Outdoor TV with Wireless HDMI/blueooth connection to amp

  • 4 April 2023
  • 9 replies
  • 445 views
B

I have looked at many threads on similar topics but none of them addressed my need.

 

I am installing two outdoor speakers which will be connected to the Sonos Amp in my basement.  I then plan to have occasional TV viewing outside and I am looking for a way to have the TV audio play on the outdoor speakers.  I will not run a HDMI from the amp in the basement to the TV outside.

 

I am looking for a wireless solution, is there a wireless HDMI that would pass the audio signal?  Wirelsss Bluetooth signal?   
 

A less optimal solution, I have a roam that I could try to connect to the TV via Bluetooth and then group with the outdoor speakers? 

9 replies

Jamie A
Userlevel 7
Badge +15

Hi @Briguybcc, welcome to the Sonos Community!

We would recommend that, for TV audio, you run a physical cable from the Amp to the TV. Using a wireless HDMI transmitter is possible, but isn’t supported by us and could cause intermittent issues and audio interruptions. The Amp also doesn’t use Bluetooth to send audio, so this wouldn’t be an option.

If your TV has Bluetooth, then you would be able to connect the Move or Roam, however these speakers aren’t designed to work with TV and TV audio, so may run into the same issues as using a wireless HDMI transmitter.

Perhaps other users of the Sonos Community have a similar setup to what you’re trying to achieve and can give some advice, but from a Sonos standpoint you’ll want a hardwired connection.

I hope this helps!

B

Hi Jamie - thank you for your response!  I did assume the hardwire approach to be the recommendation.  My issue is that the Amp and placement of the TV is too far and would be a mess to run.

I will try the Bluetooth method with the roam (already have all the equipment) and test that out.  Then if that is an issue, try the wireless HDMI transmitter.

Ultimately I am not looking for optimal surround or a “perfect” solution, really just looking for audio connection when watching sports outside.  

My other option is playing the same channel on the TV in the basement (hooked up with surround), grouping that with the outdoor speaks and hoping that the outside TV video is lined up perfectly :)

melvimbe

Hi Jamie - thank you for your response!  I did assume the hardwire approach to be the recommendation.  My issue is that the Amp and placement of the TV is too far and would be a mess to run.

I will try the Bluetooth method with the roam (already have all the equipment) and test that out.  Then if that is an issue, try the wireless HDMI transmitter.

 

 

Definitely worth a test, but I found the bluetooth on the Roam to me to much delayed to be good enough for TV audio.  

 

Ultimately I am not looking for optimal surround or a “perfect” solution, really just looking for audio connection when watching sports outside.  

 

 

It may be worth considering getting a a Ray directly connected to the outdoor TV.  With that setup, you can just listen to the Ray without turning on all the outdoor speakers, or group to hear everywhere.  There will be a slight delay when grouping, but you can adjust that a bit, or maybe mute the ray to avoid any echos.  Of course, Ray isn’t built for outdoor use, so you have to consider how you’re going to protect it.

Another solution people have tried to put the Amp in an outdoor enclosure near the TV, rather than wired to the basement.  There are enclosures you can google built exactly for this purpose.  Again, not covered in warranty, but seen people on here try it and never heard any complaints.

 

My other option is playing the same channel on the TV in the basement (hooked up with surround), grouping that with the outdoor speaks and hoping that the outside TV video is lined up perfectly :)

 

That isn’t going to work.  Broadcast of a live event, whether cable or internet sourced, even in the same home, are likely to be several seconds out of sync.  No way it will be consistently in sync.

 

In a perfect world, you would want to have all TVs from the same source using an HDMI splitter.  Each TV has a Sonos soundbar  or amp for the audio...all wired..  That will give you the same audio and video in sync.  Pretty hard to do unless you’re home is unde construction or just a one story home.

Danny
buzz

Normally, I don’t recommend attempting to forward TV audio by Grouping with another Room because the 75ms Group latency compromises lip sync, however, I recently encountered a cable box with such a brutal video delay, that I had to add the full SONOS lip sync delay plus an additional 160ms that the TV could insert.

buzz

There is a sports bar near me that uses separate cable boxes for each TV. Assuming that they can all be started on the same channel at the same time, both sound and video will drift out of sync over time — by several seconds. At one point I thought that the sets were showing different local commercials.

B

Thanks all.  I appreciate all the possible recommendations.

 

I think I have all the information I need, but my other point is that this is really temporary usage.  I don’t plan to have a permanent outdoor TV set up - I am buying a cheap Amazon Fire TV to bring outside during  the summer.  I think the Ray would be the best option, but spending that much more $$ for something I only use some of the time is hard to justify.

buzz

Maybe this sort of item would be helpful. I have no experience with this unit and some reservation because it uses 2.4GHz. You may have signal strength (due to outside and inside walls) and interference issues. A unit that operates in the 400MHz band would be best.

B

Thanks buzz - I assume both the AMP and my TV (Amazon Fire TV) would have the right input/output (RCA to 3.5 Male Audio Cable X2)?  This is now stepping outside of my technical knowledge :)

 

And would you think this might work better than the wireless HDMI which I know will work on both ends of the devices?

buzz

Wireless HDMI would not be a good choice because the operating distance is typically very short. Also, it is useful only if you are attempting to use high end surround in the patio. Finally, finding a wireless HDMI-ARC may not be possible. (I haven’t checked lately)

AMP uses dual RCA Line-In. I don’t know what your TV audio output connector might be. Typically, for current TV sets the audio output is optical and this would require a optical to analog converter for the wireless unit that I showed.

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