Ventura OS - not connecting to a projector

hi - I have a Macbook 2020 (M1 chip) with Ventura 13.1 OS.

Trying to connect to an external display (like a projector) using HDMI (with a converter to USB-C). The projector stops at "No output detected" and the "Detect Displays" option on the Mac (under settings > displays) does not do anything. Help! Need to present to a customer in a few hours :-(. This is a new issue after upgrading to Ventura - worked fine before.

(Tested the HDMI->USB-C converter with other systems - works fine. Also tried an old RGB -> USB-C converter, same issue - "No output detected").