HDMI to VGA converter

[richardash1981]

Can anyone recommend a reliable HDMI to VGA + audio converter? The application is church where the VGA feed is split 4 ways to feed three fold-back monitors as well as the projector. All runs at 1024x768 (projector native). However people keep turning up with HDMI-only laptops and expecting 1. there to be a converter, and 2. it to just work, without any thought to testing / preparation in advance. Content is nearly always PowerPoint. In order to avoid having to teach them how to configure windows to play sound via the headphone jack, I need an analogue line out on the device.

 

I seem to have a poor success rate:

• I got a flexible pigtail one which worked fine, until the flexible lead got flexed too much and it stopped being detected on the HDMI side (by multiple laptops)
• I got a a rigid adaptor which is detected, but something about the VGA timing is all wrong - the projector doesn't detect the VGA signal at all, one VGA monitor shows the whole picture but horizontally shifted by half a frame (so that both edges are together in the middle), the other shows 2/3 of the picture shifted over with a huge black margin.

The other thing which works (and I keep having to take along and use) is the one I got for audio out of my Raspberry Pi, but as the input lead is connected on a micro-HDMI connector I don't think it would stand up to church users for very long. I could get get this one, but would the output timing be sane (would also need a phono to 3.5mm socket adaptor, but that isn't too much of a problem). A Kramer VP-422 is both expensive and has buttons/settings which I don't need and will frighten users.

[Yorkie]

If the first one works, can you use another with a sacrificial 1m HDMI extension lead? best to buy two then you've always got a spare

[sandall]

I bought a cheap'n Chinese one with VGA & 2x phono connectors from CPC a while ago, which seems to do the trick. My only problem was that it is so small the drag of the power-lead kept dragging it off the desk - for a fixed installation I would have Velcro'd it in place. I would definitely endorse Yorkie's suggestion - you can never have enough short adaptor leads (I always carry at least six 3.5mm - mono-jack leads with me, for laptops, pads, phones, etc)..

[sandall]

I could get get this one,

This looks like the one I bought (the CPC site was down when I looked for it last night).

[TonyMitchell]

people keep turning up with HDMI-only laptops and expecting 1. there to be a converter, and 2. it to just work, without any thought to testing / preparation in advance. Content is nearly always PowerPoint. In order to avoid having to teach them how to configure windows to play sound via the headphone jack, I need an analogue line out on the device..

 

Leaving the video aside, I recommend you deal with the audio separately and take it out on USB. That will give you one less headache, with regards to audio quality, hums & buzzes, etc.

[richardash1981]

I could get get this one,

This looks like the one I bought (the CPC site was down when I looked for it last night).

Thanks, I was hoping someone would have used one before! Definitely expecting to need a sacrificial lead for it, but would prefer that to be full-size HDMI male to male as easiest to keep stock off and reasonably robust. My fear with an extension lead to a pigtail adaptor would be that the pigtail is thinner than the extension lead and ends up doing all the flexing, thus failing first! I could hot-glue both ends to something, but it seems messy!

 

people keep turning up with HDMI-only laptops and expecting 1. there to be a converter, and 2. it to just work, without any thought to testing / preparation in advance. Content is nearly always PowerPoint. In order to avoid having to teach them how to configure windows to play sound via the headphone jack, I need an analogue line out on the device..

Leaving the video aside, I recommend you deal with the audio separately and take it out on USB. That will give you one less headache, with regards to audio quality, hums & buzzes, etc.

The problem with USB audio is it invariably needs some configuration of the computer to persuade it to output to USB, and sometimes driver installation (there is no internet on site, much to the pain of Windows 10 users). I have a 1:1 isolating transformer in the audio line to let the computer float and that has worked fine so far.

[sandall]

Laptops these days seem to produce fairly clean audio from the headphone socket (just as well, as it's a long time since I've seen line-in & line-out sockets on one), so I almost invariably use a 3.5mm lead, mixed down to mono.The only time I use a transformer is when the laptop is at a distance, in which case it gets fed through a transformer-coupled DI box line any other line source.

[Joe Fernand]

HDFury may be a little OTT if you 'never' have to deal with HDCP but still the most reliable and flexible HDMI to VGA + Stereo audio converter we have used/supplied - we keep them in stock if you want to try one out.

 

Joe

[TomHoward]

On the point of USB, we've started buying the Peavey USB-P 'DI boxes', have to buy them from BHP Photo and ship them from the US but we've found them to be brilliant for fixing audio hum issues and use them across Windows and OSX without drivers.

 

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/759075-REG/Peavey_USB_P_USB_P_USB_Direct.html