Quickie HDMI to analogue TV question! - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

Chris55000 · 3rd Dec 2025, 12:21 pm

. . .Can any Member recommend a Digital TV to 625–line converter that will accept HDMI from our current Virgin & Manhattan Satellite DTV boxes and convert this to 625–line analogue UHF so my friend can use the portable TX90 we have for viewing up in his bedroom as well as for use on his Vintage Computers please?

. . .I'm afraid I've not kept up to date on these things!

Chris Williams

Panrock · 3rd Dec 2025, 12:43 pm

(Pinched from the Retrovisor site):

There are three stages. The basics are:

A. The internet programme source. You could use an Amazon FireStick or a Roku.

B. The digital (HMDI) to analogue (CVBS) signal converter. eg. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/144060062242

C. The UHF Modulator to plug into the set. eg. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/174282920053

You'd also need suitable interconnection leads. Be prepared for issues with the picture shape, since this has changed to 'widescreen' since 1994.

It might be easier to use an old Video Recorder or DVD Player. Some of these may include a Modulator on their outputs (necessary).

Steve

Chris55000 · 3rd Dec 2025, 2:29 pm

. . .Thanks for that Steve!

. . .I've looked up the prices of the items you've linked to and they're cheap enough to buy!

. . .Does anyone know is there's anything available that combines both converters in one unit?

Chris Williams

cmjones01 · 3rd Dec 2025, 3:59 pm

I don't know about combining in to one unit. However, I use one of those HDMI-to-composite converters to feed video from a computer into a 1980s Philips portable TV in my office. The TV has a composite video input so I haven't need to use a modulator. It works very well.

There is one caveat, though: the HDMI-to-composite converter kind of assumes it lives in a widescreen world. The video resolutions it shows as available to the computer are mostly widescreen ones, which of course doesn't match the TV which isn't widescreen. It does support 1024x768, which is 4:3 aspect ratio to match the TV, and that's what I use.

What would happen if the media source was a FireStick or DVD player or something which doesn't let the user choose the video resolution? I don't know. But it might need some fiddling with the media player's settings to get the picture the right shape. There are no controls on the converter for this, only a switch to select PAL/NTSC video output.

Chris

colourking · 8th Dec 2025, 9:36 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris55000

. . .Can any Member recommend a Digital TV to 625–line converter that will accept HDMI from our current Virgin & Manhattan Satellite DTV boxes and convert this to 625–line analogue UHF so my friend can use the portable TX90 we have for viewing up in his bedroom as well as for use on his Vintage Computers please?

. . .I'm afraid I've not kept up to date on these things!

Chris Williams

Does the Manhattan box definitely not have an analogue (Composite) video output ? Many of these STBs do in fact output analogue (composite) video as well as audio (L/R) on a typical 'headphone' type socket on the box. You will need a 3.5 mm 4-conductor TRRS cable for Video and L/R audio, with the usual 'phono' plugs at the other end for Video and L/R audio (such a cable may have came with the box?).

(you will still of course need a modulator if the TV does not have any type of analogue video input)

I am just after looking at a 'Manhattan SX Freesat HD Box' online, and that box certainly does have the above 'AV' socket at the back

retroteck · 9th Dec 2025, 5:43 am

Beware of this Manhattan SX box for analogue use.
I had one of these boxes a couple of years ago and was disappointed with the CVBS output picture quality. Yes I know its not suposed to be up to HDMI standard but I found the video resolution of the CVBS output to be far below what an analogue composite output is capable of.

Rod

Eidolon · 11th Jan 2026, 2:26 pm

There was someone on YouTube using the new Atari2600+ PAC Man edition with a converter that seems to work well, but he was in the USA, so I'm not sure if there's a PAL version of the converter he was using. But it seemed to work well.

