I just bought a 1972 black and white Sharp made in Japan. Looks like a space ship. I was devastated that I couldn’t pick up strong antenna signal in my area after spending $100 on the tv, $20 on the converter box, $10 for the connectors and $20 for the antenna. But instead of ditching the project, if I can stream Netflix/UA-cam/Prime on a 50 year old TV for another $100 and enjoy the nostalgia I was seeking, I’ll spend it. Thanks for the tips.
I grew up in the 80's and I remember dad taking our television in to replace the "tubes". Back in those days you could rent a vcr that came in it's own suitcase.
This is really great, thanks for the tutorial. I was helping a co-worker clear out their storage unit, and they had an old Zenith TV from 1968 that works great that I now have in my shop. I've ordered all the parts per your list, and am looking forward to getting it setup.
01:16 That weird one belongs to a Sony editing table, like a Sony RM40, normally you had two Monitors of these connected. We used to learn editing at school with it, pretty hi-tec :)
Thanks man, I have an older tv late 60s and all that it lacks now is a power cord that isn't rusted to hell. Taking a welding course so I don't have to pay someone else to fix it
Thank you so much for the run down of the RF modulator. I just recently got a TV similiar to that SONY one you showed and was trying to figure out how to work it. Thanks!
waiting for you to get into oscilloscopes too... or maybe you already have and i havent seen it yet... big fun.... it's also fun to circuit bend your crt tv's/monitors into oscilloscope visualizers.... but i have found over the years that some kind of fizzle out if you dont have proper impedance loads etc... so i've switched to dedicated oscilloscopes but they arent as big of a display
Great video! Thanks for making this. The power strip is a great idea. Now I need to figure out how to cram all this crap into as small a case as possible.
Thank you! This is a great video! I’m following the steps. I have two questions: What does RF stand for? At about 3:50, I have a different model. Mine says ‘RF in’ and ‘RF out’ instead of ‘to TV’. Which should I use for connecting the coax cable to the TV? Thank you!
@@ellingsonTV Thank you for the quick reply. I've followed all the steps down to the screw-in terminal. I can't get it to work yet. The TV I'm using is a really old Japanese TV from the sixties, a mitsubishi. Do you have a video on setting the dials and channels of the TV? I've been trying all different combinations ;))) Thanks.
I wish I had found this a week ago. Just came back from returning an RCA to HDMI converter which was the opposite of what I needed. I got a Roku HD media player I'm trying to hookup to an old school bubble tv from like 2001 or something. Keeping my fingers crossed, I'll let you know how it goes. I'm also using a multi channel RF modulator.
@@robertshade8631 It did! Still running to this day. The only problem is some shows have a kung fu movie effect where the image is thinner than usual but 80% of it looks great. ☺️
we were wondering how far away are the broadcasting towers are from you , we live in Upstate New York and Albany is the closest to us 60 miles.. thanks Frank & Patty
Great video. I have that same Sony TV with the 2 composite inputs. Which 2 RCA wires do I use? Yellow? and red or white? I am not able to use the coaxial as you did. Thanks.
Thank you so much for this tutorial! I was able to connect to my old general electric TV. I did run into an issue though. The TV does not cover the full image of my laptop. There is negative space on the screen that could be filled. Is there a way I can fix that?
Joshua. I have a macbook pro 2019, 16 inches. And I am trying to out out it to a TV with scart conector. I use a USBc DOCk that output hdmi 4k. I have the same convertor box that you. I output from the upscaler with RCA Cable to and adapter RCA to Scart to the TV. I wont get any response from the TV. I am wonder if my macbookPro only output 4k Signal and the 1080p Converter wont work with. Or. If I need an RF modulator , as you described . Do you have clue ? thanks a lotfor the video. great content
Hii I'm really confused on how to connect the coax to the external 3.5mm antenna port on smaller tv. I have the 3.5 jack to coax adapter but it does not seem to work so I was wondering if I need like the vhf matching/transformer box? I'm using a "RCA BWT050S" a little help would really be useful btw ty for the tutorial I learned so many new thing.
Hi. The 3.5mm adapter screws on to the end of the coaxial cable and into the Ext. Antenna port on the portable TV. The coaxial cable should be coming from an RF modulator. The RF modulator likely has a switch on the side for selecting which channel the TV signal will go out on. Usually, it's "3" or "4". With everything connected, make sure that the TV is tuned in to either Channel 3 or 4. If this doesn't work, try connecting to a different TV to troubleshoot it. Good luck!
purchased an eXuby HDMI converter a yr ago,worked fine up to today,,,the damn rCA plugs lost connectivity ALL rca cable have whisker thin wires from the plug audio first, then goes video,I think they are all LIKE THAT
What adapter is it exactly to go from coax into the antenna port on the back of the smaller portable TVs? What should I be searching for to find them for sale? Other than that this has every possible piece of information I could need, thank you
This might be what you're looking for www.amazon.com/Adapter-Converter-Nickel-Pated-Bidirection-Connector/dp/B08DV3N9Z4?crid=2QK7TW0RQ8LSS&keywords=3.5mm+to+Coaxial+connector&qid=1684121024&s=electronics&sprefix=3.5mm+to+coaxial+connector,electronics,628&sr=1-4&linkCode=sl1&tag=ellingsontv00-20&linkId=accdf90c4b24857a893533e034819e14&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl
Hi Joshua, Thank you for this tutorial. The way you've laid out the information is impressive. I've tried it now too, but I've encountered a problem. With the TV plugged in this way, my computer will boot like normal up until the Windows logo, at which a point it fails to boot and will restart two or three times until it boots in Auto Repair mode. Any ideas? The TV is an Emerson B122, and it has the two screw terminal that uses the Balun Matching Transformer. I also plugged in the TV while the computer was already running a few times, and it always resulted in a BSOD that said PAGE FAULT IN NON PAGED AREA ERROR or something. Thanks for the video and any help Joshua! Also, those hologram things are super cool too.
