Issues with audio between TELUS Set Top Box (UIW8001), Samsung TV (QN55), Samsung Soundbar (HWQ905T)

[deedesie]

Firstly, I had the same isssue with my Pioneer sound system before getting this new sound bar. Points to STB?

Secondly I have trawled the web, the forums and under the sofa but to no luck, yet loads of other people have roughly the same issues.

It is to do with ARC. I have even ordered a "Lindy HDMI CEC Less Adapter, Female to Male (41232)" whatever that is from Amazon as all the reviews specifically talk about TELUS Optik TV. One review said "Fixed audio issue with Telus Optik Tv with Samsung TV and Samsung SOUNDBAR. Telus came out and said I bought a crappy tv, I told them their box was crap and I proved it." Sound like the same issue I am having.

But interested if there are any workarounds or different set top boxes I can test out?

oh, and I have the most expensive hdmi cables 🙂

Basically I can cable my set up in two ways, both of which present me with a problem:

1. Option 1
   1. STB -> hdmi cable -> TV (HDM1): Audio and Video to TV from STB
   2. TV (HDMI/ARC) -> hdmi cable -> Sound Bar (ARC): Audio then travels from TV to Sound Bar
      1. all works perfectly and I believe this is the correct setup (can someone please confirm) except for the fact that there is a delay between the video and the audio and even with adjusting the lag (it's an option on Samsung TV Sound settings)
   3. Otherwise it feels right, apps directly from the TV work well and it is all seamless and smooth 
   4. And TELUS Slimeline 2 remote powers all 3 on/off
      1. Also, I think because of the ARC set up, when the SETBOX or TV switches off, it sends a signal to  the Sound Bar to switch off/on
         1. see point 2.4 below.
2. Option 2
   
   1. STB -> hdmi cable -> Sound Bar (HDMI 1): Audio and Video travels from STB to Sound Bar
   2. Sound Bar -> hdmi cable -> TV (HDMI 4): Video travles to TV, Audio plays through Sound Bar
   3. It works, but I don't think this is correct cabling procedure?
   4. TELUS Slimeline 2 remote powers off all 3 devices, but when I power back on, TV and STB powers on, but not Sound Bar

Where to start to fix option 1. Is that the right setup for cabling in the first place?

Any suggestions gladly accepted.

As I said, I had the same issue with the Pioneer Sound system. Now that I have changed the sound system and still experiencing this issue, how do I eliminate if it is the TV or the STB? Actually, I might steal my son's Wi-Fi PVR or TV and do some more testing.....

The Lindy HDMI CEC Less Adapter, Female to Male (41232) does not arrive for another month, yet lots of reviews on Amazon claim it fixed their issue and that the TELUS STB 'breaks/does not handle ARC well"??

If you have read through this to the end you have way more patience than me!

[WestCoasterBC]

My sound bar setup is always Optik TV receiver connected to the TV via HDMI. Digital optical out from TV to digital in on the sound bar.

All HDMI sources are handled via the TV. Never have audio issues.

[deedesie]

Thank you.

I am told digital optical is not as good as HDMI?

"Both can pass multi-channel audio, like Dolby Digital. Both cables can be had pretty cheap. The biggest difference is that HDMI can pass higher-resolution audio, including the formats found on Blu-ray: Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio. These formats can't get transmitted across optical"

Hence trying to get this all set up using HDMI and ARC.

[xray]

Mine is set up exactly as your option 2 and works flawlessly. Everything turns on/off with the Optik remote. The HDMI CEC functionality to turn on/off the sound bar is controlled by your TV. Same goes for HDMI ARC. Nothing to do with Optik box or Optik remote. If you coded the remote properly for the TV and the TV and soundbar implements HDMI CEC and ARC properly then it should all work.

Is HDMI 4 on your TV the ARC input?

With option 2 configuration does the soundbar turn on and off properly using the tv remote?

[xray]

I should add that having expensive HDMI cables is irrelevant. All you need are cables that meet the HDMI spec and are physically robust enough for the application. Anything else the manufacturer/sales person claims is a marketing ploy to extract more money from you. I have spent over $30K of A/V equipment over the years and have paid 4 figures on speaker cables and interconnects but I've never paid more than $30 for any HDMI cable. Okay, I think I might have paid $45 for one extra long (20 ft) HDMI cable. For digital connnections a digital bit is a digital bit as long as it gets delivered to the other end. It's not like analog signals where the physical/electrical characteristics of the cable can affect the information carried.

[deedesie]

I just mentioned in jest that i spent lots of money on hdmi cables as I have also read alot of forums which say that the issues were becuse the cables were not good enough, and I just wanted to eliminate that as part of my trouble shooting. But apperciate your response.

[xray]

Sorry, my comment about expensive HDMI cables wasn't meant as a knock on you. I'm just very annoyed with cable manufacturers and retailers perpetuating the myth that people need buy rediculously expnsive gold plated, oxygen free copper, carbon fiber encased, vibranium terminatted and Pope blessed HDMI cables.

I believe the Samsung implemenation of CEC is called Anynet+ and there is some setup process involved for each external device connected. Perhaps there are some settings during the setup process that might address your issue.

[deedesie]

Thanks - been playing with the settings for 3 days now with no luck. Tearing my hair out but that's ok. onwards...

[deedesie]

Thank you for your response.

This is exactly the issue though I am having.

Remote does work with TV by swtiching it on and off.

Somehow through CEC, when TV is turned back on, sound bar does not switch back on.

yes, HDMI 4 on my TV is ARC.

maybe the samsung soundbar and tv are not working properly with CEC / ARC although I have enabled CEC on the TV.

When I switch off the tv, the soundbar switches off. it's just when i switch the tv back on, the sound bar does not.

[jacks_66]

I wanted to use option 2 with my Samsung/ Harmon Kardon sound bar, with Sony TV and Arris VIP5662W PVR. I think I remember that I was having trouble with programming codes, so I got a Harmony Remote from the source that I programmed with my laptop to get the right sequence of codes to get all devices to work. But 2/5 times the video would not pass through the $1,200 sound bar unless I cycled all power. The Samsung tech blamed it on the HDMI 2.0 port out of the Telus PVR as the sound bar was HDMI 2.1. I wasn’t convinced, so his final answer was that the sound bar was a sound device and the video pass through was just a free option; the sound worked:; so, it wasn’t their problem.

Then I tried option 1. I had the sound delay you mentioned no matter what I tried. Sometimes, I thought I got just the right millisecond delay setup, but then I switched channels and I got the same delay problem again.

So, stupid option 3:
a) HDMI from PVR to TV
b) HDMI with a CEC-less adapter from TV to Soundbar HDMI-1
c) Optical cable from PVR to soundbar.
The Samsung/Harmon Kardon soundbar has HDMI-1 and optical share an internal port. So, it is SUPPOSED to behave that if I use the TV’s internet connection to watch Netflix, it is supposed to feed Dolby Atmos audio to the soundbar. When the Optik PVR is on, it always comes out of soundbar via the optical cable. But, somehow I can’t hear any audio from TV to soundbar. So, I use the slow Netflix app in Optik TV. My one complaint about the optical port to the soundbar from PVR is that surround sound often doesn’t work, unless I go into PVR Menu > audio settings and set audio to stereo and save, then set it to surround or Dolby and save to get proper surround sound. That’s a disappointment. The optical cable also doesn’t support Dolby Atmos to the expensive soundbar.
I Keep looking for bios updates but nothing fixes it.
And, I keep looking for a Telus PVR that is newer than the Arris VIP5662w that uses HDMI 2.1 to see if option 2 will pass though video reliably. But, no luck yet