Connecting a TV to a sound bar - dumb question

[Rudolph Hart]

My understanding is that a TV with an HDMI ARC connection can talk to a sound bar with an HDMI ARC connection. That I’m OK with, but where to I connect my ChromeCast?

I've got a cheapish TV which I cast stuff to, mostly YouTube, but want a better quality sound for music and because I’m hard of hearing and a clear system is easier to hear than a cheap distorted one at the same volume. Currently the ChromeCast is plugged into the HDMI ARC port.

 

[biometrics]

Is there only one HDMI port on the TV?

This seems to be similar to your setup:

Google Nest Community

support.google.com

 

[Rudolph Hart]

Thanks.

There are two. Only one is marked as ARC. I’ll move the Chromecast across to the non ARC one and use the ARC ports on the sound bar and TV to do the audio then. Once Takealot has made a delivery that is.

 

[Textile Guy]

dumb question

That wasnt such a dumb question

This .......................................................................................... is a dumb question.

Would you tap it?



or


Would you smack it in the teeth?

 

[SauRoN]

The point of ARC is that you can actually just connect it to any HDMI port whether on the TV or the sound bar and your audio will come through the sound bar and your video through the TV.

HOWEVER

As is always the case with a disconnect in tech at different times if you have a 4K TV and especially if it’s HDR then you likely want to plug the device straight into the TV unless you know for damn sure the sound bar car process both 4K and HDR.

Make sure you have HDMI-CEC enabled (or whatever silly name your TV manufacturer uses) then you’ll also only need one remote for most basic functions and things should automatically power on and change channels as required.

Sent from my iPhone

 

[Rudolph Hart]

As you can no doubt tell, it’s not very high tech equipment I’m running. I personally haven’t owned a TV for many years, and the girlfriend has a pretty new but entry level Hisense. I picked up a Chromecast so that we don’t have to squint at a phone screen, and now the audio is bugging me, so I decided to get a sound bar. Nothing too fancy, but hopefully decent for streaming a bit of music. Not too stressed about video quality at this stage, don’t really have the bandwidth to get fussy to be honest.

https://m.takealot.com/jbl-cinema-sb160-2-1-soundbar-with-wireless-subwoofer/PLID55231887

 

[jasong]

You just need to set your TV's audio source to Arc and then don't worry about it, it should be fine. Arc is great.

In my opinion nobody should ever use a TV's own speakers, they are universally awful.

 

[Spizz]

Just as an FYI, I got a sound at a couple of years ago and struggled to stop a low buzzing noise when it was switched on. It didn’t ruin things too much but was a constant irritation. I tried moving it all over, different plugs from different sockets and all sorts of things.

It was only recently when it was bugging me again and I was hovering around it cursing, that my son brought another cable.


Buzzing gone. Cables are important. Get a good one.

 

[SauRoN]

As you can no doubt tell, it’s not very high tech equipment I’m running. I personally haven’t owned a TV for many years, and the girlfriend has a pretty new but entry level Hisense. I picked up a Chromecast so that we don’t have to squint at a phone screen, and now the audio is bugging me, so I decided to get a sound bar. Nothing too fancy, but hopefully decent for streaming a bit of music. Not too stressed about video quality at this stage, don’t really have the bandwidth to get fussy to be honest.

https://m.takealot.com/jbl-cinema-sb160-2-1-soundbar-with-wireless-subwoofer/PLID55231887

Nothing wrong with that. Bought my folks the even cheaper one without the subwoofer and it does a stellar job for their needs.

And the ARC works perfectly with the old LG they have so you shouldn’t have any problems.


Sent from my iPhone

 

[SauRoN]

Buzzing gone. Cables are important. Get a good one.

Just don’t make the mistake that more expensive is better.

A coat hanger can work as well as any gold planet super expensive cable if hooked up correctly.

Quite likely you just had a specifically bad cable with a shorting connection somewhere.

What often also happens is plugs and lights are on the same circuits in older houses which causes this buzzing.

Or there is an underlying earthing problem, or a plug was badly changed etc.

HDMI cable shouldn’t cause such an issue, even the worst ones, but a better cable may mask the underlying problem over distance with more shielding.



Sent from my iPhone

 

[Rudolph Hart]

So, life being the type of thing that likes to kick you in the nuts from time to time, the sound bar got delivered a couple of hours after I left to go to Gauteng for the week for work. When I got home on Saturday, I ripped the box open and connected it all up:-

Chromecast plugged into HDMI 2
Sound bar plugged into HDMI 1 (the one with ARC)
Go into the setup on the TV and enable HDMI CEC
Sit back and enjoy

I’m very happy with the new toy, and am enjoying having some decent speakers to play music on too.

 

[SauRoN]

Lekker man.

Glad to hear it was as easy as it’s marketed to be.


Sent from my iPhone

 

[Icemanbrfc]

So, life being the type of thing that likes to kick you in the nuts from time to time, the sound bar got delivered a couple of hours after I left to go to Gauteng for the week for work. When I got home on Saturday, I ripped the box open and connected it all up:-

Chromecast plugged into HDMI 2
Sound bar plugged into HDMI 1 (the one with ARC)
Go into the setup on the TV and enable HDMI CEC
Sit back and enjoy

I’m very happy with the new toy, and am enjoying having some decent speakers to play music on too.

I also have a Soundbar where i use Arc i also have a optical cable plugged, which i can then switch between arc and optical. However, i dont ever use the optical, but its okay to have should i need it.

I had a 7.2 system, which took up just too much space, so got the soundbar. For me personally, the soundbar does its job, and i dont need it to be extremely loud and so on.