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How to use a sound bar!
Joddle
Posts: 505
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May be a simple enough issue but all new stuff for me!
I have a LG flat screen TV but the sound quality is dire and then I see you can buy a sound bar (eg LG NB2020A)
OK I understand this is an alternative audio system for the TV which will connect to my optical output - but once it is connected do I keep having to use two remotes to listen to it - ie. can't I simply use the tv remote as a volume control or do I have t use the sound bar remote as well - and is it all going to be more complicated????
I have a LG flat screen TV but the sound quality is dire and then I see you can buy a sound bar (eg LG NB2020A)
OK I understand this is an alternative audio system for the TV which will connect to my optical output - but once it is connected do I keep having to use two remotes to listen to it - ie. can't I simply use the tv remote as a volume control or do I have t use the sound bar remote as well - and is it all going to be more complicated????
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Mind you, I can be a bit slow in working out what remotes can do. I had my Panasonic TV for 3 years before my son told me that the Hold button, which I assumed just referred to the Teletext pages, could also hold any image on the TV screen.
It depends on your kit. As an example my Panny TV works fine with my Yamaha soundbar with the TV remote controlling the sound from the soundbar. It also turns the soundbar on and off with the TV.
Does your TV have CEC? If so it should be able to control a soundbar that also has it. It may be called something like Viera Link depending on the make, if you are unsure then post your TV model and the model of the prospective soundbar.
My comments above apply to a soundbar with HDMI, the one you linked just has a digital sound input. You should be able to control the volume with a learning universal remote ok (the TV would be in mute and the remote volume control would be set for the soundbar). Alternatively get computer speakers and plug them into the headphone socket if the TV has that, that will improve the sound of the TV.
Don't know what CEC is so can't answer that - and as I have not heard of it I am assuming it hasn't got it.
The problem is caused by using optical, if you feed the soundbar from the TV's headphone socket, then the TV's remote will control the volume from the soundbar.
As the optical is digital it can't, and shouldn't, vary with the TV's volume control.
It would be possible (with say the use of byte 5) to expand the S/PDIF spec to allow the source to control the output level of the amplifying device (soundbar), given the way TVs often have optical outputs this would be a useful addition. The difficulty as always is of course getting agreements to expand an established spec and then a few years before enough devices implement it - it won't happen as there's not enough demand but the idea is not without merit. CEC is a better method but does require HDM and is better suited to a more comprehensive sound system that takes multiple inputs.
The TV could vary the "level" of the digital signal though this is a bit yuk, the soundbar would need to be set to a reference level first and there would be a loss of resolution at lower levels. (The quotes are because it wouldn't of course be the level of the digital signal but different numbers transmitted).
You might well lose that wager
Certainly with Sony sound bars the remotes don't work each other, a little thought soon shows the flaw in that idea
CEC enabled surround sound system do though, as the CEC allows communication via the HDMI lead, meaning the remotes don't have to be compatible.
There's nothing flaky about CEC, certainly on mine it works every time. By contrast I've had problems with activity based remotes and I use my Harmony in device mode.
My own example is trying to play an audio CD on my Blu-Ray player via my surround amp. I put the disk in the player which wakes up and says "ohh a disk, you must want the telly on then". So it obligingly sends a wake up signal to the telly which turns on.
But it's an audio CD, I don't need the telly. So I turn the telly off. Which sends a signal back to the Blu-Ray to turn off. Because I can't possible want to use the Blu-Ray player with the telly off can I??
So I turn the player back on which turns the telly back on. Turn the telly off and that turns the player off. There is absolutely no way with CEC enabled to use the Blu-Ray player without leaving the TV on. :mad:
So basically I just turned CEC off on everything and put ME in control of the technology not the technology in control of me.
I only use it to control the sound system, volume, mute, on/off (automatic with TV). My universal remote is set up such that all devices send the TV volume codes so whatever I'm using controls the volume via the TV and hence the sound system, volume is the one extra function routinely used when watching all sources.
I hate the activity based feature of my Harmony but stick with the Harmony because of the web based setting up which is excellent. The one real pain of the Harmony is that you can't change the order of the devices for some stupid reason.
(I agree that it would be nice to be able to re-order the devices, not worked out how it does it. Sometimes updating a device moves it in the order and sometimes it does not)
what is the model number off your tv ?? hopefully it will have an ARC audio return channel , so you have one cable from tv to soundbar.
What ever you watch on your tv from whatever source will send sound down the HDMI cable
Why would a soundbar have an HDMI socket on it?.
They generally have optical in, and two phono's in.
1 HDMI cable from the tv Nigel. So if you stick a USB stick in the tv or whatever you want , the sound will come down the HDMI cable into the soundbar
Bit of a weird thing, obviously the exception to the rule
in fact here is a LG one . It has 3 INPUTS for HDMI and 1 OUTPUT to tv if your tv is older and doesn't have an ARC output
It will probally work with your tv remote.
Of course it depends on what your other equipment uses or can support . But with I guess the different sound modes available , you might not need Optical sound inputs ??
you need to listen to it
The Yamaha soundbars have HDMI in. My Onkyo 2.1 system has HDMI in - I connect my Sony TV via the HDMI ARC socket and the TV remote controls the volume on the unit. I know it's not a soundbar but the principle is the same.
Sony not got one then ??