Solving playback issues

[lambette]

I have a Roku soundbar which is connected by HDMI to HDMI-arc port in samsung TV, audio set to external speaker and SPDIF Format PCM. I bought a Oticon TV adaptor which connects via a optical cord and have tried plugging it into the Samsung TV optical port and also the soundbar optical port. The adaptor has paired and says it is streaming, yet nothing through the hearing aids. If I connect the soundbar into a regular HDMI port without an audio return (ARC) and instead plug a optical cord into the TV optical port and then use a splitter to connect to both the soundbar and to the oticon adaptor, I can hear the sound coming from both the soundbar and the hearing aids, yet have no control over volume -- not through my TV remote, nor my ROKU remote nor my Oticon TV Adaptor remote on my iPhone.

Anyone have a solution?

Thanks in advance if so.

Bette

[renojim]

It sounds like you have it connected properly.  That optical port on the Soundbar is an input, so you can't connect the Oticon adapter to it.  I don't know if the TV would support sending audio to both its optical output as well as the ARC, so your connections sound right to me.  I can't understand why the Oticon app wouldn't work to control its volume, so something seems wrong there.  You might want to take the Soundbar out of the picture and just have the TV set up for SPDIF, connect it to the Oticon adapter, and then see if the Oticon app works.  I wouldn't expect there to be any difference (a splitter shouldn't affect anything), but if that doesn't work then maybe you can take it up with Oticon and ask them what the problem is.

As for the Roku remote, if you set it up to control TV functions (power, volume), then it's sending a signal to the TV for the volume buttons and that only works for the TV's speakers or a device connected to the TV that supports CEC (Consumer Electronics Control).  Different manufacturers call it different things and I think Samsung calls it "Device Connect" or something like that.  I'm far from an expert when it comes to CEC (@AvsGunnar ? ), but I think you either need to "unprogram" the Roku remote so the remote goes back to controlling the Soundbar's volume (you'd lose the TV on/off function) or refresh the Samsung's connected devices (I have no idea how to do that).  I have an old Samsung TV here, but I don't know if it supports CEC.  If it does I'll do some experiments with my Streambar.

If you never set up the remote to control the TV then none of that applies and the remote should be controlling the Soundbar's volume.  I have a Streambar and not a Roku Soundbar, so my experience comes from that.  I don't think there's a difference in how the connections work and how the remote functions.

[lambette]

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@renojim wrote:

It sounds like you have it connected properly.  That optical port on the Soundbar is an input, so you can't connect the Oticon adapter to it.  I don't know if the TV would support sending audio to both its optical output as well as the ARC, so your connections sound right to me.  I can't understand why the Oticon app wouldn't work to control its volume, so something seems wrong there.  You might want to take the Soundbar out of the picture and just have the TV set up for SPDIF, connect it to the Oticon adapter, and then see if the Oticon app works.  I wouldn't expect there to be any difference (a splitter shouldn't affect anything), but if that doesn't work then maybe you can take it up with Oticon and ask them what the problem is.

As for the Roku remote, if you set it up to control TV functions (power, volume), then it's sending a signal to the TV for the volume buttons and that only works for the TV's speakers or a device connected to the TV that supports CEC (Consumer Electronics Control).  Different manufacturers call it different things and I think Samsung calls it "Device Connect" or something like that.  I'm far from an expert when it comes to CEC (@AvsGunnar ? ), but I think you either need to "unprogram" the Roku remote so the remote goes back to controlling the Soundbar's volume (you'd lose the TV on/off function) or refresh the Samsung's connected devices (I have no idea how to do that).  I have an old Samsung TV here, but I don't know if it supports CEC.  If it does I'll do some experiments with my Streambar.

If you never set up the remote to control the TV then none of that applies and the remote should be controlling the Soundbar's volume.  I have a Streambar and not a Roku Soundbar, so my experience comes from that.  I don't think there's a difference in how the connections work and how the remote functions.

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Thanks so much for your input. I got the remote to control the soundbar volume, as I am using external speaker (soundbar). Didn't realize optical port on soundbar only works as input. As Oticon works on Bluetooth to connect to hearing aids, is there a way to connect Roku soundbar directly to Oticon adapter or hearing aids by Bluetooth that you know of?

[renojim]

No, sorry.  You can't really pair anything (useful) to a Roku Soundbar.  You can stream music from your phone to it via Bluetooth, so I guess you can use it as a Bluetooth speaker, but you can't pair headphones or anything like that.

So is the Roku remote now controlling the volume of the Soundbar?

[lambette]

Yes

[lambette]

Yes, I control the Roku soundbar with the remote which now also turns the Samsung TV on and off as well.

[AvsGunnar]

@lambette 

Samsung CEC should be labeled AnyNet+ under your TV HDMI Settings if available on your TV. As such will only affect and control devices connected via a HDMI cable (the Roku Soundbar).  Will have no affect on the Oticon TV adapter.

