Tech: RCA Out to HDMI In TV

Subject: Tech: RCA Out to HDMI In TV
From: cnd
Date: 18 Jun 26 - 08:06 AM

Maybe a bit outside the jurisdiction of regular Mudcat tech threads, but figured I'd give it a shot...

I've recently bought my first new TV in many years. Not surprisingly, they've done away with RCA connectors on the thing. I don't care for built in speakers on TVs, so I've got a receiver/amplifier setup connected to a set of speakers which are connected to the TV via an Optical audio output. I've got a tape deck, phono, etc connected and all are working in harmony.

In short: TV audio > receiver > amplifier > dedicated speakers

The problem arrives with another piece of equipment: a Wii which my family likes to keep around. The Wii is old enough it only has RCA outlets, while the only inputs left on the TV are HDMI.

(I will also likely run into this issue if/when I decide to connect a VHS/DVD player on this TV, but that's a bridge I'll cross later).

If I got an RCA to HDMI converter cable/box, would I have any trouble getting the audio from the Wii to play through the dedicated speakers? In other words, does the HDMI connector from the TV send audio back out via the optical connector? Or would I need to get an audio extractor (something like this) to split the feeds so I send RCA audio directly to the receiver/amplifier, and video via HDMI to the TV?

Very specific problem which I plan on fiddling around with in the next few days regardless, but I'm hoping someone on here has run into something similar before and has some experience they can share on the matter.

Subject: RE: Tech: RCA Out to HDMI In TV
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Jun 26 - 10:07 AM

I also have TV sound coming through the amplifier and speakers. The amplifier is vintage enough to have ports for CD, VCR, DVD, etc., but it can't handle Bluetooth to receive a signal from the Alexa device I connect to it.

The device you've linked to has HDMI and RCA and BluRay; is the gaming console Blu-Ray? (That would make a difference if the Wii picture doesn't fill the entire screen without a BluRay connection.)

Does your receiver have Bluetooth? I use a Bluetooth audio adapter to send a signal from the Echo dot into my older JVC receiver, via the RCA ports. (I don't have a Sirius/XM radio in the house but I can stream my account that came with the car through Alexa devices.) You might reverse that with your system and plug the Wii into the Esinkin adapter and let it pair to the receiver via Bluetooth.

My receiver has an RCA cable from the TV to play TV sound through speakers. The DVD has an HDMI cable to the TV and I can play that sound through the speakers. If I connected a VHS (available but rarely used) I would use the RCA ports - the plasma TV was purchased probably 15 years ago and has tons of those still on the back, for feed from several devices. The reason I don't have a Sirius radio in the house plugged into the receiver is because they're way expensive and you need to pay for a second account to use a separate device. The signal from the Dot is remarkably good.

I hope something in this description helps. (I went in to take a look at my setup when writing this and will note that I have lots of taped tabs on all of the cables back there so I can tell what is what in the connections.)

Subject: RE: Tech: RCA Out to HDMI In TV
From: cnd
Date: 18 Jun 26 - 11:27 AM

Thanks SRS -- your note on the DVD player is encouraging to me and is leading me to believe I'm worrying about audio extractors and the likes over nothing. I'll order an RCA to HDMI converter this afternoon and hope to report back soon.

The Wii only has RCA A/V out, no other formats, which I found a bit surprising since it's a relatively new system (he says, realizing that 2006 was 20 years ago...). Paired with a TV with no RCA outlets and a receiver with only RCA audio inputs (no yellow for video)*, it's left me a bit flummoxed. I was really hoping to find a video RCA-only to HDMI cable, that way I could just run the red and white RCA to the receiver and the yellow RCA video to HDMI, but I haven't found such a product on the market.

The receiver sadly doesn't do Bluetooth, though an adapter would be a nice touch. (I was hoping to pair a soundbar that I've been toting around for 6 years now after a former roommate abandoned it with the receiver system -- it can do Bluetooth -- but I can't get it to play nice with the amplifier... I think it's because the soundbar is powered and the amp is only designed for dumb speakers... either that or my amp has a short and won't operate when both A and B speakers are selected... but that's a problem for another time and another thread.)

