My cable box doesn't output HDMI, but would a converter to HDMI allow for tv on Xbox One?

The Xbox one only has HDMI inputs/outputs. It's designed so that you run the coaxial into the cable box, the HDMI cable into the Xbox one, and another HDMI cable from the Xbox One to the TV. I was hoping to bypass the cable box by connecting the coaxial
cable to the Xbox one directly using a Coaxial-HDMI converter.

The reason I ask is because if I can't do this then the TV functionality will be useless to me until after I leave College in four years or so.

If you're still interested, I purchased an RCA to HDMI converter because my cable box doesn't have an HDMI output. It's powered by USB. You connect the composite cable and audio o the converter and then it outputs either a 720 or 1080p signal (you select
it with a small switch). I plugged it to my tv and I can see an image. I plug it into the xbox one and it does sense a signal coming from the cable but the screen stays black and no audio whatsoever. I tested the xbox one input with my apple tv and it works
fine, it passes through the signal. I also have an HDMI switch hub (to connect several devices using a single hdmi port). Works fine with the TV. It also doesn't work with the xbox one. So I'm guessing the xbox one tries to get some kind of legit signal from
the set top box you're connecting it to, and it won't work with generic hardware (like hubs and converters).

Well, there are HDMI-to-DVI converters, which would then allow you to run your HDMI cable from X1 into the converter, DVI from the converter to Cable Box, then Cable Box to TV. A couple of caveats with that, though - when converting HDMI to DVI, you no longer
have audio in the signal, so you need to make sure to get a converter that has a separate audio port to run to your audio-in port.

Second, HDMI has codecs which allow for playing of DRM-protected media (such as Blu-Rays and certain other content.) What that means is, if you try to play a Blu Ray on your Xbox One, it won't display on your television, because a DVI converter doesn't have
the same codecs to allow for the copy-protected material to play.

I'm sure you could find an HDMI-to-Component converter, but the quality would be much less, with the same qualifiers.

This may be a dumb/obvious question, but, did you make sure your cable box has a DVI or Component INPUT (i.e. passthrough.) A lot of old boxes that don't have HDMI out don't have ANY kind of input to be able to pass a signal through from other devices.

The REAL suggestion I have, which I don't know if it's an option for you, but, if your TV has HDMI inputs, I would suggest checking with your cable company to upgrade your box (they should do so at no charge, if you tell them the box is incompatible with
your other entertainment devices which require HDMI.) Almost all cable boxes nowadays have HDMI output and HDMI passthrough for other devices, and the quality is outstanding, so it'd really be worth your while to check into getting a better box.

Hope this helps!

Hello one1wonjuan,

There are, to my knowledge, no official Xbox converters to allow HDMI output from older consoles that do not support it, although the component cables do allow up to 1080P picture with great picture quality.

That said, there are indeed adapters that will convert from Component and even VGA to HDMI. A quick search for "Component to HDMI converter" reveals several options. Note that these are general converters, not Xbox specific, and you will want to check
reviews of models before purchasing.

The other option is to use an A/V receiver or home theater system that includes HDMI output. They simply allow you to attach multiple devices using RCA, Component or HDMI (depending on the model), and they output via a single HDMI port. Some will upscale
on the receiver, though many TV's will also do this.

Hope this helps!

Incorrect. The Xbox One does NOT pass through the cable box output over HDMI with the Xbox off (if it did, you would still have to use HDMI2 because it is still running through the Xbox). If you are really able to watch cable TV through the Xbox One when
the TV is set to HDMI2 and also watch cable TV directly using your cable box when the TV is set to HDMI1, then one of 4 things is going on:

1) Your cable box has 2 HDMI outputs, one connected to the Xbox and the other directly to the TV. I am not aware of such a box with 2 HDMI outputs.

2) You have 2 separate cable boxes.

3) You are using an HDMI splitter to simultaneosly output your cable box to the HDMI input on the Xbox and the HDMI1 input on the TV.

4) You are confused--for example, perhaps your cable box is actually connected directly to your TV with component/composite, in addition to being connected to the Xbox via HDMI.

#3 is the only good solution to OP's problem. I can confirm the Monoprice 8204 HDMI splitter works well for this.

www.monoprice.com/Product

Actually, because OP's TV only has one HDMI input, OP will also need an HDMI switch in addition to the splitter. Monoprice has those also.