Skip to content
HearingTracker
Log in

Soundbar setup

14 replies710 viewsLast reply

Link to this topic
Reply

Have a set up that worked for years until we recently purchased a new tv. Have always run tv optical to optical in on streamer and another optical cable from optical out on streamer to soundbar with no problems.

First problem we ran into is that the DIRECTV remote won’t pair properly. Only way we got it working properly was to run an HDMI cable from the E ARC input on the tv to the E ARC input on the soundbar. One problem solved. Was able to pair remote. Next problem my streamer is not working the way it used to. Now I have to go into the tv settings and change audio setting from E ARC to Optical cable setting. This allows me to stream but now my DIRECTV remote will not control the soundbar functions. It still changes channels properly but will not control the soundbar anymore.

This whole setup seems convoluted and nightmarish to me when seen in writing. Here are the characters involved:

DIRECTV remote control RC82V/RC83V

Soundbar is a Yamaha YAS 108

TV is an LG C5

Oticon streamer

I know of quite a few threads on soundbar and streamers but haven’t managed to find anything quite like my problem. Thanks for any help

8 people in this conversation10 min readJump to latest

Remote controls t(RC) these days work three ways: Infrared, RF and CEC (Hdmi). The DirecTV gemini uses RF and direct-to-tv with HDMI/CEC.

When you connected your soundbar via eARC (HDMI), the RC controls the TV with a “protocol” called CEC: Your remote controls the TV and the TV controls the soundbar automatically via the HDMI cable. This setup is the easiest one/more “stable”. The HDMI allows multiple functions to travel along its cable.

But if you disconnect the soundbar HDMI connection, then the TV cannot control the soundbar because optical is only for sound.

If you’re using an optical connection, you’ll need to program the DirecTV RC to control the TV and soundbar separately via . Just follow DirecTV’s instructions in the provided link. You’ll have to complete two setups: one for the TV and another for the soundbar, as long as the soundbar is supported.

I’ve done this for my mother multiple times – somehow, she always manages to lose the programming after a few weeks (I have no idea how).

The LG C5 has . If your aids have Auracast, you may not need the Oticon streamer at all.

Hope this helps.

How to program your DIRECTV remote control | DIRECTV Support3

I have a slightly different setup and different equipment. So for what it’s worth, my setup.

My aids are Jabra Enhanced Pro 30s from Costco, the TV is a 2-yr-old Samsung, Soundbar isa new addition from Samsung, and I use a GN Resound TV-Streamer 2.

The Sound Bar is configured to connect to the TV using a high quality HDMI cable from the HDMI Sound Bar connector to the only one of 4 plugs for HDMI connection on the TV that is labeled as having ARC (audio return channel).

The DirectTV streamer provides the input to the TV on a non-ARC HDMI input on the TV. I also have the Optical output of the TV connected to the Streamer input. (A slight hiccup: Samsung won’t turn on the optical output if another output is also chosen (in this case HDMI, but the trick is to enable optical AFTER selecting HDMI output).

If you just considered what’s connected to what, you might wonder how any sound gets to the soundbar speakers, the TV, and from the TV to the TV Streamer and my hearing aids – and the path is: DTV settup box HDMI/CEC → a normal TV HDMI INPUT . The output of the TV goes from the HDMI/ARC output→ SB HDMI INPUT, where it drives the Sound Bar Speakers, AND and also BACK to the TV as video and sound (on the ARC channel). The TV conveniently and optionally provides the sound output on it’s speaker and also drives the optical output to the TV Streamer 2.

There’s now 2 devices willing to adjust the Video/Audio lip sync – the TV and the Soundbar with this complicated setup, and the solution is: either one can be adjusted, and if one adjustment does not have enough range, you can use both adjustable delays (they will be cumulative in effect). The Sound Bar gets first crack at introducing delay, and the TV second.

When I first set it up, I didn’t realize that the TV was no longer the source to be used for sound and video and also optical output, I naively thought it would just add the sound bar for the same sound it sent to internal speakers, But that’s not how it works.

