How to Connect a Soundbar to TV? This is the question you are probably asking yourself if you came in to read this article. Do not worry, it is a doubt that many users have when purchasing a soundbar for the first time. It is normal. These devices are somewhat recently released and there is still not much information about them and regarding their installation.
In this article, we are going to tell you about the different ways in which you can connect the soundbar to the TV, through an HDMI cable, optical cable, or using Bluetooth, and also the way in which you can manage these connections.
Before you start, it is important that you decide one thing: what will you use as a Hub? The Hub is the device that you will use as a centerpiece to connect all the others. Normally, the hub will be your Smart TV and you will connect a soundbar to TV via cable or in a wireless way. However, you can also use your Blu-ray device or a video game console as a hub for example. Let’s see all the possibilities that each option offers you.
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How To Connect a Soundbar to TV using your Smart TV as a Hub
It is for many the most viable and simple options. Thanks to the fact that most current televisions have one or more HDMI ports, at least one optical input. The latest Smart TVs as a Bluetooth connection also. In addition, now almost all soundbars have all kinds of connections, so you can use the one you like best and start listening to the sound of your Smart TV with your new soundbar in no time.
Connect a Soundbar to TV with Optical Cable
A fiber optic cable is an option that has existed since the 90s, making it the simple option if the TV or your soundbar does not have HDMI ports of any kind. Normally, the cheapest soundbars do not have HDMI given their low price, making it the most widely used and used option.
Using this optical connection to connect your soundbar to your Smart TV, you can transmit multichannel audio in Dolby, DTS, and PCM format. So the sound quality will be quite good, although it will not reach the quality that a type HDMI cable ARC can provide you.
The installation is basically the same as that of HDMI, look for the ports of your TV and your new soundbar and connect them. So that the audio output is digital optical. Then, all you have to do is decrease the volume of your soundbar and select the optic from the remote control as the audio output. Once this is done, you will see that the sound begins to flow through the bar automatically.
Best of all, most of today’s soundbars include this cable for free when you buy them, so you can enjoy them from the first moment by connecting them in less than 1 minute.
Something to keep in mind is that the fiber optic cable is considerably fragile, so you must be careful not to bend it too much, it can be easily damaged.
Connect a Soundbar to TV via HDMI
This is the best option, as most modern TVs or Smart TVs, if not all, have HDMI ports. To do this, your soundbar must have an HDMI ARC or HDMI 1.4 port. Thanks to this you will have at your disposal the possibility of transmitting a multichannel audio signal in Dolby Atmos, Dolby True HD, and DTS HD format.
You just have to connect your TV to the soundbar through the HDMI ARC or HDMI ports in its absence. Then make sure both devices are configured so that the audio source they use is ARC or HDMI. Basically, you have to remove the sound from your Smart TV, enter the audio output menu, and select the HDMI option as output.
Connect a Soundbar to TV via Bluetooth
This option is great if you’re one of the people who doesn’t like cables. Unfortunately, it is only really viable when the TV and soundbar are a bit closer and in their Bluetooth range. Also, it doesn’t support Dolby or DTS, so it doesn’t play multi-channel audio. Using it to play music from mobile devices would be best.
To connect a soundbar to TV or television, simply turn on the Bluetooth of your soundbar and enter the audio output menu of your Smart TV to select Bluetooth as the output channel. Once this is done, your Smart TV will find the bar and connect automatically.
If you want to connect your smartphone to play music through your soundbar, you just have to activate the Bluetooth of the mobile device and select the Bluetooth input in the bar.
How to Connect a Soundbar to TV using your Soundbar as a Hub
If your TV is wall-mounted, which leaves the connection ports of devices almost inaccessible, using the soundbar as a hub is a good idea. Since you would only have to deal with a cable to connect a soundbar to TV, and this would be connected to the other artifacts.
The reason that this idea is not one of the most popular, is that the HDMI slots with the Pass-Through option, which usually come by default in most televisions are only available in the best soundbars on the market. This makes the number of models with which it is possible to do this somewhat limited.
Therefore, we recommend that you connect your soundbar to TV with the previous methods that are simpler and more practical, in addition to the fact that the audio quality is the same.
Conclusion
Hence, we hope everything was clear and understandable about how to connect a Soundbar to TV. We have explained the best methods to Connect a Soundbar to TV easily. Just follow the steps provided. Feel free to ask your questions in the comment box below. Share the article with friends and family on social networking sites and let them also know how to do it. Stay tuned to Techly Fire for more awesome tutorials and guides.