Hi and thanks for the comment. I'm not that familiar with trying this out on Windows. If there's a conflict, it probably has more to do with the external HDMI adapter than the television. Basically, you're making your computer see the HDMI adapter as a 2nd monitor. If Windows isnt' recognizing that adapter at startup, maybe that's the problem. You might try booting with a regular 2nd monitor to see if you get the same problem. If not, it's likely the HDMI adapter has a problem. If the adapter has USB power, make sure that it's plugged into something before connecting it to your machine. Maybe also try booting first and then connecting the adapter-to-TV setup. Anyway, I hope that helps and best of luck!
Hi Joshua, I think you're probably right. If I had followed your instructions to the T from the get-go, I probably wouldn't have had any issues. Instead of the USB to HDMI adapter that you suggested in the video, I was using a Display Port to HDMI adapter, since that's what was free on my graphics card. But since that wouldn't work, I ended up buying a USB to HDMI adapter like you'd said in the video. It came with its own driver installation disc, and that seemed to work! The only issue is the drivers seem to be a performance hog, but I just turn them off when not needed. Thank you again Joshua! It's pretty neat to see the TV playing modern things. It has a pleasant picture quality too!
I slide the flat fork connectors underneath the screw posts on the back of the TV after loosening them. Then, tighten the screws down with a screwdriver or a butter knife.
I am fascinated with vintage technology, specially tvs. I got a 20" Philips crt and I wanna try this, I already hooked my ps2 and the color depth is just fantastic, loos much better than on leds
Has anyone actually gotten the converter to work (seen @ 2:12)? My TV has the composite inputs/outputs (red/white/yellow) but I still don't get a picture connecting everything using a RCA to HDMI converter box with my Roku 3. Is my converter box defective?
Joshua I’m trying to hook a Proscan converter to an old tv and rf modulator.But the converter keeps scanning channels but never completes the task.Any suggestions?
Great video and very well explained. I think you’ve solved my dilemma, but I have a question. We got an updated dish receiver that only has an HDMI output. I want to run to the TV where the receiver is, as well as a TV in another room, using coax. As I understand it, I need to go from HDMI to the converter that gets me to the RCA cables and from there to the modulator which gets me to coax. With this setup, can I run the coax through a splitter to run both TV’s? Thanks so much for your help.
Great! But I have an old tubes tv switch letters on channels (A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,H1,H2), my VCR is set on channel 32, what channel have I to set on tv?? thanks!
I have an analog convertor box (SetTop box) with RF modulator without sigh on which channel I can pick the signal. Any advices? It has those forks for antena.
Thanks for this clear video. I thought I might find an adapter which converts HDMI directly to coax but apparently that doesn't work. So an RF modulator is really required? I would just like to play some video content from my phone over an old 80's TV with coax connection and it's doing my head in so any help is appreciated :)
Hi. The only affordable RF modulator with built-in HDMI that I've found is this one: www.amazon.com/dp/B0976L5C7B. Yes, the signal does always need to get converted from digital to analog RF before a vintage TV can display it. I've found that the HDMI-to-composite + a cheap RF modulator (check your local thrift) is usually the most practical way.
Will this work if I want to show what’s on the old tv on a new tv? My old tv has a video player and I want to watch old videos but display them on my new tv.
I have a 84’ Sony solid state tv model 564-40262353 and instead of complete static like I used to see I just see a white screen instead of my fire stick. Any ideas?
Hi Josh 🙂 I'm a new veiwer and a sub. I was just wondering i have a 1970s tv and I bought a Nes for it but it'll only take the aerial wire. It works but the sound isn't working it's only static and the picture is flickering. Do I need to buy an RF Nes adapter to make it work by any chance Thanks Josh 🙂👍
Hi, Kent. Thanks for the question. First, I would check the NES on a TV that you know works well, if possible. That way you'll know if the flickering is from the NES or the TV. Then, I would try changing the channel switch on the RF modulator to a different channel and then turn your TV dial to that channel. Sometimes the picture comes in better on Channel 4 than 3, for example. Also, you can run a separate audio cable out from your HDMI-to-composite adapter and into a different audio source. So, you could run the yellow (video) cable to the RF modulator and the red/white (audio) cables to a stereo or computer speaker, for example. You'd probably get better sound out of a stereo than your 1970's TV anyway. Hope that helps!
Hi Josh! Got a very similar TV. When I have connected everything up the display will rotate from up to down? I feel like i have tried everything to fix it, any help would be so appreciated, Thanks!
Hi. That sounds like an issue with the vertical hold. If there's a "V-Hold" knob or dial somewhere on your set, you can slowly adjust it until it pops into place. The dial might appear as just a plastic stem on the back of the TV that you can turn. If you've already tried the "V-hold" control, it could be that the capacitor on the verical hold circuit is bad. You might look into how to "recap" the board or just buy a new TV, if that's the case. Best of luck!
Hi Josh, I've have my dvd player hooked up through a modulator, 2 amplifiers, and a uhf transformer into my portable tv of which I'm having image rolling issues. It always starts normal then eventually starts to roll to the left until it stops about a third of the way. I cant tell if it's my hardware itself or if it's purely a signal issue. Any help would be appreciated
Hi. It's hard to say for sure, but it sounds like hardware to me. If it's possible to test it out on another TV, you might try that. It's a little more common for the vertical hold to be slightly off but if your TV has controls for that (usually on the back but sometimes on the front or under a panel), you might try gently nudging them one direction or another. Sometimes brightness can effect horiz/vert lock, so maybe adjust down your brightness as well. If you can't duplicate the issue on a second TV and if horiz/vert knob adjustments don't help, it could be a bad capacitor inside on the board. Anyway, best of luck and I hope you get it going without the drift!
