HDMI to RCA Converters or Cables, What to buy?

If you have an older television or projector but does have RCA input port only, and you want to connect it to some media hardware released in just the past few years, such as Blu-ray players, gaming consoles, Apple TV, and Sky WDTV consoles but does have HDMI output only, you have to use the HDMI to RCA converter or cable to connect them together.

There are many HDMI to AV converters and HDMI to AV cables on market. Generally the converter will be around $30, but the cables are only $10-$20, much cheaper than converter. What is the different between these two gadgets? Does the cable work for me?

First of all, you should know HDMI is digital signal, but AV ( RCA) is analog. It cannot convert just by cable directly.

The converter is an active gadget, there are some chips inside, and it will decode the HDMI signal and convert it to traditional RCA signals and help the images you see on that old television's screen look better than ever also. It enhances the brightness and contrast of the images it processes.

The cable is without any chips inside, just provide a physical connection only, cannot provide the actual digital (HDMI) to analog (RCA) conversion also.

Do hdmi to rca cables work? Is it a scam?

Do this kind of cable work or not?  Depend on your scenario. If your TV is a traditional older analog TV, the answer is No, the cable doesn’t work, and you must use the converter. This is the situation most people meet.

If you have a special older digital TV which have the needed electronics to read a digital signal but lacking HDMI one is forced to use RCA, this kind of cable are works. This kind of special TV is a very small subset of digital TVs only.

So the Cable is work, not a scam. But the name of this kind of cable is misleading, looks like a scam.