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Started By
Message
Sound bar to multiple devices with limited ports
Posted on 12/15/15 at 11:41 am
Posted on 12/15/15 at 11:41 am
I have an LG LB5900 dumb TV which has only 2 HDMI ports. I am in the market for a sound bar... and would like to connect my satellite box, my 3rd gen Apple TV, and a dvd/Bluray player to this TV and sound bar as seamlessly as possible.
Do I just buy an HDMI 3-way splitter, connect that to the sound bar, then connect sound bar to my TV? Would that work or is there a better way to do it?
I'm sure there is a great sound bar out there that can handle all of these devices easily but I'd like to keep it at $200 max...
Do I just buy an HDMI 3-way splitter, connect that to the sound bar, then connect sound bar to my TV? Would that work or is there a better way to do it?
I'm sure there is a great sound bar out there that can handle all of these devices easily but I'd like to keep it at $200 max...
3
Posted on 12/15/15 at 12:14 pm to PhiTiger1764
If TV has optical out and sound bar has optical in, then anything playing on the TV will send audio to the sound bar through optical cable.
Posted on 12/15/15 at 12:31 pm to Roovelroe
Correct. I have a PS3 and a Chromecast on a HDMI splitter going into one TV HDMI port, and cable box going into the other. Older DVD player to play stolen movies runs through RCA cables to TV.
I just have the digital out from the TV to the soundbar, and it plays everything
I just have the digital out from the TV to the soundbar, and it plays everything
Posted on 12/15/15 at 12:44 pm to Roovelroe
quote:
Optical out
Forgive my ignorance, but is that what these plug into?
Because I know I have those ports.. if it's something else then I'll need to check the TV when I get home.
This post was edited on 12/15/15 at 12:47 pm
Posted on 12/15/15 at 12:55 pm to PhiTiger1764
quote:
Optical out
quote:No that would be this...
Forgive my ignorance, but is that what these plug into?
Posted on 12/15/15 at 1:05 pm to PhiTiger1764
It'll say "optical out" or "digital audio out" or a combination of those two. Just one plug
Posted on 12/15/15 at 1:12 pm to Hammertime
quote:
King George
quote:
Hammertime
Thanks
Posted on 12/16/15 at 7:42 am to PhiTiger1764
The sound bar should have HDMI inputs as well. It all depends on how close your video devices are to the tv and the sound bar.
Posted on 12/16/15 at 9:14 am to PhiTiger1764
You're doing it backwards. You want a sound bar with multiple HDMI inputs and an HDMI output. You run the sources to the sound bar with the HDMI out from the sound bar connected to the TV. Then the TV is always parked on one input and all audio and video switching is done through the sound bar. No need for an HDMI switch and much more seamless selection of sources. Audio and video switch with one press of a button on the sound bar remote.
Posted on 12/16/15 at 9:27 am to Roovelroe
quote:
If TV has optical out and sound bar has optical in, then anything playing on the TV will send audio to the sound bar through optical cable.
That's actually highly YMMV. In general, the optical out and ARC feature are for the TV's built-in tuner and apps and aren't intended to enable the TV to serve as an HDMI switch for audio. The potential problems include failing to pass various surround sound formats or the inability to decode some of them for output as simple stereo. However, if you can configure each device to output 2.0, you should be OK.
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