I have an older TV which doesn't have an HDMI port.

The Cox cable feed goes into my VCR and out to the TV via a coaxial cable.

My DVD player is connected to the TV via the composite (red, white, yellow) cable.

As far as I can tell, there's no way to connect a Roku streamer to my TV. I've searched the Roku site and forum and the internet and have been unsuccessful in finding anything that addresses my problem. I did learn that the Roku should not be daisychained to any other device.

Without disconnecting my DVD player or buying a new TV, is there a way to connect a Roku to my TV?

Any help and advice will be greatly appreciated.

Jema

I have a Roku 2 which I connected to my old TV via Composite cable. I did have two HDMI ports, but was using both of them. I think I could have gotten an HDMI hub though. If you don't have any more ports on your TV, I see no way to connect it. I'm not sure if there is such a thing as a hub where you can connect more than one device to it and then to your TV.

Which Roku do you have?

You can connect a roku 1 or 2 with the included composite cable. If all your composite inputs are used up you can buy an av selector from Radioshack

RadioShack® Composite A/V Selector Switch

RadioShack® Composite A/V Selector Switch

Nothing should be daisy-chained anymore including the cox cable through the vcr.Down the road you should consider a newer tv but for now the only solution that I can see is what Donald suggested.

The good news is at places like new egg and Office Depot they offer those hdmi ported flatscreens a lot cheaper than they used to be. Who'd think to check out Office Depot for a TV? I got a 40" Panasonic for two hundred something there and it's not a refurb either.

Somebody gave me a Roku for a Christmas present two years ago and I did not have the connectors on the TV so it sat for awhile going nowhere. Then I bought a TV and discovered the Roku did not have the right cable included,I procrastinated. A proper cable won't break the bank, so it sat awhile longer.

About a year ago my better half bought me a Samsung blue ray player. It had the right cable. When I connected the blue ray I discovered it had apps included that allowed you to connect to everything Roku would. Including Roku itself. So I watch Netflix and The MLB package using my DVD player. So I can watch any ball game I want or a movie, what more do I need? With Tex Murphy, Gabriel Knight and friends there is not much time left in the day for anything else anyway.

The Roku got regifted. If you want a blue ray player check out one that includes those apps. That Samsung cost no more than the Roku and it does both jobs, plays blue ray and regular DVD's plus streaming videos an internet TV stuff.

Drac, Donald, and Geo, thank you for your replies and advice.

Donald, I followed your link for Radio Shack and it looks like that A/V selector would work with my current setup.

But, when I said I have an older TV, I didn't realize how old until I thought about it several hours later. My TV is almost 20 years old!

So, I think I'll buy a new TV, making sure it has at least 2 HDMI connections, along with some other features I don't presently have. Then I can connect my DVD player to one and the Roku to the other.

Again, thank all of you very much for your input.


oldmariner, you responded while I was typing. Thanks much for the information.

When you say "Samsung blue ray player", is that a TV or a DVD player?

Jema

Just in case oldmariner has gone to bed, the blue ray player is a DVD player that plays blue ray DVDs. Good decision to get a new TV! I just had to get a new one and was shocked at how much cheaper they are from when I got my first flat screen TV.

Jema

Here is another thought, if you buy a tv see if it has composite audio out. Not all of them do. That way you can play the stereo audio the tv delivers through your stereo system, if your stereo receiver is an older model you will need composite audio out from the TV. The new TVs are usually stereo but with lame built in speakers.

I had all kinds of composite connectors except for audio out. The one I bought only had digital audio out (digital connector similar to hdmi but not the same.) Fortunately my stereo receiver had a digital audio input. (Not all of them do.) I had to buy a cable but I get great stereo from that TV I hardly use.) It is a pain in the neck to have to spend over thirty dollars for a digital audio cable. You'd be hard pressed to hear the difference between digital and composite (analog) audio.

Drac We are out here on the left coast, still early

Jema It is a blue ray DVD player and has a bunch of apps to download that allow you to watch streaming internet video. It works with Netflix, MLB Baseball ans even Amazon streaming video. You have to have accounts with those services though. You just type in your sign on info to Netflix or the others and you can access them like you do on the computer.

I'm sure if it's a feature with Samsung, most every other blu ray dvd player have it too. None of these people let the others have a feature without them piling on. If you ever buy a blue ray check first to see if the feature is available.

The TV I just got a couple of weeks ago is a Samsung and I'm amazed at all the apps available right through the TV itself. I can get Netflix and Amazon streaming video through the TV too. I even set it up so I can do Facebook on the TV. I'm not a big user, but I love the pictures of my grandkids out in Denver and now I can see them on the TV.

Even though I have an Amazon Prime membership, sadly I am unable to use the streaming video nor can I get Netflix streaming video. I live out in the country and while I bless my local ISP every day for my wireless broadband, I do not have enough bandwidth to take advantage of the streaming video apps.

I love my ROKU, and also run a Plex Media Server to stream content around the house. It's a perfect combination

I downloaded the Plex Media Server and it does work beautifully. Now, if I only had the internet service to be able to use it...

The server runs at your "Intra" net speed (your home router). Not too long ago I had my TV services switched to fiber optic. When the tech came in to upgrade the router he noticed that my internet services weren't listed on the work order and tried to get them added back in before the main office closed (but it was too late).

I mentioned that I'd go ahead and setup my IP devices and watch some streaming content until he got it straightened out. He told me that would be impossible without internet. Within 5 minutes I showed him otherwise

Sniff, sniff... yes, I know, Inland. My problem is I'm getting exactly what they are providing - somewhere between 4 and 5 Mbps and am throttled back to around 60 Kbps after 65 MB of downloading. I also have a data cap of 25 GB per month. Before she had to go to the nursing home, even my 90 year mother had Fiber Optic in my home town of 750 people in NW Iowa! She still misses her computer!

My son who works in IT for a big marketing company is used to super fast speeds for which he had to get a special router. They are building a new home in the country where he will now be relegated to a data plan with 3G wireless. A painful transition - he said he would kill for my slow speeds!

The price of living in the country! I'm grateful for what I have, but I still whine about it. My only other option is HughsNet about which I hear nothing but horror stories.

Interesting reading, everyone.

I had already checked out HuluPlus, Netflix, and Amazon Prime. Unless I decide at some later time to give up Cox cable entirely and get an antenna, I don't need HuluPlus. After reading Netflix's privacy statement, I want nothing to do with them. Amazon Prime I will probably subscribe to.

I spent most of the last 2 days checking out TVs online. I've decided a few things. I don't need a Smart TV, which it sounds like you have Drac. I think my needs can be less expensively met by buying a plain LED TV and the Roku.

I started out looking at the 40-inch TVs. Decided today that going from a 20-inch straight to a 40-inch might cause me to go into shock. So I'll buy a 32-inch. I'll also buy a Roku Stick, which will eliminate putting a box in the mix and another cable in the mess.

Since I'm not in a hurry - old faithful is still working just fine - I'm going to wait until the July 4 holiday and see if the TV I've just about dedided on goes on sale and hope that one of the local stores that advertise online they carry it have it in the store so I can see it in person.

Thanks everyone for your help and information.

Jema

Go with the 40-42" tv!! The bigger the better. You wont go into shock,trust me.

I"ll think on it, Geo.

I agree with Geo. We went from a 27" to a 47". I was worried that it might be too big, but it was perfect. You can find information online telling the size of the TV depending on how close you sit. With the new sets, you can sit quite close.