What should you search for when it comes to the best component video to HDMI converters? Quality and effectiveness. Get the ones that are capable of allowing you to play vintage media from VHS tapes and game CDs on your brand-new, state-of-the-art HDMI projector or HDTV.
By the way, a component to HDMI converter is different from an HDMI to component video converter. A component to HDMI converter refers to devices that convert component source media like the Nintendo Wii, classic 2000s DVD players, early release Blu-Ray players with a 1080i input, and older generation VCRs and so forth into HDMI-compatible signals for HDTVs, monitors, and projectors. This is in contrast to modern BD and DVD players linking up to vintage TVs with component outputs.
Without further ado, here are the 10 Best Component to HDMI Converter products currently available on the market to date.
See more: What is a Component Cable? Everything You Need to Know
#10 EASYCEL Component to HDMI Converter
Let’s start with the EASYCEL Component to HDMI Converter. It has quality features that make it stand out, from its 1080p resolution to its aluminum casing. It does RGB YPbPr component video to HDMI conversions with a decent upscale. We approve of its scaler function that works mainly on Denon Legacy DVD Players but also various other DVD players out there. It also features Bose 3-2-1 conversion and compatibility as well for good measure. We’ve tried it out for ourselves and marveled at its sleek design and a durable casing that protects it from wear down.
Image Source: amazon.com
On one hand, it does have limits, like certain customers complaining about it not working with a PlayStation 2 even though most people buy converters like this for the sake of retrogaming. On the other hand, for something that’s worth more or less $30, it gives you the most bang for your buck when it comes to linking together things like a legacy McIntosh MVP 861 DVD Player to a Sony A9G TV and some such. It particularly shines when it comes to linking up circa 2006 component RCA cables to a 1080p HDMI cable to allow for connections to various HDMI displays, from HDTVs to monitors as well as projectors.
If you’re worried about it not working like in the isolated case of a PS2 not getting upscaled for HDTV usage, keep in mind that it’s consistently rated high by the majority of its verified buyers. We particularly recommend this specific EASYCEL converter mainly for its audio processing prowess. Even if your 14-year-old MVP 861 DVD Player doesn’t have HDMI connections, it should play nice 480p content converted to a nice and smooth 1080p experience at your HDTV flat-panel LCD display of choice at the fraction of the cost of a new DVD or BD player.
#09 Koopman 5RCA RGB to HDMI Converter Adapter
As for the Koopman 5RCA RGB to HDMI Converter Adapter, it’s the retrogamer’s dream converter. Why? It’s because it converts rather than upscales the video signal as advertised by Koopman. What’s the difference? You lose a little something when you force a 480i/p or 576i/p picture at 4:3 aspect ratio to 1080p at 16:9 aspect ratio. The picture can get stretched and warped at best or even get jagged lines and pixilation at worst. Other converters might even crop the picture to fit 16:9 at that.
Image Source: amazon.com
With the Koopman 5RCA RGB to HDMI Converter Adapter, it’s high-fidelity viewing all the way, allowing you to play things like the Sega Saturn version of Virtua Fighter or any PlayStation and Nintendo 64 classics such as Final Fantasy VIII and Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Sure, the image still has a square 4:3 aspect ratio enlarged to fit on a 16:9 widescreen (resulting in black bars), but as far as image faithfulness and anti-latency features are concerned, Koopman is a must-buy.
The downside is that because it’s not an upscaler, so you’re limited to an analog 480i signal converted to a 480p digital HDMI signal. You can play on it the Xbox, N65, PSP, and vintage DVD players with component A/V connections to them on your HDTV monitor. It doesn’t promise anything but that, which is exactly what gamers want but it may disappoint some casual movie and TV viewers who are used to upscaled or Full HD content without black bars on either side of the image.
