How to Hook Up Your Cable Box Without HDMI

Co-authored by Eric McClure

Last Updated: August 30, 2021 References

If you’re looking at the back of your cable box and the back of your TV trying to figure out how to set the thing up without an HDMI cord, it can be hard to figure out which ports to use. We’ve got you covered here, so don’t worry too much! Before we cover this, you should note that people often use the term cable box when they’re referring to a satellite receiver or set-top box. For clarification here, your cable box is the device your cable company gives you so that you can receive their signal.

Question 1 of 7:

Do I need an HDMI cable for my cable box?

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No, you can use RCA cables to hook it up. Look on the back of your cable box. The odds are very good that there are three color-coded ports. If you see red, white, and yellow ports together, or green, blue, and red ports together, you can use RCA cables. This is your best backup option if you don’t have an HDMI port (either on your TV or cable box).^{[1]
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- RCA cables are always color-coded, and each end of the cable looks like three prongs. The ports for these cables will be labeled either “audio/video,” “component,” or, “composite.” Occasionally, the ports will be labeled “video 1,” “video 2,” etc.
- Red, white, and yellow cables are composite. You typically need to set your TV input to “video” to get the picture.
- Green, blue, and red cables are component. These usually hook up to the “component” input on your TV.
- If you have a choice between both color sets, use the green and blue component cables. The picture should be slightly better most of the time.
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You may be able to use a coaxial cable on an older TV. If you’ve got an old school TV, you may be able to pick up a picture with a second coaxial cable. This the same cord that runs from your wall to the cable box. On an analog TV, you can run a second coax from the “out” port on the cable box to the “antenna in” line on the back of your TV.^{[2]
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- This is usually going to be the “antenna” input on your TV. The end of these cords have a single, thin piece of metal sticking out of the center. These cables are also often thicker and harder to bend.
- Depending on your cable company, you may not be able to get a picture this way. You may also need to select a specific channel (usually 2, 3, 4, or 5) to pull up the signal.^{[3]
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In rare cases, you’ll be able to use a DVI cable. These are extremely rare these days, but if you have a very old TV and your cable company’s box has a DVI or DVI-D port, you may be able to hook up your cable box using a DVI cable. If you do happen to have one of these, you may still be able to get HD video.^{[4]
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- DVI and DVI-D cables look like wide, bulky rectangles with dozens of little pins sticking out at the end. There will usually be two screw knobs sticking out the base of each cable head for tightening the cable in place. There will usually be a “video” port for these cables.
- DVI will only give you video in most cases. You may need to use an RCA audio port to get any sound.

Question 2 of 7:

Why is HDMI the most popular option?

You need an HDMI cable if you want the best picture. All of these older cable configurations will get you a picture, but it won’t be high definition. HDMI actually stands for high-definition multimedia interface, so if you want the best picture available, that’s your best bet.^{[5]
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- Your cable company may give you an HDMI cable for free if you just ask. Alternatively, you can pick one up for $5-10 at any electronics store.
- It’s likely that DisplayPort will replace HDMI in the future. If you’re ever in the market for a new TV, make sure it has got a DisplayPort port on the back!

Question 3 of 7:

How do I make my TV HDMI compatible?

Buy a digital-to-analog converter box to get the signal. Take a photo of the ports on your TV and go to an electronics store. Ask for an HDMI adapter for a TV and show whoever is helping you the photo of your ports. They’ll set you up with a splitter or adapter that will go in between your TV and the cable box.^{[6]
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Federal Communications Commission
Independent U.S. government agency responsible for regulating radio, television, and satellite, and phone communications
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- This used to be kind of clunky and complicated, but these days the adapters are really tiny and straightforward. You plug in the RCA or HDMI cables at your cable box and connect those to the adapter. Then, you run a second cord from the adapter to your TV. Usually, you’ll use composite RCA cables for this.
- These converters are often just little boxes with RCA ports on one side and an HDMI port on the other. There are all kinds of different variations, though. You could get DVI to RCA, HDMI to DVI, etc.

Question 4 of 7:

What do I do if my TV doesn’t have an HDMI port?

It might be time to get a new TV if you don’t have HDMI. You can totally use RCA cables or get a converter, but honestly, your TV has to be at least 20 years old at this point if there’s no HDMI port. It may just be time to upgrade.^{[7]
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- Your TV is likely on its last legs anyway if there’s no HDMI port. Most TVs need to be replaced every 5-15 years, and yours has to have at least two decades under its belt!^{[9]
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Question 5 of 7:

Will my TV work without an HDMI cable?

It will work, but your picture won’t be particularly good. The reason everyone moved to HDMI is that it enabled high-definition picture. It’s impossible to run a signal that clean and crisp through something like RCA or coaxial cables. You don’t have to use HDMI if you don’t want to, but you do if you want the picture to be as clean and crisp as possible.^{[10]
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- DVI cables can also relay HD video, but DVI isn’t particularly common these days.

Question 6 of 7:

How do I connect my Samsung Smart TV to my cable box without HDMI?

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You could use a converter or RCA cables, but just get an HDMI cord. Your Samsung Smart TV is a technological marvel, and if you want that crisp 4k picture, you’re going to have to use an HDMI cable. You can use RCA cables if you really want, but that’s sort of like putting cheese whiz on expensive caviar. The converter is going to be more costly than an HDMI cable anyway, so there aren’t any good reasons to skip the HDMI.^{[11]
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- If you were hoping to use Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to connect your cable box, you’re out of luck there. A smart TV has wireless connectivity, but your cable box doesn’t.
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Contact your cable provider if there aren’t HDMI ports on the box. If your cable company gave you a cable box that only has RCA inputs on the back, they gave you an outdated model. There should 100% be an HDMI port on that box, and they should be willing to get you an updated cable box for free.^{[12]
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Question 7 of 7:

What should I do if I have no picture after connecting the cable box?

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Flip through every input to find your cable programming. If everything is plugged in but your screen is black, hit the “input” or “source” button your remote and wait a few seconds. Then, do it again. Cycle through every single input—you’ll probably find your picture.^{[13]
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- Each input is assigned to a different port on the back of your TV. If you plug in to the HDMI 2 port, you won’t see anything if your TV is on HDMI 1!
- If you’re using an analog signal, you may need to flip to a specific station.
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Make sure your cables are plugged into the proper ports. The cable box and TV (usually) both have “in” and “out” ports. To keep things simple, “in” means “coming in” and “out” means “going out.” You want the cords in the cable box to be in the “out” ports since the signal is going from the box to the TV, and you want the cords in the TV fitted into the “in” ports.^{[14]
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- It will say directly on the port somewhere whether a given port is “in” or “out.” For example, “video in” or “audio out.”
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Contact your cable company if you still can’t see anything. There could be a physical hardware issue with your cable box, or you may need them to activate something on their end. Even if the issue is on your end, they’ll at least walk you through the entire process to help you figure out if you plugged in.^{[15]
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