Hi, Rob! I don't actually have a good hardware resource for that. I'm sure one exists but I mainly use my Mac for sending video to my TVs and sometimes I use media players that have support for 4:3. On the software side, sometimes I use the live video software VDMX to stretch or squish video to fit better on the screens. If I hear of an affordable 4:3 scaler, I'll let you know.
That's all fine and dandy but how do I get a Roku to display a 4:3 image? If you aren't able to change the aspect ratio to 4:3 it's going to be stretched vertically and look like garbage
You can still find the old Rokus with composite out on the back that do 4:3. I'm not sure if the latest Roku OS supports them but they used to work fine with 4:3 TVs. Otherwise, you can use a computer to fill the screen or a media player that supports 4:3 like the one featured in this video. What typically happens with other resolutions is black bars on the top and bottom rather than stretching. So, if you can live with that, it's not that bad. Otherwise, 4:3 devices and computers can generally make use of the full screen.
@@ellingsonTV okay thank you for the info If you have a second I'd like to pick your brain. I know I could use the hdmi inputs of my fancy av receiver to convert the video from 1080P 16:9 to 480i and cropped 4:3 but my bedroom is only mid century furniture with a mid century TV and id rather not move a modern receiver in there and kill the vibe just so I can get zoomed/cropped image to fill the 4:3 screen. A good receiver can convert digital to analog, deinterlace and convert aspect ratios. Maybe I could adjust the pots for vertical and horizontal size on the TV to stretch the image but I would worry the picture quality would suffer if I overscan too much. Let me know what you think
@@americanidle1277 Yeah, if you've got H-Size and V-Size pots, you can probably stretch it a little. I guess you could just try it out and see if you like it.
Hi Joshua, I just got an HDMI to RCA adapter as well as an RF modulator-RCA to RF Coaxial adapter. I’m trying to get an image from my laptop and/or an Apple TV onto my Sony Trinitron KV1222R. The back has screw in prongs for UHF and also a coax VHF. So far all I’m getting is a blinking on and off color bar with “no signal” appearing in the corner. Any suggestions? Thanks a lot!
Analog televisions are a completely different technology than HDMI. I don't recommend poking around inside of a CRT tv unless you really know what you're doing or at least know how to experiment safely.
Hey I have a Sony KV8100 that I just recently picked up - it looks like it's a 4BNC output, is there anything that I have to do differently to hook it up to my pc?
So I’ve got a 1979 model tv with a coaxial input. I have the full set up like you, but it will not display video - only audio from my firestick. I’ve heard some people say that the tv can’t display HD and I need a down converter, or that I should skip the coaxial and plug it into the vhf instead. Any ideas?
Hmm, well if you've got the HDMI to RCA adapter, you could try running the RCA-out into a more modern TV to see if it works. Even modern TVs have RCA, so if you still get a blank screen and only audio then it might not be the TV's fault. Assuming you're using an RF modulator with a channel 3-4 switch, try both channels and wiggle the knob. It could be finicky. Also, try adjusting the brightness and contrast. It could be that there's a picture but one of those dials is too far up or down to see it. Best of luck!
I have this little old TV from 1981, model AFC 098D, it only has screw terminals, but the UHF screws are connected to the integrated antenna and the VHF screws are connected to some kind of switch. I got a chain of wires going from HDMI-RCA, RF Modulator, to a Coax-Screw-Terminal, and even tried a Game Switch to connect to the singular plug on the TV (The little box with the switch, all the text is scratched off so Im not sure what it is). However, nothing has worked so far, and I am still stuck with a static screen whenever I power up the TV Any ideas?
Hi. You can probably disconnect the UHF connectors. The switch is likely for "Internal" or "External" antenna. You'll want "External". The other thing is to check that the TV is on the same channel as the switch on the RF modulator. Usually that's 3 or 4. Lastly, double check that your HDMI/RCA adapter is digital-to-analog and not analog-to-digital. If the adapter has a switch that says something like "720/1080", that's the wrong one. It would say "PAL/NTSC" if it were the correct one. Other than that, it's hard to say what the issue is. Best of luck!
@@ellingsonTV You probably just solved the issue, I got the wrong adapter, oops Thanks for the lightning quick response Edit: Is there anything useful that an analog-to-digital adapter could be used for, or is it really just junk here?
@@cat_clan_leader If you want to play an old game system on an HDMI screen, the analog-to-digital adapter might come in handy. Who knows what else it might be useful for later. I would slap a piece of masking tape on it and write "ANALOG>DIGITAL" and put it in a drawer for later. Good luck!
@@ellingsonTV ok this is amazing, it actually worked, I'm now able to connect the TV to my laptop. However the audio is really bad, and there's a ton of garbage noise. Do you have any idea how I could improve/optimize this?
Hi, Brandy. Hmm, that's a new one to me. It could be that your set just has trouble with volume. You could run the red/white audio cables to an external speaker or stereo for louder sound. I've found that I get better sound that way anyway. Hope that helps!
Hi, I just scored a portable TV set with no screw terminals, just the aerial. Do I have to plug another aerial into an HDMI converter like the HDM68 or is there a way to do this without becoming a semi-legal local broadcasting station?
Hi, Fred. You might look to see if there's a headphone-like plug that is actually an antenna port. Sometimes portable models have those. If it turns out that there isn't an antenna-in at all, you might consider getting a different TV rather than investing in a small transmitter. Transmitters are cool but it might be overdoing it.
