KD-49XF7596 and Sharp HT-SB106 Sound Bar attached via HDMI ARC issues

[ksaro1]

I have the Subject setup along with a Sky Q and an Apple TV both attached to my Sony TV via HDMI cables.

I have several issues with the TV and the Sound Bar working together.

Scenario 1 : If I turn on the Sky Q box via the Sky Q remote, then the TV powers on and the Sound Bar also powers on automatically. This works fine. However, if I then mute the TV , after a few minutes the Sound Bar powers off. I have to manually power the Sound Bar back on via its own remote. However, the TV does not switch to the Audio output mode but remains in TV Speaker output mode. If I switch the TV off and back on again, then the TV switches to Audio output mode, but no sound comes out, it's as if the TV is on mute, which it isn't. I have to go through a few combinations, which I've never figured out the actual sequence yet, of powering the TV and Sound Bar off and on, to regain the Audio output mode with sound for the Sky Q input.

Scenario 2: Watching Amazon Prime via the app on the Sony TV produces no sound from the Sound Bar even though the Audio output mode is active. After a minute or two, a message, which appears to be coming from the Amazon Prime app, appears on the TV screen, which says Copy Protection error and suggests checking the HDMI cable? Interestingly, if I use the Amazon Prime Apple TV app, then the exact same content plays and the Sound Bar works fine. So, if indeed the issue is with the HDMI cable, then why does the same content play when it comes via another HDMI attached device?

[royabrown2]

@ksaro1 

That’s an inexpensive soundbar, and not the same make as the TV. Both of these things are indicators of possible interoperability issues.

Scenario 1.

Quick fix: Don’t mute the TV, mute the soundbar.

Slow fix: It looks like when you power the soundbar back on in the current setup, it doesn’t handshake with the TV. Does it come back on the TV/ARC setting?

If not, switch the mode to that, and see if it then renegotiates with the TV.

If it does, switch to another mode, and then switch back to TV/ARC and see if it renegotiates.

In both cases, do not alter the TV settings.

Scenario 2:

Your observations are consistent with the output of the Amazon Prime app on the Apple TV down the TV’s ARC being PCM, but the app on the TV sending some other sound format by default.

Make sure the TV is set to always output PCM over ARC, as this is all this soundbar can handle.

Your onscreen message is a mystery, as I have never seen copy protection issues on the ARC back channel. It would be more explicable if this was coming from the soundbar.

But setting PCM may fix this anyway.

Please report back on each of the above Scenario fixes, 1Q, 1S, and 2, success or failure.

[ksaro1]

@royabrown2  - Thanks for the reply!

The PCM always On setting has fixed Amazon Prime Video as you suggested it would.

The Quick Fix works fine too. (This just adds the hassle of needing 2 remotes)

The Slow Fix is odd! Changing the mode on the Sound Bar does work as far as the TV not seeing it as an output once it's off of the ARC mode and the TV speaker becomes the active audio output. However, when I set the Sound Bar back to ARC mode, there's still no audio, even though the TV shows the notification that the Audio output is active. I'm not sure if I was clear in describing the issue, but the TV indeed shows that it is using the Sound Bar by briefly displaying the Audio output active notification at the bottom of the screen. And the Sound Bar's light flashes when I control the volume. However, no sound comes out. If I turn the TV off and on a few times, along with the Sound Bar, then the Audio will be heard from the Sound Bar.

[royabrown2]

@ksaro1 

Thanks for coming back with this, and glad I was able to slightly better than half-fix it for you 😛

It does seem as if the soundbar is at fault for not recovering properly from the muting, even after the TV has done its part, as shown by it switching back to Audio Out.

It would not do that unless it had ‘talked’ to the soundbar over the HDMI cable, and the soundbar had replied ‘Yes, I am ready for ARC’.

But then the soundbar doesn’t actually do it.

I think it would be well worth getting in touch with Sharp about this, as I think the TV is behaving correctly, but the soundbar isn’t.

Another thing; have you timed how long it takes, after muting the TV, for the soundbar to power off? Its manual says 15 minutes. And although this doesn’t seem to be adjustable, maybe Sharp know a secret series of button presses that might alter this, or stop the powering off altogether.

[ksaro1]

@royabrown2  I'll look into the settings for my Sharp Sound Bar.

A slight update to the reported issue though. In testing, I realised the issue is not just in Muting, but also when I put the Sky Q box on Pause. I haven't been able to time how long this takes before the Sound Bar loses audio, but as you mention, it's probably due to some standby, or sleep, setting for the Sound Bar.

Unfortunately, with the Pause issue there is no Quick Fix, as I can't manually Pause the Sound Bar (I think?).

My wife's and mine viewing habits are to watch a lot of recorded TV via Sky Q, so we are frequently pausing the Sky Q box for interruptions. Depending on how long the interruption is we may, or may not, then lose audio out and the TV switches to it's in-built speakers.

[royabrown2 · Accepted solution]

@ksaro1 

We should both read the manual for your soundbar better. [EDIT:  and I shouldn’t be conflating your issue with somebody else’s - sorry for any now-edited-out confusion] 🤡

The centre button is described as a Pause button on Page 6, though you will have to try it to see if it can (a) Pause the Sky box at all, and (b) not go to sleep while doing this.

And I should have realised that the soundbar only has the one HDMI cable, which is there only for the ARC function in normal use. And we know the TV has to be set to send PCM down this, or the soundbar can’t cope.

But when all is said and done, you are asking a lot of a little, inexpensive, and somewhat limited soundbar, and your system would be better balanced with something like the Yamaha YSP-2700, £500 from Peter Tyson, though I am sure Richer Sounds would price-match.

You could plug both the Sky Q and the Apple TV into this, and have it play the very best sound these are capable of (short of Atmos), while pushing no-compromise HDMI 2.1 HDCP 2.2 4K video up to the TV, hopefully without going to sleep, and still have one HDMI input left over for anything else.

Or look at Sony, the HT-RT5, or the HT-CT800. If you can find either of these allegedly current Sony soundbars to buy anywhere.

You can go cheaper, but then you are back to plugging things into the TV, though maybe there are bars that won’t limit the ARC to PCM.