How To: Connecting your Wii to a TV and Projector

For the past few months, we've been thinking about how to set things up so we can switch our Wii from a TV to a projector whenever we like.  There are two different ways of doing this, either with an audio/video amp or without.

We started by using the component video cable that's an optional accessory for the Wii because that drastically improves the quality of the signal.  You can't expect miracles, as the best available quality is either 480p or 576i, and you'll be showing it on either a 720p or 1080p display (depending on your TV and projector), so whatever happens, it isn't going to look great.  The other thing that's worth pointing out is that the idea is to connect the Wii to a TV and a projector so you can switch between the two, keeping the console next to the TV and the projector at the opposite end of the room.

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With an AV amp

This is the easiest way to do it.  You just need to plug the Wii in like any other source ...


The audio and video from the Wii arrive at the amp, and are then redirected to the speakers and to the projector over HDMI respectively.  Transforming the component video input to a HDMI output on the amp is perfectly possible, and some of them can even do the upscaling so the projector gets a 720p or 1080p signal without having to do any work itself.

Without an AV amp

Things are a little harder, but not necessarily any more complicated, if you do it this way.  There are a few hurdles to jump over.  First of all, because most projectors don't have speakers, we'll need to get the sound out, and secondly, the projector is going to be a long way away from the console.  We have some speakers that we'd like to use, but we don't want to have to unplug and replug dozens of cables when we switch from the TV to the projector.

The Wii is on the left, and its component audio and video cables can either all connect to the TV for playing on the small screen, or split in two.  In the latter scenario, the audio can connect directly to the TV or the speakers, while you can use a decent-sized component video extension cable to join it up to the projector.

If you're lucky, you might be able to get hold of a male/female component video extension, which is just what you need.  If not, do what we've shown in the diagram above and use a female/female adaptor and a male/male cable. 

But why have we got the sound connected to the TV, and then passing over to the speakers over an optical audio link?  In this case, it's because our 5.1 speaker system doesn't have an RCA input, which is why we have to go via the TV.  It's a nifty solution, but unfortunately, you'll need to leave the TV switched on even when you're using the projector, which isn't very eco-friendly.

Choosing your cable

We went for the cheapest cables we could find, and used a 15 metre extension that cost about a fiver.  We plugged it all in last night and it worked very well and we have no new complaints about the quality.  Remember, though, that the Wii only produces a 480p signal.  Even if it did get damaged along the way, it would be hard to tell because it ends up very stretched to be projected in Full HD.


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