Forum Discussion

Anduril's avatar
Anduril
Reel Rookie
2 years ago
Solved

TCL Roku Vizio soundbar remote issue

I recently bought a TCL Roku tv. I have a Vizio soundbar and my new remote is not controlling the soundbar. I have the soundbar hooked into the optical port and it sounds great. The remote just won’t control it. Pairing issue? Use a different cable?

  • renojim's avatar
    renojim
    2 years ago

    The other TV and the sound bar were both Vizio?  That probably explains it.

    No.  The USB port on the sound bar is probably for playing music off a flash drive.

    A multi-device universal remote might be the easiest solution.

3 Replies

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

    The remote won't control sound bars connected via an optical cable.  If you can connect the sound bar to the HDMI-ARC port of the TV, then the remote will send the command to the TV which should control the volume of the connected sound bar.

    • Anduril's avatar
      Anduril
      Reel Rookie
      2 years ago

      On the last tv we had (Vizio) we used a Roku stick and it I was able to control the soundbar. 

      My soundbar doesn’t have an hdmi port. It has a usb. Can I run a usb to hdmi connector to hdmi-arc? 

      If that doesn’t work, will I have to get a universal remote?

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

        The other TV and the sound bar were both Vizio?  That probably explains it.

        No.  The USB port on the sound bar is probably for playing music off a flash drive.

        A multi-device universal remote might be the easiest solution.