@@ellingsonTVHello, my tv has 2 holes labeled headphones, and another hole labeled 75 ohm external antenna but thats all there is, is it still possible to hdmi it? (sorry im a complete newbie at this haha)
@@whyistj Hi. It's common on small TVs to have that sort of headphone-jack-looking antenna connector. What you need is a 3.5mm to coaxial adapter nubbin and you can get those online for cheap. They usually come in packs of five. You screw the connector onto the coaxial cable and then plug it into the jack.). I talk about that adapter in this video at the 4:15 mark. ua-cam.com/video/iq9scofun-s/v-deo.html
Your old TV might have little screws on the back near the antenna marked "UHF" and/or "VHF". If so, unclip the antenna from VHF and follow the steps in my video about "screw terminals". If your TV doesn't have any of the ports or terminals in my video, it's probably easier to find a different old TV. Good luck!
Hi. Maybe the first thing to check is if the switch on the side of the converter says "PAL/NTSC". If it doesn't say that but instead says "720/1080", then you have the converter that goes analog-to-digital instead of digital-to-analog. If you have the correct converter, you might double check that it's getting power to the 5v USB connector. Besides that, it's hard to tell what the trouble could be. If you're using a Mac with more than one external monitor already connected, your Mac might not be able to recognize a third. Anyway, hope that helps!
@@ellingsonTV Hey thanks! I have an RF Modulator RCA Composite to RF Coaxial Converter, as well as and HDM2AV upscaler. All this plugged into my windows pc. The rca modulator thing was faulty, because it broke the second I got my coax secured in it and got 30 seconds of picture.
so i have a tv with the vhf connections ive got my converters and there set to channel 3 but my audio is coming out of channel 4 and my video on channel 3 does anyone know why im having this issue
If your TV has coaxial RF-in, then you can run a coaxial cable into it from whatever device you have that outputs a signal over coaxial cable. If you happen to have an HDMI-to-RF converter that sends the signal over coaxial cable, yes, you could plug that cable into your TV and it seems like you should get the signal. HDMI-to-RF are less common than HDMI-to-composite, but if that's what you have, awesome.
If you have a HDMI-to-coax adapter, then sure. However, if you have one of those, it might not have a composite-out port. Composite-Out comes in handy sometimes.
@@ellingsonTV Good point! Thank you! What can I do if I want to send the hdmi signal of mi laptop to multiple old crt tvs? Should I use an HDMI splitter or can I split the RCA signal or the Coaxial signal?
But what happens if I want to project different things to the different tvs? Sorry for all the questions 😂! Thank you so much, you’re work is great btw!
I just bought a 1972 black and white Sharp made in Japan. Looks like a space ship. I was devastated that I couldn’t pick up strong antenna signal in my area after spending $100 on the tv, $20 on the converter box, $10 for the connectors and $20 for the antenna. But instead of ditching the project, if I can stream Netflix/UA-cam/Prime on a 50 year old TV for another $100 and enjoy the nostalgia I was seeking, I’ll spend it. Thanks for the tips.
You covered most older units in a very clear step by step manner. This was most helpful.
This is the best, most straightforward video I have been able to find on this! Thank you so much!!
I grew up in the 80's and I remember dad taking our television in to replace the "tubes". Back in those days you could rent a vcr that came in it's own suitcase.
Yes, we girls had to rent VCRs to watch the Duran Duran video album! 😊
WOW!!! YOU HAVE COVERED ALL THE OLD FASHIONED WAYS OF WATCHING TV…VERY INFORMATIVE!!! THANK YOU…
This is really great, thanks for the tutorial. I was helping a co-worker clear out their storage unit, and they had an old Zenith TV from 1968 that works great that I now have in my shop. I've ordered all the parts per your list, and am looking forward to getting it setup.
I do own a television set from 1985 and this is very helpful! Hopefully I can do this soon!
This is the greatest man to ever live
01:16 That weird one belongs to a Sony editing table, like a Sony RM40, normally you had two Monitors of these connected. We used to learn editing at school with it, pretty hi-tec :)
Thanks man, I have an older tv late 60s and all that it lacks now is a power cord that isn't rusted to hell. Taking a welding course so I don't have to pay someone else to fix it
Thank you so much for this video, I've been trying to figure out how to connect things to my 1983 Sears tv and I cant wait to try it out this week
Thank you so much for the run down of the RF modulator. I just recently got a TV similiar to that SONY one you showed and was trying to figure out how to work it. Thanks!
Just did the same thing! Needed the RF modulator!
@@ProwerPlaysSegadid you require hdmi to rca converter too?
Thank you! Now how to build a tube tv wall lol just scored some tvs from the 80s for free. Let’s see if I can make this work 😅
waiting for you to get into oscilloscopes too... or maybe you already have and i havent seen it yet... big fun.... it's also fun to circuit bend your crt tv's/monitors into oscilloscope visualizers.... but i have found over the years that some kind of fizzle out if you dont have proper impedance loads etc... so i've switched to dedicated oscilloscopes but they arent as big of a display
thanks for that! great video! I just got an old 1976 Philips Modular 4, can't wait to try it out!
Great video! Thanks for making this. The power strip is a great idea. Now I need to figure out how to cram all this crap into as small a case as possible.
Really excited to connect some video signal to a 1985 Portavision I just picked up!
Thank you! This is a great video!
I’m following the steps. I have two questions:
What does RF stand for?
At about 3:50, I have a different model. Mine says ‘RF in’ and ‘RF out’ instead of ‘to TV’. Which should I use for connecting the coax cable to the TV? Thank you!
You'll want to connect from RF Out to your TV. It's short for "radio frequency".
@@ellingsonTV Thank you for the quick reply. I've followed all the steps down to the screw-in terminal. I can't get it to work yet. The TV I'm using is a really old Japanese TV from the sixties, a mitsubishi. Do you have a video on setting the dials and channels of the TV? I've been trying all different combinations ;))) Thanks.