#08 NEWCARE Component to HDMI Converter
As for the NEWCARE Component to HDMI Converter, it epitomizes the credo “Simple is Best”. It’s designed simply with not too many trimmings or ornamentations and it simply works. By our estimation, it belongs in this list of bests converters exactly because it’s a cost-effective and effective product in its own right. We’ve confirmed by testing it out that it supports 1080p video and audio conversion for use with PSP, Xbox, DVD, and so forth to HDTV monitor connections.
image source: amazon.com
Although Newcare (or NewCare/NEWCARE) is not as renowned a name as Koopman or EasyCel, its products speak for themselves. It has a black-colored component/5RCA/RGB video and L/R audio converter that merges the signals to something that can be read with HDMI display equipment. The consensus on it is that it’s excellent and that it works amazingly great with the PlayStation 2 (which is somewhat of a problem with the EASYCEL converter). If your new TV only has an HDMI output, there’s no need to fret.
You can depend on the NewCare Converter to work as advertised. It will give you all the connections you need without much stress or issues. Just plug & play for the most part. You can even use it to connect your quality stereo sound to a modern amplifier on top of making an HDMI link to your HDTV or projector. You can depend on it to cover many resolutions as long as your output display can carry them. Alas, its shipping is almost as expensive as the product itself, but this mostly depends on where you live in the world. Also, it at least has a decent return policy as well, but the shipping is definitely a demerit on its part.
#07 Portta Component to HDMI Converter
What can be said about the Portta Component to HDMI Converter? It belongs on this list because it ticks all the standards we’ve established as the quintessential features of a quality component to HDMI converter. First off, it recognizes the component video RGB and YPbPr format as well as the R/L stereo audio. Secondly, it converts all this to high-fidelity, viewable, and listenable HDMI signals that your HDTV, monitor, and projector could recognize. It also goes into specifics, like the ability to give the HDMI 1.3 and below specification support.
image source: amazon.com
Its 1080p conversion, in our own experience, was quite excellent and with no fidelity issues related to jagged lines, pixilation, and conversion artifacts. 480p resolutions at 4:3 square CRT get “pillared” with black bars on the side and higher resolutions stretch properly at 16:9 widescreen. Fellow verified buyers and users of the product mainly depend on the Portta to play retro games from the 7th generation of game consoles. It can play games from the greatest selling home game console of all time (Sony PlayStation 2) and the second biggest-selling home game console of all time (Nintendo Wii).
There’s also the Xbox 360, which is the fourth biggest selling home game console right after the PS3, which occupies third place. Like the Koopman, the Portta Converter is a retrogaming dream of a converter. You won’t have to get specialty adapters for each console. You can just depend on this one box to do the conversion for you on top of also allowing for HDTV display conversions for VCRs and VHS tapes as well as DVDs and early Blu-Ray models without an HDMI hookup. It is limited in that it doesn’t do RGB SCART like other multi-connection A/V converters, but that’s most of these converters on this list.
#06 AVerMedia Video Adapter, Component (YPbPr) to HDMI Output (ET113)
As for the AVerMedia Video Adapter, it’s a slightly different appliance than the other converters. It’s an adapter instead of a converter. The unique thing about the AVerMedia Video Adapter is that it comes with its own wires for component jacks and a USB jack for power purposes. Granted, it also has a USB plug to power it up as well. It is beneficial in the sense that it comes with its own wires in case you lack component video cables.
image source: amazon.com
It’s considered an adapter because even if you don’t have component video cables, it should still function and “adapt” your HDMI cable to work with a component video port. The AVerMedia Component to HDMI Adapter is another device that does its job well. Like the Koopman, it’s more of an adapter converter instead of an outright upscaler that turns 480p into a (blurry) 1080p display. If your original video has a 4:3 aspect ratio then expect black pillars on either side of the final video on your HDTV or projector.
This device is dependable when it comes to hooking up your PlayStation 2 or even PSOne to your computer monitor, laptop screen, or projector screen as well as your HDTV. Any display device with an HDMI output, it will work with just fine. In terms of shortcomings, there are complaints about it flickering, and the extra USB plug to power it on isn’t exactly the most intuitive design choice, requiring a USB extension cord. You also can’t change component cables in case its hardwired cables were to fail.
