# What is this video/audio port on the back of my TV?(photo inside)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-video-audio-port-on-the-back-of-my-tv-photo-inside/594521>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 29, 2011, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-video-audio-port-on-the-back-of-my-tv-photo-inside/594521 "2011-08-29T17:47:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\
**Post date:** [August 31, 2011, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-video-audio-port-on-the-back-of-my-tv-photo-inside/594521/21 "2011-08-31T03:26:04Z")

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> [@USCDiver](#):
>
> Right, I got that the TV isn’t HD but there exists HDMI-to-component cables like [this one](http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=hdmi+component&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=17067353230121565849&sa=X&ei=_qBdTo61Ece_gQeLv6mfAg&ved=0CEAQ8wIwAA). I would guess your tv is smart enough to take whatever signal is going into the back and display it properly. This would save you the hassle of trying to matchup the component input on the tv with a non-component output on the roku.

Cool. I wonder what the cheapest way to get one of those is.

I’ve been warned in this thread to not go to Radio Shack. Are they outrageously expensive for these kinds of things?

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**Author:** ![gatorslap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gatorslap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gatorslap)\
**Post date:** [August 31, 2011, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-video-audio-port-on-the-back-of-my-tv-photo-inside/594521/22 "2011-08-31T03:28:48Z")

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Radio Shack is quite expensive, and their employees are generally untrained and unknowledgeable. For cables I usually suggest the site that Alley Dweller linked.

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**Author:** ![Baracus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@Baracus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baracus)\
**Post date:** [August 31, 2011, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-video-audio-port-on-the-back-of-my-tv-photo-inside/594521/23 "2011-08-31T06:57:06Z")

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> [@USCDiver](#):
>
> Right, I got that the TV isn’t HD but there exists HDMI-to-component cables like [this one](http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=hdmi+component&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=17067353230121565849&sa=X&ei=_qBdTo61Ece_gQeLv6mfAg&ved=0CEAQ8wIwAA).

I am pretty sure that cable is unique to the PS. HDMI is digital, while component is analog, so a cable by itself should not be sufficient to convert between the two. You would need some level of processing power. The PS is apparently capable of outputting an analog signal compatible with that cable when you tell it to.

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**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\
**Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-video-audio-port-on-the-back-of-my-tv-photo-inside/594521/24 "2011-09-02T04:21:59Z")

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A big “Thanks” to everyone. I got the thing setup correctly and its quite cool.

Thanks!

😃

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