❤😊awesome my family member had a old black and white tv from the 70s
Great video. I have some smaller tv"s that have a jack like the one shown at time 4:28 what exactly is that called and where can I get it. Thank You.
Thanks. You need a 3.5mm coaxial adapter to connect your set to regular coaxial. Good luck!
I wish I had found this a week ago. Just came back from returning an RCA to HDMI converter which was the opposite of what I needed. I got a Roku HD media player I'm trying to hookup to an old school bubble tv from like 2001 or something. Keeping my fingers crossed, I'll let you know how it goes. I'm also using a multi channel RF modulator.
Did you ever get it to work?
@@robertshade8631 It did! Still running to this day. The only problem is some shows have a kung fu movie effect where the image is thinner than usual but 80% of it looks great. ☺️
@@i94yeh2p so your Roku is hooked up to both a converter and rf modulator?
@@robertshade8631 Yes. I have the TV and like three other things hooked up to the rf modulator.
@@i94yeh2pI’m not clear do you still have a hdmi to rca converter with your rf modulator?
This is incredibly helpful. Thank you so much!!
Super helpful video thanks.
For the 80s tv should I screw the cable in the VHF or UHF, what would be the difference??
Most RF modulators use VHF, so you should use the VHF posts. You can get UHF RF modulators but they are not as common. The offer more channel options.
Thanks for the great video, ill have to see if i can get mine working with this setup
we were wondering how far away are the broadcasting towers are from you , we live in Upstate New York and Albany is the closest to us 60 miles.. thanks Frank & Patty
Hi. I don't know much about the broadcast towers here. My signal is coming through my Mac via the adapters described in the video.
Great video. I have that same Sony TV with the 2 composite inputs. Which 2 RCA wires do I use? Yellow? and red or white? I am not able to use the coaxial as you did. Thanks.
Hi. Yellow is composite video. The red and white are audio.
Thank you so much for this tutorial! I was able to connect to my old general electric TV. I did run into an issue though. The TV does not cover the full image of my laptop. There is negative space on the screen that could be filled. Is there a way I can fix that?
Thank u so much, very practical. Helped me to start.
Joshua. I have a macbook pro 2019, 16 inches. And I am trying to out out it to a TV with scart conector. I use a USBc DOCk that output hdmi 4k. I have the same convertor box that you. I output from the upscaler with RCA Cable to and adapter RCA to Scart to the TV. I wont get any response from the TV. I am wonder if my macbookPro only output 4k Signal and the 1080p Converter wont work with. Or. If I need an RF modulator , as you described . Do you have clue ?
thanks a lotfor the video. great content
Did you ever get this to work? I just bought a 1980 Saba tv with scart connection and am trying to figure out how to get it to work with my computer.
What about sound. Thinking about the "aux" adapter you connected there (small tv) Is there any way to add audio? Or will only the picture show
Both audio and video go thru the same wire using this method
Hii I'm really confused on how to connect the coax to the external 3.5mm antenna port on smaller tv. I have the 3.5 jack to coax adapter but it does not seem to work so I was wondering if I need like the vhf matching/transformer box? I'm using a "RCA BWT050S" a little help would really be useful btw ty for the tutorial I learned so many new thing.
Hi. The 3.5mm adapter screws on to the end of the coaxial cable and into the Ext. Antenna port on the portable TV. The coaxial cable should be coming from an RF modulator. The RF modulator likely has a switch on the side for selecting which channel the TV signal will go out on. Usually, it's "3" or "4". With everything connected, make sure that the TV is tuned in to either Channel 3 or 4. If this doesn't work, try connecting to a different TV to troubleshoot it. Good luck!
purchased an eXuby HDMI converter a yr ago,worked fine up to today,,,the damn rCA plugs lost connectivity ALL rca cable have whisker thin wires from the plug audio first, then goes video,I think they are all LIKE THAT
Excelente explicación muchas gracias, ya aclare muchas dudas que tenia a al respecto.
What adapter is it exactly to go from coax into the antenna port on the back of the smaller portable TVs? What should I be searching for to find them for sale? Other than that this has every possible piece of information I could need, thank you
This might be what you're looking for www.amazon.com/Adapter-Converter-Nickel-Pated-Bidirection-Connector/dp/B08DV3N9Z4?crid=2QK7TW0RQ8LSS&keywords=3.5mm+to+Coaxial+connector&qid=1684121024&s=electronics&sprefix=3.5mm+to+coaxial+connector,electronics,628&sr=1-4&linkCode=sl1&tag=ellingsontv00-20&linkId=accdf90c4b24857a893533e034819e14&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl
Awesome! Thank you!
Is there a way to do it if you only have a coaxial end to it ?
I've always wanted to do that.
Hi Joshua,
Thank you for this tutorial. The way you've laid out the information is impressive.
I've tried it now too, but I've encountered a problem. With the TV plugged in this way, my computer will boot like normal up until the Windows logo, at which a point it fails to boot and will restart two or three times until it boots in Auto Repair mode.
Any ideas? The TV is an Emerson B122, and it has the two screw terminal that uses the Balun Matching Transformer.
I also plugged in the TV while the computer was already running a few times, and it always resulted in a BSOD that said PAGE FAULT IN NON PAGED AREA ERROR or something.
Thanks for the video and any help Joshua!
Also, those hologram things are super cool too.
Hi and thanks for the comment. I'm not that familiar with trying this out on Windows. If there's a conflict, it probably has more to do with the external HDMI adapter than the television. Basically, you're making your computer see the HDMI adapter as a 2nd monitor. If Windows isnt' recognizing that adapter at startup, maybe that's the problem. You might try booting with a regular 2nd monitor to see if you get the same problem. If not, it's likely the HDMI adapter has a problem. If the adapter has USB power, make sure that it's plugged into something before connecting it to your machine. Maybe also try booting first and then connecting the adapter-to-TV setup. Anyway, I hope that helps and best of luck!
