[joshua53202]

I have been driving myself crazy shopping for a 46-48" 1080 LED tv that will pair (over ARC?) with a soundbar for a new bedroom setup. I am unable to find two model numbers that will work the way that I would like.

The TV will be mounted on an opposite wall to the soundbar that will be installed into a bed headboard. I ran conduit between the two walls in order to run wires (HDMI?) across the room (20' total distance in conduit).

I would like to be able to power on the TV, and have only the soundbar speakers operate. I do not want to require the soundbar to get an IR signal from the remote, as it will not always have a clear line of sight. I would like the soundbar to power on with the TV and automatically power off with the TV as well. I also would like the TV remote volume to adjust the volume of the soundbar speakers.

If you know TV and soundbar model numbers that would work how I have described, I would love some help.

My budget for the project is around 800 for both the TV and soundbar.

Thanks much.

 

[Montucky]

That's a great question. ARC on the Vizio P70 I just set up worked flawlessly with the Yamaha AVR I hooked up to it.

I wonder if anybody's set up a compatibility matrix for just this reason. Would be great info to have! It'd be nice if ARC worked perfectly every time, but judging from these forums it can be hit or miss depending on your equipment.

 

[crazyrob425]

Why not get a universal remote like the Logitech Harmony line. You can program to do most anything you want

 

[sjm817]

CEC function is what you want. A TV and soundbar from same mfgr would be best bet. ARC is the audio path. CEC is the control of the sound device from the TV.

 

[crn3371]

Harmony for the universal remote. As far as ARC is concerned (and CEC), it's a crapshoot. I find ARC to be problematic at best, as do many others if you troll the forums. As sjm817 mentioned, TV and soundbar from same mfgr. is probably your safest bet.

 

[joshua53202]

CEC function is what you want. A TV and soundbar from same mfgr would be best bet. ARC is the audio path. CEC is the control of the sound device from the TV.

It seems like some have luck with this and others do not. Is there a company that seems more reliable? I am looking for simplicity and reliability more than anything else.

 

[Mike Garrett]

It seems like some have luck with this and others do not. Is there a company that seems more reliable? I am looking for simplicity and reliability more than anything else.

If you want simplicity, then get an activity based remote like Harmony. If you want two-way feed back, then look at total control.

 

[fatbottom]

Learning remote, with discrete IR codes, and ability to disable the TV's own speakers is what you need. You could use HDMI CEC, but it may not work fully.

For my remotes, I can switch everything on or off, switch inputs for each activity. Ie if you are listening to a BD, you want the DVD player switched off, TV switched on, TV to HDMI 1, AV to BD input, etc.

 

[sjm817]

I disagree about the Harmony, and yes, I used them for many years. If CEC works correctly it is very nice. I sold my Harmony One to a friend. I no longer need it. It all depends on what type of gear you have and how well it plays together. It also depends on how "nice" a remote the TV comes with. Besides the TV and a soundbar, what else would be in the setup?

 

[joshua53202]

I disagree about the Harmony, and yes, I used them for many years. If CEC works correctly it is very nice. I sold my Harmony One to a friend. I no longer need it. It all depends on what type of gear you have and how well it plays together. It also depends on how "nice" a remote the TV comes with. Besides the TV and a soundbar, what else would be in the setup?

At the moment, I only care about getting a TV and sound bar working seamlessly. I have young kids, and my wife and I would like to be able to watch TV from across the room with the sound playing from the sound bar mounted in our headboard. I love the idea of having the sound bar be a 'no touch, no worry' device that we could just ignore. That is, once we turn on the TV, the sound bar would power on, volume on the TV remote would adjust the sound bar volume (only), and after turning off the TV the sound bar would power off automatically.

Based on a tip from sjm817, I've looked into CEC supported devices and am currently considering the following pair found on amazon.com:

VIZIO E48-C2 48-Inch 1080p Smart LED HDTV
VIZIO S3820W-C0 38-inch 2.0 Home Theater Sound Bar with Integrated Deep Bass

Both appear to fit the advice I've gotten so far. I hope to be able to run a 25' HDMI cable between them (that supports ARC? CEC? does it matter?) and configure the TV to control the speakers.