#05 Zepthus 5RCA Component to HDMI Converter
As for Zepthus 5RCA Component to HDMI Converter, it’s more of a back to basics kind of converter. Truthfully, it’s rated lower than the other converters on this list and it’s dragged down by complaints from customers that it sometimes doesn’t work. However, we’ve still included it on this list because even though it suffers from the Koopman issue of being picky with which game consoles can work with it or not, it’s still a good, affordable $20 solution to your needs.
image source: amazon.com
When it does come across a setup that works (and more often than not it does judging from its eventual customer rating on Amazon), it functions superbly well in connecting RGB, YPbPr, and 5RCA connections to the HDMI 1.3 specification and HDCP audio-video conversion for HDTV, monitor, and projector usage. It advertises itself as something that works particularly well on the Nintendo Wii, DVD players, the PlayStation Portable, and so forth. It’s one of the most cost-effective converters you can find out there, in fairness.
The package comes with a user manual, the converter itself for component video source media, and a 5-volt DC power supply so you won’t have to deal with any short, pesky USB cables. The caveat, of course, is that certain retrogaming consoles like the ever-present PlayStation 2 or even the Nintendo Game Cube might not work as well with the Zepthus. When it works, it keeps the 4:3 aspect ratio and decent picture quality. When it doesn’t, the image might cut out every 5 seconds and your capture card won’t be able to record footage.
#04 NEWCARE Component 5RCA RGB to HDMI Converter Adapter
Here’s to another excellent and dependable Newcare product. This slightly more expensive version of the previous NewCare product also had the downside of having shipping that’s almost as expensive as the product itself, but it does have a return policy. It’s an excellent remedy to many frustrating problems that have to do with connecting vintage media sources with modern displays, such as conversion issues, fidelity, color, contrast, and pixilation/artifacting.
Image source: amazon.com
No, we didn’t get another Newcare Component to HDMI Converter to pad out this list. It just so happened that when we were buying and reviewing different converters based on their Amazon ratings that we got another NewCare product that made the cut. We were particularly impressed with it working excellently with Xbox, even though there are also a fair amount of customer complaints about how it doesn’t work with their Xboxes, 360s, and HDTVs. Just remember to go to the Xbox’s switch and set it to HDTV instead of just TV.
In particular, we love how this slightly more expensive by a few dollars adapter supports not only different resolutions but different frame rates as well, such as 1080p at 60Hz, 1080i at 60Hz, 720p at 60Hz, and 480p at 60Hz for HDMI as well as 1080p at 50/60Hz, 1080i at 50/60Hz, 720p at 50/60Hz, 576p at 50Hz, 576i at 50Hz, 480p at 60Hz, and 480i at 60Hz. Its wide variety of compatible resolutions allow for more fidelity and less slowdowns or latency issues with retro gaming setups on top of simple VCR or DVD viewing.
#03 StarTech.com Component Video and Toslink Audio to HDMI Converter
The main claim to fame of the StarTech.com Component Video and Toslink Audio to HDMI Converter is the fact that it’s a more robust video converter that’s available on its website as well as Amazon.com, leading to fewer user ratings mostly because some people are directly buying it from the source itself, which is StarTech.com. By robust, we mean on top of component video connections, it also does TOSLINK or Toslink audio linkages for HDMI conversion.
Image source: amazon.com
The StarTech CPNTTOS2HDMI Converter offers not only high ratings (from fewer users who bought it compared to the other converters on the list, but still), it also excellently converts YPbPr RGB signals and digital TOSLINK audio into a singular HDMI display from your HDTVs and monitors to your full-fledged Full HD projectors. It emphasizes user-friendliness and simplicity, as in the case of the NewCare line of converters we also adore in terms of uncomplicated functionality. Just plug it in and go.