Hi Joshua,
I think you're probably right. If I had followed your instructions to the T from the get-go, I probably wouldn't have had any issues.
Instead of the USB to HDMI adapter that you suggested in the video, I was using a Display Port to HDMI adapter, since that's what was free on my graphics card.
But since that wouldn't work, I ended up buying a USB to HDMI adapter like you'd said in the video. It came with its own driver installation disc, and that seemed to work! The only issue is the drivers seem to be a performance hog, but I just turn them off when not needed.
Thank you again Joshua! It's pretty neat to see the TV playing modern things. It has a pleasant picture quality too!
been tying to do this for years! you are amazing
Hello! Would you mind breaking down how you would connect the balun to the antenna? That is the one part that's throwing me off. Thanks so much!
I slide the flat fork connectors underneath the screw posts on the back of the TV after loosening them. Then, tighten the screws down with a screwdriver or a butter knife.
@@ellingsonTV thank you! that was super helpful.
Will this method still require the use of a RF modulator?Also would hdmi to coaxial require a similar device as modulator or HDMI converter?
Is the RF modulator the same thing as a converter box? ❓❓❓
I am fascinated with vintage technology, specially tvs. I got a 20" Philips crt and I wanna try this, I already hooked my ps2 and the color depth is just fantastic, loos much better than on leds
Has anyone actually gotten the converter to work (seen @ 2:12)? My TV has the composite inputs/outputs (red/white/yellow) but I still don't get a picture connecting everything using a RCA to HDMI converter box with my Roku 3. Is my converter box defective?
This is the definition of use this if this is the only tv you have for some reason.
Awesome Video! Many Thanks, So Helpful 5 Starts
What is the style of the Tv 📺 that you have?
Joshua I’m trying to hook a Proscan converter to an old tv and rf modulator.But the converter keeps scanning channels but never completes the task.Any suggestions?
I love this. Good informative stuff!
Super helpful, thank you!
Great video and very well explained. I think you’ve solved my dilemma, but I have a question. We got an updated dish receiver that only has an HDMI output. I want to run to the TV where the receiver is, as well as a TV in another room, using coax. As I understand it, I need to go from HDMI to the converter that gets me to the RCA cables and from there to the modulator which gets me to coax. With this setup, can I run the coax through a splitter to run both TV’s? Thanks so much for your help.
Hi. Yes, you can split the coaxial that way.
Thanks so much for your help!
@@ellingsonTVso hdmi to rca converter and rf modulator is required to bring hdmi to an old analog tv?
Great! But I have an old tubes tv switch letters on channels (A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,H1,H2), my VCR is set on channel 32, what channel have I to set on tv?? thanks!
I have an analog convertor box (SetTop box) with RF modulator without sigh on which channel I can pick the signal. Any advices? It has those forks for antena.
This was super helpful!
Thanks for this clear video. I thought I might find an adapter which converts HDMI directly to coax but apparently that doesn't work. So an RF modulator is really required? I would just like to play some video content from my phone over an old 80's TV with coax connection and it's doing my head in so any help is appreciated :)
Hi. The only affordable RF modulator with built-in HDMI that I've found is this one: www.amazon.com/dp/B0976L5C7B. Yes, the signal does always need to get converted from digital to analog RF before a vintage TV can display it. I've found that the HDMI-to-composite + a cheap RF modulator (check your local thrift) is usually the most practical way.
@@ellingsonTV Thanks for the quick response, that's very helpful!
Brilliant channel
Ive got an older Tv element. Model elcp0371 it was made 2008. Iam trying to use my playstation 5 on it but the tv says the hdmi not supported.
Will this work if I want to show what’s on the old tv on a new tv? My old tv has a video player and I want to watch old videos but display them on my new tv.
Hi! Question where would you go about plugging in like a fire stick?
I have a 84’ Sony solid state tv model 564-40262353 and instead of complete static like I used to see I just see a white screen instead of my fire stick. Any ideas?
Hi Josh 🙂 I'm a new veiwer and a sub. I was just wondering i have a 1970s tv and I bought a Nes for it but it'll only take the aerial wire. It works but the sound isn't working it's only static and the picture is flickering. Do I need to buy an RF Nes adapter to make it work by any chance
Thanks Josh 🙂👍
Hi, Kent. Thanks for the question. First, I would check the NES on a TV that you know works well, if possible. That way you'll know if the flickering is from the NES or the TV. Then, I would try changing the channel switch on the RF modulator to a different channel and then turn your TV dial to that channel. Sometimes the picture comes in better on Channel 4 than 3, for example. Also, you can run a separate audio cable out from your HDMI-to-composite adapter and into a different audio source. So, you could run the yellow (video) cable to the RF modulator and the red/white (audio) cables to a stereo or computer speaker, for example. You'd probably get better sound out of a stereo than your 1970's TV anyway. Hope that helps!
dude you're the best
Hi Josh! Got a very similar TV. When I have connected everything up the display will rotate from up to down? I feel like i have tried everything to fix it, any help would be so appreciated, Thanks!
Hi. That sounds like an issue with the vertical hold. If there's a "V-Hold" knob or dial somewhere on your set, you can slowly adjust it until it pops into place. The dial might appear as just a plastic stem on the back of the TV that you can turn. If you've already tried the "V-hold" control, it could be that the capacitor on the verical hold circuit is bad. You might look into how to "recap" the board or just buy a new TV, if that's the case. Best of luck!
