USB to HDMI: A Few Options

Getting a video signal from a computer to a television shouldn't be as difficult as it is - our goal is to demystify the process of displaying video from your computer with an available USB port to a video output (monitor, projector, etc.) with an available HDMI port.

Atlona USB to HDMI with Audio Adapter
$128.95

Atlona's USB to HDMI Finally here

You can finally get a USB to HDMI adapter, also known as the HDPiX by the innovative folks at Atlona. It handles all of your audio and video, allowing you to simply connect a USB cable and 3.5mm audio cable (included) from available ports on your computer to the converter which in turn processes all the information and integrates the audio into a single HDMI line that goes into your TV. The result is flawless imaging at extremely high resolutions: 1600x1200, supporting 720p on your HDTV. We've tested it in-house and installation is a breeze, the picture is perfect, and the audio/video was perfectly in-sync. It couldn't be easier.

The information below is outdated but may still be helpful for some people.

The Problem

Nobody has made an adapter yet that connects to a HDMI port on one end and USB on the other (don't worry, we're working on it). There are a few devices that look like they are doing this, but they are simply converting USB to DVI and losing audio along the way - this doesn't take advantage of one of the main features of HDMI - video AND audio support.

USB to DVI, (1280x1024)
$59.95

The USB to DVI Solution

The cheapest possible solution to this problem that won't cause significant quality loss is to simply use a USB to DVI adapter and a separate RCA Stereo Cable to handle the audio.

This solution makes two assumptions about your HDTV - that it accepts DVI and dual RCA (red and white). Quick tip - if it has a DVI input it probably does accept RCA and this is the best (and cheapest option) for you.

By the way, if you don't care too much about the quality of the picture you can get by with a PC to TV adapter for much less.

HDMI Female to DVI Male Adapter
$14.95

If your HDTV doesn't have DVI

If your HDTV doesn't have DVI port available (which is increasingly more common), you can always use a USB to DVI adapter with a HDMI Female to DVI Male Adapter - but why bother? You can get a real USB to HDMI adapter for a much lower price which handles video and audio. The catch is that even though this will essentially convert your USB port to HDMI, it still isn't doing anything with audio. You will still need the RCA Stereo Cable.

Note that you will not have a better picture because you are converting your DVI port to HDMI. In fact, in general it is best to minimize these types of conversions because they introduce opportunities for signal loss, but because this is a passive conversion you wouldn't notice a drop in the quality - you just won't see an improvement.

ATLONA DVI + DIGITAL AUDIO TO HDMI
$269.10

Real USB to HDMI Conversion

Doing real USB to HDMI conversion is easy with a USB to HDMI Adapter. It is simple to do HDMI with one USB cable in and one HDMI cable out.