Human beings have been able to watch various forms of media and listen to it through the numerous devices that have been developed through years. Cables have been an important part without which the process would not be complete. Among the famous and widely used cables, RCA and HDMI are ones who have made a lot of things possible.RCA was commonly used previously to transmit audio and video signals however high definition signals could not be transmitted.

Hence HDMI cables came to the rescue. With the introduction of HDMI cables, electronic devices could produce high definition videos and audios through one’s screen. However, devices having RCA ports or jacks still exist. There are times when you might want to connect two devices, and one of them has an RCA port, and the other might have an HDMI port. If you do, then don’t worry.You can convert it into HDMI cable through hardware converters giving you a high definition product like an HDMI to HDMI port would do. The details would be further explained below but let us first understand what RCA cables and HDMI cables are.


The full form of RCA is Radio Corporation of America. RCA cables have been one of the oldest and most commonly used plugs or connectors to carry both audio and video signals. There are different colours and shapes of the RCA plugs, and there are, three plugs to be connected. However, RCA cables cannot be used for transmitting high definition signals. With new developments, other cables are used for that purpose. Hence, even though RCA cables are common and can be used in a lot of devices, data transmission is limited.

rca to hdmi

One of the main features of RCA is that it is used to connect audio and video systems. Although there are several colours, the basic colours that have been commonly used are red, white and yellow. Both red and white have been used to connect to the left and right stereo channels. On the other hand, yellow has been used to integrate video with other devices. On the other end of the cables will be a USB device which is used to connect the devices be it computers, TV, etc.


The full form of HDMI is High-Definition Multimedia Interface. HDMI cables are used to connect high definition devices. Currently, it is the most commonly used cable all over the world for computer devices, mobile phones, electronic gadgets, etc. HDMI cables transfer signals digitally.It is easy to connect devices through HDMI cables, and the configuration is also simple and takes lesser time.

One feature of HDMI cables is that it looks like a USB cable. You can easily connect it to your device. HDMI ports are available on all the devices that are produced these days. Another feature is that the HDMI transmits audio and video signals which are high definition. The HDMI can carry 1080p HD signals, and it also supports eight channels of uncompressed audio.

rca to hdmi

However one should also keep in mind that to use all these features of HDMI you need to have devices compatible for it. Another great feature of HDMI is that it supports higher resolutions like 1440p and 4k. It also supports 3D to make your gaming and movies really like. It also takes palette from millions to trillions of colours giving it a deep and amazing colour to your screen. HDMI can be connected to a lot of devices such as laptops, mobile phones, digital cameras, PCs, gaming consoles, TVs etc.


Converting RCA into HDMI is possible however one should also keep in mind certain things. For converting, purchase a converter box and not cables. Cables cannot convert RCA to HDMI. Another thing to keep in mind is that be careful when you purchase the converter box. Make sure to purchase RCA to HDMI converter box. HDMI to RCA converter boxes are also available. So check carefully that you are buying RCA to HDMI converter box and not the other way around. If you end up buying HDMI to RCA converter box the conversion will not be possible. Using a converter might not necessarily give you the same high definition results as an HDMI to HDMI device would give. However it would definitely be more high definition than using RCA signals.


Sometimes, high definition devices still do come with RCA cables. It can result in preventing the signals to transmit high-definition audio and video signals. You might also have devices which use RCA signals but want to connect it to an HDMI device. Hence if you need to connect a device to a screen and one of it has RCA ports and the other had HDMI ports you can still use or connect it through a converter. For that you need to purchase a converter box which will enable you to connect devices even if they have different ports. Keep in mind that the converter is a box and not a cable. After you purchase the converter box go through the following steps and then the RCA to HDMI conversion will be done.

  • Connect on end of the RCA cables to the converter and connect the other end to the converter. Keep in mind that the colours have to match. Hence connect the colour of the cables matching it with the colour of the converter box.
  • Then connect the HDMI port to the converter as well as the device in which you wish to connect.
  • Turn on the converter box either by switching it on or by plugging it in depending on the type of converter box you have.

Final words

By following the above steps, RCA can be converted into HDMI. The converter is extremely handy when it comes to converting RCA into HDMI if you don’t want to purchase a new device having only HDMI ports. We hope the above mentioned points helped.

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