Long story short, it’s a lot of fun to use and it works flawlessly for the most part. It’s a simple, big black box that should help you with your classic DVD viewing and retro gaming needs, allowing you to play the Sony PlayStation classics ranging from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas to Onimusha as well as the Madden NFL series, Grand Turismo series, and Guitar Hero series, just to name a few top franchises. You can even go as far as the Nintendo Game Cube, PSOne, PSP, and Xbox era of gaming if you so choose.
#02 MOYOON Component to HDMI Converter
As for the MOYOON Component to HDMI Converter, it made the cut of this Top 10 list because it’s the go-to component to HDMI converter you can get your hands on in order to continue playing your Nintendo Wii in case your decade-old component TV just stops working. While many of the other converters on this list are mostly used for playing PS2 and PS3 games (understandably so, since those are the two best-selling consoles of all time), MOYOON is more of a Nintendo compatible kind of converter.
Image source: amazon.com
Quite a number of retro gamers use MOYOON and its 5RCA Component Video RGB or YPbPr connections in order to link their Nintendo Wii (the second-highest selling home console of all time behind the Sony PlayStation 2) with their HDTV, especially if their component CRT isn’t working anymore. For some reason it’s this particular Component to HDMI Converter that’s able to deliver the goods when it comes to crisp and clean HDMI 1.3 specification and HDCP-proofed signal delivery from Wii to HDMI display.
It’s important to note that without HDCP approval, your converted signal can either be downgraded, prevented from being upscaled, or altogether not work. HDCP is a handshake-based anti-piracy feature of HDMI that prevents pirates from pilfering copyrighted material or whole videogames by only giving out handshakes to HDCP-compliant devices like MOYOON and its Wii-centric conversion. Don’t fret, it also works with DVDs, early Blu-Rays, VCRs, and your PlayStations and Xboxes; it just works with Wii the best according to customer consensus.
#01 Anber-Tech Component to HDMI Converter
Last but not least is the Anber-Tech Component to HDMI Converter. It’s yet another YPbPr to HDMI Converter that covers RGB component video conversions as well as L/R audio. It’s unique from the rest of the items on this list because it supports 4K video audio conversion for the Sony PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo Wii, and previous other consoles up until the PS1 and Game Cube that supports 5RCA component video cable linkups. This converter can work with 4K HDTVs, monitors, and projectors this time around.
Image source: amazon.com
It has all the trimmings you’ve come to expect from a high-caliber converter that belongs to a list like this, such as the high-fidelity conversion of various supported resolutions such as an input of 480i/p at 60Hz, 576i/p at 50Hz, 720p at 50/60Hz, 1080i/p at 50/60Hz and an output of 480p, 576p, 720p at 60Hz, 1080p at 60Hz, and 4K at 60Hz. As the consumers of such converters demand, the Anber-Tech Converter also works great at converting the PS2 signal into something readable on an HDTV screen. It even offers support on not only DVD and early Blu-Ray Players but also cable/satellite boxes with component video inputs.
Because of its extra “muscle” power when it comes to conversion that goes beyond Full HD 1080p so that it includes 2K, 3K, and 4K resolutions ensure the best possible converted quality for HD without sacrificing fidelity. Anber-Tech makes the cut with these other converters because it’s the only one on the list that covers 4K video conversion as well while still being priced sensibly at around the same cost of a typical NEWCARE or Koopman device. The shipping price can be quite the drag though depending on where you live. It has a return policy, thankfully.
Conclusion
The main way to play the 1990s and 2000s component media players, CDs, DVDs, cable/satellite boxes, VCRs, LaserDiscs, and retro gaming consoles from PlayStation 1 and 2 to the Xbox and Xbox 360, as well as the GameCube and Nintendo Wii, is the use of component adapters or converters.
You specifically need one of the ten handpicked component to HDMI converters we have listed down through this article. This way, you can get to see classics like Remington Steele or the Pierce Brosnan James Bond series as well as Golden Eye on the Nintendo 64 in full HD glory. We’ve tried out and tested each and every one of these converters to ensure you, the reader, that they’re truly the best of their class. If you wish to use streaming devices on older TVs with component outputs, use an HDMI to component converter instead.
