Vizio VSB200 w/ LG 42LD450 TV help.

Your TV has to be able to output PCM...
So, if you have it set to something like bitstream or DD, then it needs to be changed to PCM, if there is no option for that, you are out of luck except to use the RCA outputs to soundbar.

I have a LG 50" plasma -brand new and it only has a optical output so I assume that when you shut off the speakers it defaults to PCM..it has too because optical is the only output--I also have a VSB200 and can get the sound to come through the soundbar but cannot control volume or on/off with the tv remote unless I reprogram it. Optical output has audio and volume and power and 5.1 channel info passing out the port--so I assume its the soundbar that is not using all the input info. If the sound comes through to the soundbar from the optical output then you should already be in PCM Mode... I may try the Samsung HWC-450--according to folks on this forum it accepts all the digital info.

Dug - the ability to control things like on/off and volume is not possible through an optical input. This can happen only through HDMI.

Greg - not sure on LG, but most TV's have a setting where you either shut off the internal speakers or set audio to Home Theater. Probably a lot more descriptions of this function. But with most newer TV's you must disable the internal speakers and/or enable some type of Home Theater mode to direct the output to the optical port.

I have the 37" (37LD450) version of the TV and the same soundbar.

Connecting the PS3 to soundbar works great, TV connected to soundbar with the same optical cable just makes terrible clicking sound when on antenna input and no sound from hdmi input.

I am considering using a mini-stereo to RCA and using the headphone output to connect the soundbar. I feel like this will be a loss in quality though... I'm also considering returning the TV if I can determine that the optical isn't working at all.

This sucks, if the TV worked with this soundbar I would be so happy.

The VSB200 only accepts PCM over optical. If you have no way of setting the LG for PCM output, then the Vizio can not play back anything coming from it. I really find that hard to believe, but have not dealt with enough LG units to speak inteligently.

Problem SOLVED!

I hooked up a dvd player i had laying around via the hdmi input and suddenly sound was coming out of the soundbar.

I went into the PS3 audio settings and set it to use 5.1 and then sound came out of the soundbar!

The horrible clicking sound from the TV input might have been due to the fact that I'm using an over-the-air signal and those channels must not have digital audio. The channels with a better signal seem to be okay.

Now the only problem is that the TV volume doesn't affect the soundbar's volume. Which is only a minor annoyance to have to use a second remote. I'm just glad that everything works more or less as its supposed to.

And...


So, here is what I found from the LG Owners Manual, Page 70...
And it is quoted:
This function allows you to select your preferred Digital Audio Output.
The TV can only output DOLBY Digital if a channel is broadcast with Dolby Digital audio.
When Dolby digital is available, selecting Auto in the Digital Audio Out menu will set SPDIF(Sony Philips Digital InterFace) output to Dolby Digital.
If Auto is selected in the digital audio out menu when dolby digital is not available, SPDIF output will be PCM(Pulsecode modulation).
Even if both Auto and Audio language have been set in a channel which broadcast Dolby Digital Audio, only Dolby Digital will be played.
If the sample rate converter on this chip does not support 44.1 to 48kHz, this content should always produce
stereo PCM at digital output.


Therefore, If our TV's have no option to choose (no available menu) how the audio will be broadcast out of the TV through the SPDIF/Optical port, and the station or channel we are watching is broadcasting in Dolby Digital (the little info box that momentarily appears when the channel is changed, will tell how it is being broadcast) then we are OUT OF LUCK - No Vizio Soundbar!!!

So what I just did moments ago, to check this, I scrolled thru my channels (by the way I am now OTA & so happy) and I found a station that was broadcasting in SD Mono & VOILLA! The soundbar worked. But I have the majority of my channels broadcast in D.D. & unfortunately, all of the faves are broadcast in DD as well! So...
Now I need a work around. I am, for the time being going to keep this tv, & I really don't want to take this soundbar back to Walmart.

Any thoughts. I guess I could use the RCA connectors. But my tv only has the one out - the Optical.

As mentioned, I am trying to locate a work around for my problem. I am looking thru all of my stuff: cd players, dvd players, vcr's, etc and so far I am thinking that what I have may not provide my workaround?


@ BotanistPrime

Can you describe what you did exactly? Which outputs & ins did you use, from which device and what cables?
I think we have the same style of LG TV, only 1 OUT, the optical.
I would appreciate it if you would share what you did, maybe there are others like us who would benefit from your workaround?

BTW, I too am getting that horrible clicking sound. From what I found, I don't think it is because we are not getting a digital audio broadcast. It is because we are getting a digital broadcast - Dolby Digital - also OTA. and our tv's can't allow us to switch to PCM.

I just setup my Zenith 42" plasma I bought on Black Friday with my Vizio soundbar and my optical output was broken and I get no sound using the mono audio cables. I am using the internal QAM tuner with cable directly into the tv. My optical output was cracked on the tv so they are coming out to fix it next week. Do you think the sound will work using the optical or will I have the same issues as mentioned?

This would suck because I already mounted both to the wall...

I have the same issue. Quick question, is pcm over optical the same as digital encoded over rca?

i was gonna buy the vizio soundbar but i been reading here it doe snot work with LG tv's but some of you say it does would it work with a LG-55LK530 ?


btw i did try using a 3.5mm to rca on the headphone jack but it does not sound good

Just purchase an RCA cable with red and white male audio jacks on one end and the headphone jack on the other and plug it in the television as if it were headphones. The only output for LG televisions is the headphone receptical. This worx just as well as the inclosed RCA cables and/or optical cable. I just did it and it worked

I tried that also on my LG and still just get hissing out the sound bar-no sound though.