The two-way HDMI connection is the clue: the Sound Bar gets first crack at both audio and video. It turns the video back aound as the INPUT to TV, and also sends the sound back via the Audio Return Channel as well as feeding the sound bar speakers. The TV then sends this processed sound to its speakers (if you want them activated) and to the TV Streamer via the optical ouput. The DirectTV remote control is all that I need for watching and controllling everything. During Setup, I also needed the TV remote and the Sound Bar remote.

It’s very hard to describe in words, and it MIGHT NOT be what you have to configure to make your setup work. Hopefully you won’t get caught with preconceived notions of how they should be connected like I did. Good luck.

I returned the new JBL and bought an LG S70TR today. Programmed the Directv remote to control both the LG TV and the new soundbar. That was pretty simple. HDMI cable from tv to soundbar and it was done.

The problem came when I tried to setting my Oticon TV adapter up. Previously it had been optical cable from tv to tv adapter and another optical cable from the tv adapter to the optical connection on the old Yamaha soundbar we had. Tried that same set to and it no longer works with the new soundbar.

Since I had the software updated on my Intents I tried setting up . I tell you what. I’ve always been an early adapter of new tech because I always found the challenge fun. Not anymore. These are the things they don’t tell us about getting old. Everything is a challenge. I always knew the physical part would catch up to me but I never realized how hard things would get mentally.

Setting up the auracast is evidently out of my wheelhouse now. Tried pairing and using it with no luck. I hate to be a pain but if someone can point me in the right direction to set this up on my LG C5 it will be greatly appreciated. As always, thanks for the feedback and your input.

PS. The good news is the new Tv has a great pic and the new soundbar sounds really good using its WOW Orchestra feature. This one doesn’t have a dedicated dialogue feature but the tv being used as a center channel when using the WOW, my wife is very happy with its sound.

To try and wrap this up I need just a little more help, I think!

Am unable to stream anymore using my Oticon tv streamer 3.0. Tried with my Intent aids that have had the software updated and that’s another mess all by itself that I will probably never figure out.

I have one toslink going from the tv to the toslink in port on the adapter and a second toslink going from the adapter toslink out port to the toslink port on the soundbar. I get nothing. Re-paired aids to adapter and still nothing. I’m not even interested in using auracast because just too many steps involved. the adapter worked perfectly until I bought the new soundbar. Help!

I had similar issues when I picked up a new TV. My research led me down a different rabbit hole. What I do now is HDMI arc out to HDMI arc audio distractor. It has HDMI arc and HDMI atv out along with an optical out. I connect my TV streamer to the optical and the HDMI goes to my sound bar.

This is the one I use:

“Avantree HAX06 – HDMI ARC Audio Extractor with Passthrough for TV, Soundbar & Headphones Simultaneous Use, CEC Volume Control, Optical & RCA Outputs”

There are a lot of different options available. This works for me. I also set tv to pass through and it allows me to control TV and sound bar with the TV remote.

Thanks for this info. I ordered one of these that is scheduled to arrive Thursday. Hopefully it will solve my problem. My DIRECTV remote is now controlling my soundbar and tv

In reply to @Waterop

Received the HAX06 yesterday and it’s been kicking my butt ever since. Im still trying to get everything hooked up properly with no success yet. I have set the HAX06 aside and went back to a basic Oticon tv streamer setup. TV HDMI ARC to soundbar HDMI ARC IN. TOSLINK from tv to TOSLINK IN on Oticon streamer. This works but definitely not the way it should.

I am able to stream via the Oticon streamer with no problem when the tv sound control is set to optical+tv speaker. The problem with using it this way is that the soundbar is nil. To get the soundbar output I need to switch the tv sound control to HDMI CEC which gives the output we want but cancels the ability to stream, which I really enjoy. My sound is coming from the tv speaker only which requires a second remote just for that. The soundbar and tv are still controlled via the DTV Streaming remote, just no sound coming out of it.

