This article will show you how to connect a TV to a receiver without HDMI. On newer TVs, HDMI is the most popular means of connecting them to other multimedia devices. However, it doesn’t mean it’s the only way to connect the devices.
How to Connect TV To Receiver Without HDMI
You might be in a situation where a receiver you just bought doesn’t have an HDMI port, or your TV is an older model without an HDMI input port. In such instances, you would need to find out how to connect the TV and receiver without HDMI. Let’s look at some of the means you can achieve this:
Connect TV To Receiver Using RCA Cables
Before HDMI cables became very popular, the most popular means of connecting multimedia devices were RCA cables.
These are two or three cables with distinct colors– Red, White/Black, and sometimes Yellow. The Red and White/Black cables are the audio connectors, while the Yellow was for video signal transmission.
If the receiver you are trying to connect to TV needs only to transmit an audio signal, you need only the two audio cables. If you want to connect a TV to a receiver using RCA cables, follow these steps:
Step #1
Plug the cables into the ports two or three ports located on the receiver; ensure you insert the cables into the ports with matching colors (i.e., white in white, etc.).
Step #2
Plug the other end of the cables into the TV, ensuring the ports and cable heads match colors.
Step #3
Switch the input channel of your TV to A/V; if the TV you’re using has multiple RCA inputs, take note of the number given to that input and switch to the corresponding channel.
Connect TV To Receiver Using VGA Cable
Another viable means of connecting a TV to a receiver without HDMI is a VGA cable. These are the direct forerunners of HDMI cables and were first used to connect desktop System Units to Monitors. Soon, every TV had one, and some receivers came equipped with one.
The major downside of VGA connections is that it is video-only connection; however, some VGA cables have an auxiliary audio cord attached to the head.
This cord can be plugged into the aux port on the TV to have audio input. The steps to use a VGA cable to connect a TV to a receiver are as follows:
Step #1
Plug one end of the cable into the receiver; most VGA cables have screws attached on both ends of the head; securely position the cable by screwing it in.
Step #2
Plug the other end of the cable into the TV; if there’s an aux cable attached to the end, plug it into the aux input of the TV. This aux cord is often very short; if it does not extend to the aux port of the TV, you would have to look for another means of audio input.
Step #3
Switch your TV’s input channel to the corresponding VGA input; if it’s a TV with multiple VGA ports, you would need to select the correct VGA source as labeled on the TV.
Related: How To Hook Up DirecTV Box To TV With HDMI
Connect TV To Receiver Using Optical Audio Cable
An optical audio cable transmits audio signals between devices with the necessary hardware. Many newer TVs have an Optical Input port to connect them to an audio receiver. The steps to connect a TV to a receiver using an optical audio cable are as follows:
Step #1
Plug one end of the optical audio cable into the receiver’s optical output port; usually, you hear a clicking sound when the cable is in place. Please note that most optical ports have a protective cap; you should remove and keep it carefully.
Step #2
Connect the cable’s second end into the TV and switch it on; check for the protective cap on the TV too.
Step #3
Next, you have to set your receiver as the default speaker of the TV; to do this, open Settings on your TV, turn off the TV speaker, and set the audio output to digital out. The location of procedure of this setting would vary on different TVs.