There's an overall problem here though, and that's the aspect ratio problem, with things being distorted; all the more frustrating on the pillar boxed 4:3 stuff. I've not seen a workaround for this problem.

chriswood1900 · 3rd Feb 2026, 8:49 pm

Chris you might find watching this video on YT useful where Doz goes through a solution to supplying a composite output from HDMI.
https://youtu.be/bFJ_OR0Ol9I?si=ZoOpoQwAkL5-7-cK

3rd Dec 2025, 12:21 pm	#1
Chris55000 Dekatron Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Walsall Wood, Aldridge, Walsall, UK. Posts: 3,650	Quickie HDMI to analogue TV question! . . .Can any Member recommend a Digital TV to 625–line converter that will accept HDMI from our current Virgin & Manhattan Satellite DTV boxes and convert this to 625–line analogue UHF so my friend can use the portable TX90 we have for viewing up in his bedroom as well as for use on his Vintage Computers please? . . .I'm afraid I've not kept up to date on these things! Chris Williams __________________ It's an enigma, that's what it is! This thing's not fixed because it doesn't want to be fixed!

3rd Dec 2025, 12:43 pm	#2
Panrock Nonode Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Worcestershire, UK. Posts: 2,671	Re: Quickie HDMI to analogue TV question! (Pinched from the Retrovisor site): There are three stages. The basics are: A. The internet programme source. You could use an Amazon FireStick or a Roku. B. The digital (HMDI) to analogue (CVBS) signal converter. eg. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/144060062242 C. The UHF Modulator to plug into the set. eg. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/174282920053 You'd also need suitable interconnection leads. Be prepared for issues with the picture shape, since this has changed to 'widescreen' since 1994. It might be easier to use an old Video Recorder or DVD Player. Some of these may include a Modulator on their outputs (necessary). Steve __________________ https://www.radiocraft.co.uk

3rd Dec 2025, 2:29 pm	#3
Chris55000 Dekatron Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Walsall Wood, Aldridge, Walsall, UK. Posts: 3,650	Re: Quickie HDMI to analogue TV question! . . .Thanks for that Steve! . . .I've looked up the prices of the items you've linked to and they're cheap enough to buy! . . .Does anyone know is there's anything available that combines both converters in one unit? Chris Williams __________________ It's an enigma, that's what it is! This thing's not fixed because it doesn't want to be fixed!

3rd Dec 2025, 3:59 pm	#4
cmjones01 Nonode Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Warsaw, Poland and Cambridge, UK Posts: 2,783	Re: Quickie HDMI to analogue TV question! I don't know about combining in to one unit. However, I use one of those HDMI-to-composite converters to feed video from a computer into a 1980s Philips portable TV in my office. The TV has a composite video input so I haven't need to use a modulator. It works very well. There is one caveat, though: the HDMI-to-composite converter kind of assumes it lives in a widescreen world. The video resolutions it shows as available to the computer are mostly widescreen ones, which of course doesn't match the TV which isn't widescreen. It does support 1024x768, which is 4:3 aspect ratio to match the TV, and that's what I use. What would happen if the media source was a FireStick or DVD player or something which doesn't let the user choose the video resolution? I don't know. But it might need some fiddling with the media player's settings to get the picture the right shape. There are no controls on the converter for this, only a switch to select PAL/NTSC video output. Chris __________________ What's going on in the workshop? http://martin-jones.com/

9th Dec 2025, 5:43 am	#6
retroteck Tetrode Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Harrogate, North Yorkshire, UK. Posts: 72	Re: Quickie HDMI to analogue TV question! Beware of this Manhattan SX box for analogue use. I had one of these boxes a couple of years ago and was disappointed with the CVBS output picture quality. Yes I know its not suposed to be up to HDMI standard but I found the video resolution of the CVBS output to be far below what an analogue composite output is capable of. Rod

11th Jan 2026, 2:26 pm	#7
Eidolon Hexode Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Worcester, Worcs, UK. Posts: 274	Re: Quickie HDMI to analogue TV question! There was someone on YouTube using the new Atari2600+ PAC Man edition with a converter that seems to work well, but he was in the USA, so I'm not sure if there's a PAL version of the converter he was using. But it seemed to work well. There's an overall problem here though, and that's the aspect ratio problem, with things being distorted; all the more frustrating on the pillar boxed 4:3 stuff. I've not seen a workaround for this problem.

3rd Feb 2026, 8:49 pm	#8
chriswood1900 Octode Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Dorridge, West Midlands, UK. Posts: 1,586	Re: Quickie HDMI to analogue TV question! Chris you might find watching this video on YT useful where Doz goes through a solution to supplying a composite output from HDMI. https://youtu.be/bFJ_OR0Ol9I?si=ZoOpoQwAkL5-7-cK __________________ Chris Wood BVWS Member