Labeling the cables is something I've learned to do the hard way... makes troubleshooting much less troublesome. A wise recommendation.

* Except of course the optical audio input which the TV is using.

Subject: RE: Tech: RCA Out to HDMI In TV
From: DaveRo
Date: 18 Jun 26 - 11:54 AM

I think the TOSLINK output will work for anything the TV is showing, whatever the source.

I've found that ARC extractors are tricky. On my TV it only works on one of the three hdmi inputs and it seems to expect only that input to be used. I had problems trying to get ARC sound out of the other hdmi sources without replugging them. But that might be a bug in my (LG) TV.

Subject: RE: Tech: RCA Out to HDMI In TV
From: cnd
Date: 21 Jun 26 - 10:29 AM

Good news, the TV does send audio in from the HDMI cord back out via the optical cable. Thanks again Dave and SRS for the help.

Strangely, the TV wouldn't pick up HDMI 1 for some reason, so had to go to HDMI 2, which is subtitled "Service" on the side of the unit. I'll see if a different device works on 1.

Subject: RE: Tech: RCA Out to HDMI In TV
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Jun 26 - 12:22 PM

Since Dave posted his recommendation I've poked around behind various devices and find the televisions and the vintage receiver have the TOSLINK port (though on my receiver it has a different name). I could use a TOSLINK cable from the TV to the receiver instead of the RCA cable. (The receiver has RCA ports labeled for TV and CD, and indicates the optical cable could run to the CD.)

Funny thing is, the CD player doesn't have the TOSLINK port, and apparently the BR/DVD player wouldn't have one because the cable can't support that format. If I set up that cable from TV to receiver I imagine I'd have to use it with the CD setting on the front of the receiver (or poke around and find out what works). The TV audio isn't very loud the way it is now, I have to crank it up, is why I'm thinking the change might be good.

This article spells out how you might setup various devices you want to connect.

Subject: RE: Tech: RCA Out to HDMI In TV
From: DaveRo
Date: 22 Jun 26 - 04:18 PM

The thing to remember is that TOSLINK is digital whereas RCA audio is analogue. If an amplifier or receiver has a TOSLINK input then it has a Digital-to-Analogue Converter (DAC). It would have a DAC if it receives DAB but I'm surprised a 'vintage receiver' does. My amp, about 2005, doesn't - only RCA inputs. A CD is digital, and most (probably all) CD players contain a DAC and some sort of analogue audio output, such as RCA. So if you have a choice between using a digital and analogue connectors which is best? A techie answer is: whichever has the best DAC. A non-techie answer is: whatever you have a cable for.

A DVD or Blue Ray player could have a TOSLINK output but it would only carry audio. Many (most?) DVD players will play audio CDs too but I suppose few people use them for that.

I said that HDMI ARC was tricky. To quote from the article linked to: "You can separate the audio signal from an HDMI cable, but it's a finicky business that requires decoders, adapters, and a bunch of nonsense bordering on digital black magic..." My conclusion is that ARC is aimed at 'home theatre' and soundbars and anything else - like playing the BBC TV Proms or Arte though your hifi, is hit-and-miss. I find HDMI is a technical minefield because I have boxes of different ages - eg a 20yo satellite receiver - and there are incompatibilities between versions of HDCP (qv), whose main purpose is IP protection not inter-operability.

Subject: RE: Tech: RCA Out to HDMI In TV
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Jun 26 - 06:58 PM

This JVC was made in 1997. And yes, I saw that disclaimer about separating the audio signal from an HDMI cable. My DVD is connected to the TV with HDMI. If I connect the receiver to the TV with the TOSLINK cable and am watching the DVD or BluRay I would have to see if that works. Most often I watch TV or use a streaming device (Roku) that plugs into a different HDMI port.

I jumped into this question without having used the optical port before so didn't realize the full extent of the question - it looks like you've answered it and have offered a solution to something I've fussed with (though mostly just cranked up the volume rather than figure out why the sound from the TV was so low).

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This thread was moved above the line at the request of Gargoyle who seemed to have something to say on the subject. ---mudelf