Hi Josh, I've have my dvd player hooked up through a modulator, 2 amplifiers, and a uhf transformer into my portable tv of which I'm having image rolling issues. It always starts normal then eventually starts to roll to the left until it stops about a third of the way. I cant tell if it's my hardware itself or if it's purely a signal issue. Any help would be appreciated
Hi. It's hard to say for sure, but it sounds like hardware to me. If it's possible to test it out on another TV, you might try that. It's a little more common for the vertical hold to be slightly off but if your TV has controls for that (usually on the back but sometimes on the front or under a panel), you might try gently nudging them one direction or another. Sometimes brightness can effect horiz/vert lock, so maybe adjust down your brightness as well. If you can't duplicate the issue on a second TV and if horiz/vert knob adjustments don't help, it could be a bad capacitor inside on the board. Anyway, best of luck and I hope you get it going without the drift!
@@ellingsonTV I am having the same problem, rolling vertically though and pretty consistently too. Got a SONY Trinitron if that helps
Would you happen to have any recommendations for a 4:3 media converter? The one I have now squishes the appleTV image.
Hi, Rob! I don't actually have a good hardware resource for that. I'm sure one exists but I mainly use my Mac for sending video to my TVs and sometimes I use media players that have support for 4:3. On the software side, sometimes I use the live video software VDMX to stretch or squish video to fit better on the screens. If I hear of an affordable 4:3 scaler, I'll let you know.
@@ellingsonTV Thank you!! Love your work!
That's all fine and dandy but how do I get a Roku to display a 4:3 image? If you aren't able to change the aspect ratio to 4:3 it's going to be stretched vertically and look like garbage
You can still find the old Rokus with composite out on the back that do 4:3. I'm not sure if the latest Roku OS supports them but they used to work fine with 4:3 TVs. Otherwise, you can use a computer to fill the screen or a media player that supports 4:3 like the one featured in this video. What typically happens with other resolutions is black bars on the top and bottom rather than stretching. So, if you can live with that, it's not that bad. Otherwise, 4:3 devices and computers can generally make use of the full screen.
@@ellingsonTV okay thank you for the info
If you have a second I'd like to pick your brain. I know I could use the hdmi inputs of my fancy av receiver to convert the video from 1080P 16:9 to 480i and cropped 4:3 but my bedroom is only mid century furniture with a mid century TV and id rather not move a modern receiver in there and kill the vibe just so I can get zoomed/cropped image to fill the 4:3 screen. A good receiver can convert digital to analog, deinterlace and convert aspect ratios. Maybe I could adjust the pots for vertical and horizontal size on the TV to stretch the image but I would worry the picture quality would suffer if I overscan too much. Let me know what you think
@@americanidle1277 Yeah, if you've got H-Size and V-Size pots, you can probably stretch it a little. I guess you could just try it out and see if you like it.
Great instructions!!!!
Hi Joshua, I just got an HDMI to RCA adapter as well as an RF modulator-RCA to RF Coaxial adapter. I’m trying to get an image from my laptop and/or an Apple TV onto my Sony Trinitron KV1222R. The back has screw in prongs for UHF and also a coax VHF. So far all I’m getting is a blinking on and off color bar with “no signal” appearing in the corner. Any suggestions? Thanks a lot!
I have the same problem!
Can anyone tell me what the best portable TV for emergencies is, one that runs on alkaline batteries so it can truly be used in an emergency?
Understand all the hookups but do you just get 1 channel .3 or 4 ? Do the dials on the old tv not do anything?
Right, you only get one channel with one RF modulator.
Thank you so much this is so incredibly well explained and i learned a lot just subscribed
Great tutorial!!
You are a life saver. or tv saver.
My Roku only puts out 6:9, How do I convert it to 4:3? so it will look correct on an old tv?
Is there an RF modulator that allows switching between aspect ratios?
How about if you opened it? Could you rewire and solder an hdmi into the circuit board?
Analog televisions are a completely different technology than HDMI. I don't recommend poking around inside of a CRT tv unless you really know what you're doing or at least know how to experiment safely.
Can you add the hdmi externals to switch hdmi using streaming or gaming.
Hey I have a Sony KV8100 that I just recently picked up - it looks like it's a 4BNC output, is there anything that I have to do differently to hook it up to my pc?
i need a rf to hdmi or rca for my atari 7800. but everywhere i look it only hdmi to rf.
where do you buy those items now that Radio Shack is gone?
So I’ve got a 1979 model tv with a coaxial input. I have the full set up like you, but it will not display video - only audio from my firestick. I’ve heard some people say that the tv can’t display HD and I need a down converter, or that I should skip the coaxial and plug it into the vhf instead. Any ideas?
Hmm, well if you've got the HDMI to RCA adapter, you could try running the RCA-out into a more modern TV to see if it works. Even modern TVs have RCA, so if you still get a blank screen and only audio then it might not be the TV's fault. Assuming you're using an RF modulator with a channel 3-4 switch, try both channels and wiggle the knob. It could be finicky. Also, try adjusting the brightness and contrast. It could be that there's a picture but one of those dials is too far up or down to see it. Best of luck!
thank you, i have a sharp from 2004
Unfortunately my simple crt tv doesn't work with the hdmi converter. It's a simple scart output. So annoying
What about my HDMI to component tv brothers?
such a perfect video
Help, I have a GE TV serial #25GT511 what do I need to use a HD Fire stick4?
I have this little old TV from 1981, model AFC 098D, it only has screw terminals, but the UHF screws are connected to the integrated antenna and the VHF screws are connected to some kind of switch. I got a chain of wires going from HDMI-RCA, RF Modulator, to a Coax-Screw-Terminal, and even tried a Game Switch to connect to the singular plug on the TV (The little box with the switch, all the text is scratched off so Im not sure what it is). However, nothing has worked so far, and I am still stuck with a static screen whenever I power up the TV
Any ideas?