Just having a hard time wrapping my head around how to make proper connections where I can still stream to my aids and my wife can control the soundbar with just one control.

There’s no optical output when you’re using HDMI-ARC. Have you tried an optical or analog connection from soundbar to TV streamer? How does that work?

My equipment is an LG C5 tv, an LG S70TR Soundbar, an DIRECTV Gemini Air connected to HDMI 1 on the tv, an Oticon TV streamer and an Avantree HAX06 Audio Extractor.

I have been beating myself up all day trying to get this set up without total success. It has become abundantly clear that this is no longer in my wheelhouse! These are the things they don’t prepare us for when getting older. We expect the physical limitations but the mental part didn’t even cross my mind. Many many years ago (Apple IIe age) I use to help older people navigate this crap. Now I’m up to my own ankles in it. A little guidance would be appreciated.

This is where I stand as of now:

Tv HDMI 2(ARC) out to HDMI ARC in on Avantree HAX06

HDMI bypass distractor out on HAX06 to hdmi arc on soundbar lets everyone here soundbar

Optical TOSLINK from tv to optical in on oticon streamer allows me to stream

Optical TOSLINK out on Oticon streamer out to soundbar

When sound out on tv set is set to optical+tv speaker it allows me to use oticon streamer but no longer allows my DTV remote to control soundbar audio level but does still allow it to turn the TV and soundbar off and on

When sound out on tv is set to HDMI ARC I’m no longer able to use oticon streamer at all.

I believe you need to set the TV output to pass through and you don’t want TV + Toslink because that will keep the audio on the TV speakers and not the sound bar. Check outputs settings. You want the Toslink coming from the HAX 06 into your tv streamer no other Toslink should be required The HDMI cable should bring the audio through the extractor and to the sound bar, the extractor splits the audio and should go directly to use TV streamer but no other Toslink should be necessary

Once you disconnect the optical cable from the TV that might send it through or at least let your TV output see that it doesn’t need a Toslink out

I have a LG TV and LG Soundbar and tried using the HAX06 to provide the optical output whilst the TV is set to HDMI ARC.

Whilst the above worked, there was one flaw that was a dealer breaker and I returned the HAX06.

The flaw is that with the HAX06 fitted, automatically switching the soundbar on and off via HDMi when the TV is switched on and off stopped working - requiring the soundbar remote to control the Soundbar. Something we haven’t used since buying the soundbar nearly a decade ago.

PROBLEM SOLVED.

Grandson who is 20 and a college sofhomore came over for the Super Bowl. He asked me a few questions and asked what I was actually trying to achieve. He entered all that into an app on his phone and within less that 30 minutes he had it all figured out and running perfectly. The only equipment he used were the 2 TOSLINK cables. One goes from the TV to the TOSLINK in connection on the Oticon TV streamer. The other one goes from the TOSLINK out on the Oticon streamer connection to the soundbar. End of problem. When I hit my on button on DTV stream remote the tv, the soundbar and Oticon streamer all turn on and work great. When I toggle off everything shuts down. TV looks great. Soundbar sounds great. To stream to my aids I just go to my Oticon Companion app and it does the rest.very Happy. Hopefully this will help someone in the future.

In reply to @dhj49er

@dhj49er said:

I have a LG TV and LG Soundbar and tried using the HAX06 to provide the optical output whilst the TV is set to HDMI ARC.

Try using an Optical Out splitter (<$10 fromfrom Amazon). Works great on our LG TV & LG Soundbar. Three toslink cables. TV Optical to splitter, then one from splitter to the Resound TV Streamer for me, and the other to the Soundbar for my wife. The TV’s sound menu is set to Optical Out.

I use the TV remote and my wife uses the Apple TV remote. (Apple box is wireless to a high speed router from cable company; we use YouTube TV for regular television channels.)

Our #1 son is a whiz at this stuff, fortunately.

Related discussions