should know about this topic.

How to Hook up DIRECTV Box to TV Without HDMI

While HDMI is the easiest, the fastest, and the most stable way of connecting your DIRECTV box to your TV, the truth is that you also have other options you can go to.

Although an HDMI is the recommended method, you can still use older methods–such as RCA component cords and a coaxial cable.

If you really want to still use HDMI, there is an available HDMI converter from RCA in the market. Although, the quality it delivers is not the same as pure HDMI.

Connect DIRECTV box to TV without HDMI using RCA

Even though the RCA component jack and cables are for the past decades and is certainly not just “previous generation,” the interesting fact is that most newer TV sets still have support for RCA connectors.

As for the cables, the problem is that you may not have a pair of RCA cables at hand.

However, the good news is that it is widely available from your local hardware or electronics supply.

So, if you don’t have one at the ready, you can always go out and grab one. Just make sure that you get one that has enough length to properly connect your set top box and your TV.

Now, if your TV has RCA cable support (which it probably has) and you finally managed to secure a set of cables for yourself, simply go through the following steps.

How to Connect your TV box using RCA

There are actually three types of and RCA cables: the basic RCA, the component, and the composite RCA.

The most common one used and is what you may still find in TV sets, is the composite RCA cables.

This type of RCA cable has at least three splits in the cord. One is for the video, which is usually colored yellow, and the other two are for the audio outputs, usually in red and white.

Connection is two way, one for input and one for output.

Here is how you connect it:

Step 1. Make sure your TV and your DIRECTV box are both turned off

Step 2. Find the port for RCA on your DIRECTV box, or whatever type of box you have.

Make sure you insert the correct colors for each cord. Simply put, yellow goes to yellow, and so on and so forth.

Step 3. Then, connect the same cables to the ports of your TV. Once again, make sure to connect the proper cables according to their color coding.

Step 4. Make sure to insert each port fully. The reason is that the slightest loose that you can have on a port may disrupt the video or the audio or worse, both.

Friendly reminder: switching the colors for audio cables would result either in distorted channels of audio or no audio at all.

Connecting Set Top Box to TV without HDMI using Coax

Even though an RCA only delivers standard definition video, it can, at least, deliver stereo audio.

Coax, on the other hand, only delivers mono audio.

Here are steps on how to connect your DIRECTV box to your TV using a coaxial cable:

• Make sure that both your TV and your set top TV box are turned off
• Plug one end of your coaxial cable to your set top box. Make sure to plug it tightly
• After that, plug the other end on your TV set. Again, make sure to have it plugged tightly as well

Connecting your Set Top Box to your TV with HDMI Converter

Did you know that even if your TV has no support for HDMI, you can still use the HDMI port on your DIRECTV box?

You can do this through an accessory called an HDMI converter.

An HDMI converter would only work with an RCA composite cable.

On the one end, you can find the usual three split cables of yellow, white, and red. On the other end is the HDMI.

How do you use this method?

After buying an HDMI converter from your local electronics store, here are the steps you ended to follow:

• Make sure both your TV box and your TV set are turned off
• Connect the appropriate RCA cable to your TV set. Make sure to push it tightly and do not leave any port loose
• Next, connect the other end of the converter, which is the HDMI port, to the HDMI receiver of your TV box

Should you wish to do this the other way around–using the RCA on your DIRECTV and the HDMI on your TV set–it should still work as intended.

What makes HDMI the Better Choice?

But what makes an HDMI cable and port different and the now seemingly dominant method of connecting the device to your TV?

HDMI, or short for High-Definition Multimedia Interface, is a form of audio and video transmission that passes uncompressed data through cables.

What makes the audio and video transmitted through HDMI is that it is better in quality overall, and it delivers the same quality as the source as compared to older forms of transmission.

Video Resolution

Depending on the output device, some HDMI cables are even capable of transmitting 4K Ultra High Definition resolution videos.

That is not a small number of data and pixels. That is 2160p, which is four times 1080p, and more than ten times the older 360p resolution of the previous generations for video quality.

For example, what you can see on a laptop monitor would exactly be what you would see in a larger external monitor connected via HDMI.

HD Audio & Video

Also, it is the only audio and video input/output system right now that can transmit high definition both in video and audio.

Also, unlike older ways of connecting multimedia devices, an HDMI combines transmission of audio and video in just one cord, unlike component cables that split video and audio. Stereo audio is even split into two.

Conclusion

Even if the TV that you have right now is an old one and does not have an HDMI support, there is nothing to worry about.

There are ways on how to hook up DIRECTV box to TV without HDMI.

Although, if you are particular with quality, settling for component cords to connect your set top box to your TV set is not the best choice for you.

It is still highly recommended that you try and find a way to use a TV with HDMI support instead.

Read Next: Know how to block channels on DIRECTV.