Forum Discussion

MattL2's avatar
MattL2
Binge Watcher
2 years ago

Soundbar won't communicate with TV over ARC when Roku stick is plugged in.

Hi. I have an LG 4K TV. I have a Yamaha sound bar that communicates with the TV over HDMI arc. HDMI-2 on my TV is the Arc input and the soundbar needs to be plugged in to HDMI 2.

 

Normally when I turn the TV on, the soundbar turns on simultaneously. And when I turn off the TV the soundbar turns off simultaneously. I can also control my soundbar volume with the LG remote.

 

I just bought a Roku 4k streaming stick on Amazon. The newest model. I set it up just fine, including controlling the TV with the roku remote. However, when the roku is plugged into one of the other available HDMI ports on my TV, the arc functionality between the soundbar and the TV stops working. Whether I turn the TV on with the LG or the roku remote, the soundbar stays off.

 

If I disconnect the Roku stick, the soundbar is able to talk to the TV again. But when the Roku is plugged in this won’t work.

 

What is going on and how do I fix it? The TV and the soundbar are up to date on their firmwares. I am on the verge of returning this thing.

  • PB-Swazey's avatar
    PB-Swazey
    Newbie
    2 years ago

    As an AV installer, I’m getting a lot of service calls for this exact issue. It’s happening between various models of Samsung and LG TVs as well as Roku models (Express, Stick, and Ultras). We simply unplug the HDMI from the Roku and then the soundbar ARC works as expected. Roku needs to dive deeper into this. It’s a repeating, reoccurring issue. I feel like the Rokus are trying to communicate to other HDMI devices connected to the TV or it’s something with HDCP. Sometimes swapping HDMIs work. Sometimes switching sound output to stereo or PCM helps. Other customers are left with unplugging and plugging the HDMI out of the Roku device to get their soundbar going. 

    • MattL2's avatar
      MattL2
      Binge Watcher
      2 years ago

      Hey. Thank you for this information! I was thinking my experience was unusual. It's good to know that there is not something wrong with my TV (which is what Roku support claimed.)

  • Tivoburkee's avatar
    Tivoburkee
    Community Streaming Expert
    2 years ago

    If you can refresh the cec devices in your tv settings do it, if you can't try unplugging the power from soundbar for a bit, plug it back in and give it time to be recognized as cec device. 

    • MattL2's avatar
      MattL2
      Binge Watcher
      2 years ago

      Hi. Neither of those solutions worked. I unplugged the Sound Bar for an entire hour and plugged it back in. I’m still having the same problem. I also went into the TV settings and turned off CEC, then turned it back on. This is the closest the TV has to a refresh.

       

      Any other ideas?

  • RokuAustin's avatar
    RokuAustin
    Community Manager
    2 years ago
    MattL2 wrote:

    Hi. I have an LG 4K TV. I have a Yamaha sound bar that communicates with the TV over HDMI arc. HDMI-2 on my TV is the Arc input and the soundbar needs to be plugged in to HDMI 2.

     

    Normally when I turn the TV on, the soundbar turns on simultaneously. And when I turn off the TV the soundbar turns off simultaneously. I can also control my soundbar volume with the LG remote.

     

    I just bought a Roku 4k streaming stick on Amazon. The newest model. I set it up just fine, including controlling the TV with the roku remote. However, when the roku is plugged into one of the other available HDMI ports on my TV, the arc functionality between the soundbar and the TV stops working. Whether I turn the TV on with the LG or the roku remote, the soundbar stays off.

     

    If I disconnect the Roku stick, the soundbar is able to talk to the TV again. But when the Roku is plugged in this won’t work.

     

    What is going on and how do I fix it? The TV and the soundbar are up to date on their firmwares. I am on the verge of returning this thing.

    Hi MattL2 ,

    Thanks for reporting this issue, we'd love to take a peek and try to help.

    Just to cover all bases, review this troubleshooting article here, and try anything listed there that may help. Also, ensure your Roku device is updated to the latest software (OS 12). 

    Let us know...

    • What you tried and what didn't work (like, turning CEC off and back on again, or restarting all devices).
    • Make and model of your TV and soundbar.
    • Roku Device ID (found under Home > Settings > System > About)

    Awaiting your response.

    • MattL2's avatar
      MattL2
      Binge Watcher
      2 years ago

      Hi. I took a look at the troubleshooting FAQ and I have already verified that CEC on my LG TV is turned on. Also, as for ARC, I have verified that sound output is set to ARC/HDMI and the digital sound setting is set to Auto. 

       

      I have tried turning CEC off, then on again. This did not fix the problem. I unplugged the soundbar for a while and plugged it back in. This did not fix the problem. 

       

      The TV model is a LG 43UM7300AUE and the soundbar is a Yamaha ATS-209. The Roku Device ID is S0J732AYVCCF. The TV, soundbar, and Roku are running their most recent firmwares.

       

      I am wondering.... If I perform a factory reset on the Roku and do NOT set up the ability to control the TV with the Roku remote, if I would still have this problem. This would not be ideal, as I want this feature. But it is just a thought. 

      • MattL2's avatar
        MattL2
        Binge Watcher
        2 years ago

        Just a note: After the TV is on, even though the soundbar does not "wake up" when the TV is powered on, if I manually turn the soundbar on with the soundbar remote, the soundbar works fine over HDMI. Until I turn it off. Then when I turn the TV on again the soundbar stays off and there is no sound. 

         

        This, as I've mentioned, only happens when the Roku is plugged into the TV. If I unplug the Roku, the soundbar wakes up with the TV and turns off with the TV, as it should. Thanks,