Converting Xbox One S HDMI to VGA + Audio

Hello all,

First time post. I'll dive right in.

Got the new Xbox One S. Great. Works fine with a TV or anything that uses straight HDMI. Run into problems while trying to hook it up to and old projector (runs VGA).

I've got 2 different converters now that convert the HDMI to a VGA and a 3.5mm audio jack. They both are very hit and miss with the success rate. Sometimes I'll turn on the Xbox and my projector and right away things will work fine, sometimes I'll have to
fumble around for a while before I can get the Xbox to show up on the projector. Sometimes things will run fine for an hour and then it'll stop working.

The problem is in the detection. My projector will detect no input whenever the Xbox One stops working with the projector. Yet, when I use the same adapter with, say, my laptop I have no issues whatsoever. My laptop will run perfect fine for hours, so it
isn't the adapter. I even went out to Fry's today, spent $50 on a new adapter (yes, a mistake I know to spend that much on a small converter, I was desperate) and that still doesn't work.

So the problem is with the Xbox, I think? It runs fine with just a straight HDMI cable to a TV that takes HDMI. The projector runs fine with my laptop, with either a straight VGA cable or through either converter. But as soon as the converter is involved
it'll randomly refuse to send any signal to the projector.

Is there any alternative? I know if I had Windows 10 I could stream my xbox to my laptop or something and run that to the projector. I've kept my laptop on Windows 7 and would rather not bite the bullet just for my Xbox or have to get a small computer with
Windows 10 just to run the thing...

:)

 

TV Incompatibility Issue - Incorrect Aspect Ratio (IMG)

Jaymo, you'll be happy as I am (oh wait, no, no one can be as happy as I am right now) when you find out that using the VGA adapter actually worked, and is displaying in 1920 x 1080p.

::tl;dr solution::

If you've experienced the same issue as the one mentioned in the OP, try converting your HDMI output into something else your TV supports. For me, converting HDMI to VGA allowed my TV to "Just Scan" for the correct video output, whereas my HDMI-in did not
support this functionality.

::aside::

After converting to VGA, I lost my audio, since VGA is a video-only format. I had to use the digital audio out port on the Xbox (SPDIF) to actually get sound.

Thanks again Jaymo for helping me out with this one. You've made me the happiest person on the planet!

 

advice needed hope you can help

It should work but just make sure the seller has a good returns policy, hdmi and HDCP (copy protection) can be fraught with issues.

RCA is Red and White for audio.

There are cheaper than this but these are the ones we use from time to time

HDMI to VGA converter - HD to PC | With Audio | StarTech.com United Kingdom

 

Your problem is occurring likely due to HDCP.

HDCP, or "High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection", is a DRM (Digital Rights Management) measure that encrypts the HDMI connection. VGA is unable to decode HDCP, as VGA is purely an analog connection, and cannot communicate digital code back and forth
like HDMI can.

The Xbox One dynamically enables and disables HDCP, depending on what you're doing on the Xbox (gaming, watching a movie, etc), and I don't believe there's a way to totally disable HDCP.

If your projector is HDCP-compliant and has a DVI input, I'd suggest converting HDMI to DVI instead. Otherwise, you may need to get a new projector, preferably one that has an HDMI input.

 

S-Video is also an analog connection like VGA. I'd imagine you'll encounter the same problems if you were to find an HDMI to S-Video converter. It also has a lower resolution output and lower color depth, so with the adapter, you'll probably get something
like 1080p downscaled to washed-out 480i.