Hi. You can probably disconnect the UHF connectors. The switch is likely for "Internal" or "External" antenna. You'll want "External". The other thing is to check that the TV is on the same channel as the switch on the RF modulator. Usually that's 3 or 4. Lastly, double check that your HDMI/RCA adapter is digital-to-analog and not analog-to-digital. If the adapter has a switch that says something like "720/1080", that's the wrong one. It would say "PAL/NTSC" if it were the correct one. Other than that, it's hard to say what the issue is. Best of luck!
@@ellingsonTV You probably just solved the issue, I got the wrong adapter, oops
Thanks for the lightning quick response
Edit: Is there anything useful that an analog-to-digital adapter could be used for, or is it really just junk here?
@@cat_clan_leader If you want to play an old game system on an HDMI screen, the analog-to-digital adapter might come in handy. Who knows what else it might be useful for later. I would slap a piece of masking tape on it and write "ANALOG>DIGITAL" and put it in a drawer for later. Good luck!
@@ellingsonTV ok this is amazing, it actually worked, I'm now able to connect the TV to my laptop. However the audio is really bad, and there's a ton of garbage noise. Do you have any idea how I could improve/optimize this?
How about coaxial to HDMI?
What about the volume after you hook all the converters on. I am having trouble with the volume being to low.
Hi, Brandy. Hmm, that's a new one to me. It could be that your set just has trouble with volume. You could run the red/white audio cables to an external speaker or stereo for louder sound. I've found that I get better sound that way anyway. Hope that helps!
Hi, I just scored a portable TV set with no screw terminals, just the aerial. Do I have to plug another aerial into an HDMI converter like the HDM68 or is there a way to do this without becoming a semi-legal local broadcasting station?
Hi, Fred. You might look to see if there's a headphone-like plug that is actually an antenna port. Sometimes portable models have those. If it turns out that there isn't an antenna-in at all, you might consider getting a different TV rather than investing in a small transmitter. Transmitters are cool but it might be overdoing it.
@@ellingsonTV thx for the reply; I got an HDM68 for 26 USD from Amazon and a small aerial for like six bucks. I'll see how that turns out lol.
@@fredwupkensoppel8949 Well, that's pretty cool! Now you can broadcast to a whole wall of televisions!
@@ellingsonTVHello, my tv has 2 holes labeled headphones, and another hole labeled 75 ohm external antenna but thats all there is, is it still possible to hdmi it? (sorry im a complete newbie at this haha)
@@whyistj Hi. It's common on small TVs to have that sort of headphone-jack-looking antenna connector. What you need is a 3.5mm to coaxial adapter nubbin and you can get those online for cheap. They usually come in packs of five. You screw the connector onto the coaxial cable and then plug it into the jack.). I talk about that adapter in this video at the 4:15 mark. ua-cam.com/video/iq9scofun-s/v-deo.html
Tried this with a Fire Stick to coaxial, and could only get a black and white picture for some reason.
It could be that you are using a black and white television.
I have a old tv but it didn't have any other thing besides an antenna part what can I do to u cable
Your old TV might have little screws on the back near the antenna marked "UHF" and/or "VHF". If so, unclip the antenna from VHF and follow the steps in my video about "screw terminals". If your TV doesn't have any of the ports or terminals in my video, it's probably easier to find a different old TV. Good luck!
Hello, I did this but my computer doesnt detect another monitor. Any tips on trouble shooting?
Hi. Maybe the first thing to check is if the switch on the side of the converter says "PAL/NTSC". If it doesn't say that but instead says "720/1080", then you have the converter that goes analog-to-digital instead of digital-to-analog. If you have the correct converter, you might double check that it's getting power to the 5v USB connector. Besides that, it's hard to tell what the trouble could be. If you're using a Mac with more than one external monitor already connected, your Mac might not be able to recognize a third. Anyway, hope that helps!
@@ellingsonTV Hey thanks! I have an RF Modulator RCA Composite to RF Coaxial Converter, as well as and HDM2AV upscaler. All this plugged into my windows pc. The rca modulator thing was faulty, because it broke the second I got my coax secured in it and got 30 seconds of picture.
Only 1:30 in but already so helpful.
so i have a tv with the vhf connections ive got my converters and there set to channel 3 but my audio is coming out of channel 4 and my video on channel 3 does anyone know why im having this issue
Bayonet Nutz Composite
I have an old tv with only RF output. Can I bypass the HDMI to RCA -> RCA to RF modulator step and just use a straight HDMI to RF convertor?
If your TV has coaxial RF-in, then you can run a coaxial cable into it from whatever device you have that outputs a signal over coaxial cable. If you happen to have an HDMI-to-RF converter that sends the signal over coaxial cable, yes, you could plug that cable into your TV and it seems like you should get the signal. HDMI-to-RF are less common than HDMI-to-composite, but if that's what you have, awesome.
Couldn't I use a hdmi to coaxial rf modulator directly and skip the RCA step?
If you have a HDMI-to-coax adapter, then sure. However, if you have one of those, it might not have a composite-out port. Composite-Out comes in handy sometimes.
@@ellingsonTV Good point! Thank you! What can I do if I want to send the hdmi signal of mi laptop to multiple old crt tvs? Should I use an HDMI splitter or can I split the RCA signal or the Coaxial signal?
@@andrudeus Hi! I would split it at the coaxial if you’re trying to duplicate the signal. It’s way cheaper that way.
Apart from price is there any difference splitting HDMI vs. Coaxial?
But what happens if I want to project different things to the different tvs? Sorry for all the questions 😂! Thank you so much, you’re work is great btw!
You are awesome!
THANK YOU!
can you use a hdmi to rca cable with any rf modulator or does it have to support hd?
I think any old RF modulator should do. You can find them for cheap at thrift stores if you're lucky.
@@ellingsonTV even if the input is hd?
Hi! Does anybody know any HDMI2AV converters that are compatible with 4:3 aspect ratio TVs?