At some point I would like to add a blu-ray player - but not immediately.

 

[sjm817]

I dont see HDMI on that soundbar so no CEC.

BTW, I dont really know much about soundbars. Not sure if HDMI is a common interface or not.

 

[Montucky]

I dont see HDMI on that soundbar so no CEC.

Good point, sjm. OP, make sure when you're shopping for soundbars that they have HDMI -AND- support ARC/CEC. Kind of a rarity in the soundbar world, but they are out there.

 

[sjm817]

The Sony Sound bars look good. They have "Bravia Sync" which is Sony's CEC. A Sony TV/Soundbar would be a nice combo.

 

[joshua53202]

The Sony Sound bars look good. They have "Bravia Sync" which is Sony's CEC. A Sony TV/Soundbar would be a nice combo.

I found the following combination:

Sony KDL48W600B 48-Inch 1080p 60Hz Smart LED TV
Sony HT-XT1 2.1 Channel Sound Bar with Built-In Subwoofer

The instruction manual for the TV says that it has Bravia Sync. However, the instruction manual for the sound bar says nothing about Bravia Sync but does have an HDMI ARC port.

Is there another Sony sound bar that would work better?

Thanks so much for the help so far!

 

[sjm817]

The manual shows it has it
https://docs.sony.com/release/HTXT1_EN_ES_FR.pdf

no Guarentee how well this will work but I would say a good chance. Read through the TV and soundbar manual and see if it looks like its all there.

Using the Control for HDMI function
By using the Control for HDMI function, and connecting equipment
that is compatible with the Control for HDMI function via a High
Speed HDMI cable, operation is simplified with the features below.
The Control for HDMI function is enabled by setting “CTRL (Control
for HDMI)” to “ON” (page 11). The default setting is “ON.”
When you turn off the TV, the system and the connected equipment
will turn off automatically.
If you turn on the system while you are watching the TV, the TV
sound will be output from the speakers of the system automatically.
The volume of the system will be adjusted when you adjust the
volume using the TV’s remote control.
If the TV sound was output from the speakers of the system the last
time you watched the TV, the system will be turned on automatically
when you turn on the TV again.
If the TV is compatible with the Audio Return Channel (ARC)
technology, a High Speed HDMI cable connection will also allow
sending digital audio signals from the TV to the system. You do not
need to make a separate audio connection for listening to TV sound
from the system.
The ARC function is enabled by setting “ARC (Audio return channel)”
to “ON” (page 11). The default setting is “ON.”
When you activate the equipment (Blu-ray Disc™ player,
“PlayStation®4,” etc.) connected to the system with a High Speed
HDMI cable, the connected TV is turned on automatically and the
input signal of the system is switched to the appropriate HDMI input.
 The above features may not operate with certain equipment.
Depending on the settings of the connected equipment, the Control for
HDMI function may not work correctly. Refer to the operating
instructions of the equipment

 

[Montucky]

I'm not making any guarantees, but in my experience, Sony products typically play pretty nice with each other and are usually one of the safer bets when cross-product compatibility is the goal.

 

[joshua53202]

When you turn off the TV, the system and the connected equipment
will turn off automatically.
If you turn on the system while you are watching the TV, the TV
sound will be output from the speakers of the system automatically.
The volume of the system will be adjusted when you adjust the
volume using the TV’s remote control.
If the TV sound was output from the speakers of the system the last
time you watched the TV, the system will be turned on automatically
when you turn on the TV again.

Wanted to thank you all for the advice. My Sony TV and Sony soundbar are working perfectly - exactly as described. TV on, soundbar automatically turns on. Volume change automatically adjusts soundbar volume. TV off, soundbar automatically turns off.

It's so simple that even *I* can use it.

Thanks again!

 

[sjm817]

Glad it all worked out well for you.