If you were the only one listening to the TV, then you could use the Roku Mobile App's private listening feature. (installed on your phone or other mobile device, available from Apple or Play Stores).  This allows you to connect your Bluetooth hearing aids to the Bluetooth capability of your phone that is connected to the Soundbar via wifi.  You would then use either your Roku remote or TV remote to control the TV volume and power via the Soundbar.  Of course, if other people are needing to hear the TV as well, this is not ideal as the TV's apeakers (or Soundar as connected) will mute their audio when Private Listening is activated. (This method has worked for some hearing aids, but not all.)

I didn't see any help support regarding Oticon and OTT (streaming device support).  The Oticon TV adapter seems like it was designed strictly to forward the audio from the TV speakers via optical port, RCA connection, or 3.5mm jack adapters.

I was thinking that if all you used on the TV was the Roku Soundbar (and as such, all your content would be through the Soundbar), then you might be able to connect the Soundbar to a standard HDMI and the Oticon to the optical port. (or even try the RCA connection or the 3.5mm jack).  When setting up the Soundbar, just answer that your TV does not support HDMI arc and that you connected the optical port. (even though you have not for the Streambar.  Try using the optical initially for the Opticon TV adapter).  Basically, try eliminating the splitter from the connection.

If all you have connected to the TV is the Soundbar and you watch everything through Roku, the Roku part and audio should work correctly through the Soundbar.  If you have other peripherals like cable boxes, gaming systems, dvd, then in this setup, those peripherals would play audio through the TV speakers and not the Soundbar.

Since you almost had it working with your initial setup using the splitter, you can certainly try verifying that the HDMI CEC (Anynet+) is enabled for your HDMI ports on the Samsung TV, and then try enabling the CEC on the Roku Soundbar (Settings/System/Control Other Devices/1-touch play (checkmark to enable) and see if that regains remote control over volume.

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I am pretty sure that if this was a standard Roku device, the setup of the Roku device in the HMDI port and the Oticon TV adapter in the optical would work.  Therefore, I think I would try setting up the Soundbar in a similar (unconventional way) should also work. 

[lambette]

Hello AVSGunner

I wrote this lengthy reply after returning from horse feeding chores, yet it disappeared without posting. I really appreciate your taking your time to assist me with my connection problems. Our minds run in similar directions as I did all the steps you outlined with the exception that I had turned off the CEC somewhere in the process and, following your reminder, turned it back on. Sadly, it made no difference. Neither did eliminating the splitter and just connecting the Oticon directly to the TV optical port. For some unknown reason, just having the Soundbar HDMI line plugged into the Samsung TV, whether to the ARC or any other HDMI port, disables the TV optical port. I can only adjust my hearing aid volume through the general settings or on the aids themselves. I have no streaming capabilities with the Oticon TV adapter with the soundbar connected to the TV. At one point I attempted to eliminate all but the speaker function of the soundbar by using my Roku Ultimate plugged into a non-ARC port and then using the optical port with a splitter to plug into the soundbar and Oticon. It worked in that sound streamed from the TV into the hearing aids yet now no remote controlled the volume of the Soundbar -- not the Roku, Samsung nor Oticon iPhone remotes. Worthless partial solution.

At any rate, thank you for your feedback. If you think of any other solutions, please post. Have a great evening.

[ss06470]

I have a slightly different problem. My Oticon TV adaptor interferes with Roku reception. I keep getting messages that I am not connected to the internet (when I am) or reception stop as the circle spins on and on. My only connection to the Oticon is two optical cables that connect the sound bar to the Oticon from my TV. To save a lot of time please don't refer me to Roku solutions. I have disconnected it and reconnected it for a fresh boot and that didn't help. I have powered off and reconnected the modem and router which did nothing. The problem connecting to Roku began when I connected the Oticon device. Before that my Roku worked perfectly. And it went back to working perfectly once I disconnected the Oticon device. I have spoken to the Oticon technical assistance and they emphasized there should not be a problem and Roku technical support was to get back to me yesterday but didn't. Can the Roku signal be messed up by the blue tooth signal coming from the Oticon?

[ss06470]

My Oticon TV adaptor interferes with Roku reception. I keep getting messages that I am not connected to the internet (when I am) or reception stop as the circle spins on and on. My only connection to the Oticon is two optical cables that connect the sound bar to the Oticon from my TV. To save a lot of time please don't refer me to Roku solutions. I have disconnected the Roku and reconnected it repeatedly for a fresh boot and that didn't help. I have powered off and reconnected the modem and router which did nothing. The problem connecting to Roku began when I connected the Oticon device. Before that my Roku worked perfectly. And it went back to working perfectly once I disconnected the Oticon device. I have spoken to the Oticon technical assistance and they emphasized there should not be a problem and Roku technical support was to get back to me yesterday but didn't. Can the Roku signal be messed up by the blue tooth signal coming from the Oticon? I would like some kind of answer or a speculation. The key issue I suppose is whether the Roku signal depends on Bluetooth which the Oticon is using. Otherwise this makes no sense at all but I assure you the problem is very real.