Tv, soundbar, blu ray player connection through ARC help

[Mitch7780]

Hi all,

I've recently purchased a KD-49XE9005 tv, came with a free HT-CT290 soundbar which is great. I also already own a Sony BDSP-3500 blu ray player, basic model but works well.

When it came to connecting everything up, the soundbar manual recommended using the hdmi ARC port to connect to the same port on the tv. I'm not that familiar with'ARC' but I guess that if you use this method that what ever else you connect (via hdmi) to the tv can output sound through the sound bar? Not sure if this is correct. Any way, the sound bar works really well for freeview/youview, but when I switched to the blu ray player and turned the soundbar on, it automatically switched the speakers off, the sound bar was on and connected but there was no sound? Am I missing something really simple here or am I just not understanding the ARC function correctly? 

I would be really grateful for any help or advice, thank you in advance.

mitch7780.

[TechnoNovice]

Hi Mitch

I have a sony 4k tv (2014 model) I have connected a 4K blu ray player and virgin box direct to the soundbar via HMDI slots and  HDMI cable from the soundbar ARC to the TV ARC slot and everything works fine. when you switch on TV and soundbar and have both picture and sound - then switch on the blu ray player and it should change to the HDMI port on the soundbar you have the blueray connected to --ie 1,2 or 3 this should give you both picture and sound

hope this helps

Techno

[royabrown]

@Mitch7780 

Slight snag with the advice from @TechnoNovice above, the HT-CT290 does not have any HDMI inputs, only the one HDMI ARC connection, which as far as I can see, must use only the ARC side of things, to get sound from the TV to the soundbar, and not do anything else.

The fact that it all works when watching TV indicates to me that you seem to have it set up correctly, and your surmises about how it is all supposed to work are also correct.

i.e. whatever sound would play from the TV speakers, from whatever source you chose, should play on the soundbar when that is switched on.

i would try, though, having the soundbar on and working on TV, and then just start the BluRay playing, and see what happens the; does it just come up silent, or what?

if so, I have a couple of conjectures; maybe the soundbar can't handle the digital audio the Bluray player is putting out via the TV set? Or maybe the TV needs a reset?

if you read the troubleshooting audio section of the manual for your soundbar (https://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/support/res/manuals/4688/46882522M.pdf if Sony did not give you a paper copy) on page 23, it says to set the audio output on your TV to PCM.

Can you check this setting, wherever it lives on the TV, change it if not PCM, and see what that does?

But if all seems to be configured as it should be, try the TV reset. Cures all kinds of ills with these sets.

[Mitch7780]

Hi both,

firstly, thank you.

the pcm setting in the tv is unchangeable, as in I can't highlight it to change its setting, plus it's already set to pcm. One odd thing is that when I'm in the blu ray movie menu (Star Wars;the force awakens) there is sound from the sound bar, as soon as I play the film it cuts out. I did notice that the sound on the film automatically switched to dts hd surround/7.1, would or should that have an affect on the soundbar? Do you think that the soundbar is unable of processing that sound format, even so shouldn't it just step it down to what it's capable of? I'll try a different set of blu rays this evening and see if that makes a difference. Still a bit puzzling though!

Maybe I should go down the optical route?

thanks again everyone, the advice is great!

[royabrown · Accepted solution]

Check the Bluray player sound output, in the Bluray player menus. Perhaps this is not PCM and ought to be.

The soundbar cannot handle sound formats other than those described in the manual I referenced above, and nor can it convert other formats.

if the TV says PCM, then PCM should be what you get , but it seems like the Bluray player is switching from one sound format to another as the actual movie starts, so this may be a useful avenue to follow,

[Mitch7780]

Thank you!!!

the blu ray player output was on auto, switched it to pcm and hey presto...sound at long last!

everything works a treat and thanks again to everyone who took time to not only read my post but to reply also.

great advice and problem solved!!