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Contributor I
October 4, 2017
Answered

Resume TV playback on Playbar via Alexa

  • October 4, 2017
  • 15 replies
  • 2851 views
Can Alexa be used to switch the input on a playbar from music to TV input? If so, what is the command?

Thanks
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    Best answer by Skelton
    Not at this time.

    15 replies

    SkeltonAnswer
    Prodigy I
    October 4, 2017
    Not at this time.
    Lyricist I
    October 4, 2017
    I would assume that was basic functionality. I had the tv on earlier through the playbar and tested the alexa voice control by playing music. Thought it was odd that the tv didn't resume after the music stopped. Had to use the sonos app to switch back to tv. A little disappointing.
    lucifermstar
    Lyricist I
    October 20, 2017
    I agree with YajYak. Whilst there seems to have been a rush to integrate with Alexa, there seems to have been no real thought into how the integration with the playbar will affect what it originally designed for - playing sound from TV and other devices (which works wonderfully I might add).
    Not being able to change the output back to TV by a Alexa voice command seems to me a fundamental issue.
    Of course, you can switch back to TV on the Sonos app on the phone, but everything in the room is controlled by my Harmony remote. I don't want to have to use the phone as well.
    jgatie
    October 20, 2017
    Turn Autoplay on. Mute, then umute the TV on the Harmony.
    Lyricist I
    December 5, 2017
    Has this issue been resolved yet?! I agree with the other users here. Doesn't help much to be able to move to music, then not be able to come back to TV.
    UKMedia
    December 5, 2017
    Has this issue been resolved yet?! I agree with the other users here. Doesn't help much to be able to move to music, then not be able to come back to TV.
    Sorry I don't understand the problem. In my set-up I can listen to music through my Playbar and if I switch my TV on, it automatically switches from Music to TV. The only time I need to go to the app is to included the playbar back into the group but I can also do this by pressing the Play button for 2-3 secs on the Playbar, this adds it to the current group playing.

    If this is the behaviour that you are looking for then open the Sonos app and select Manage>Room Settings, then select your Playbar and select the TV Setup tab. Ensure that you have 'TV Autoplay' and 'Ungroup on Autoplay' selected.
    Remember: Sometimes Red Wine helps :)
    Lyricist I
    December 25, 2017
    If your tv is playing sound, and you then ask alexa to play music on it. You can’t switch back to TV sound via a voice command. It can be very annoying.
    Lyricist I
    January 16, 2018
    Yes, this is big annoyance.
    Contributor I
    January 19, 2018
    I agree that the answer to the question is no, but UKMedia’s reply is quite relevant. Most people turn off the TV when playing music. And turning the TV on switches the source back to TV automatically. So in this very common scenario, there is no need for an Alexa command to switch to TV.
    Chris
    Lead Maestro
    January 19, 2018
    You can get Alexa to play music to the playbar. But there is not command to switch back to TV input (you would have to use controller or switch off and on the tv to toggle it back).
    Respect the Queue (2)Move (3)Beam (1) Era100 (2)ARC (1)SonosOne (1)Playbar (4)Play5 (4)Play1 (3)Play3 (1)Port (2)Connect (1) Roam (2) Ace (1)Connect:Amp (4)Sonos Amp (1)Sub + (9) Echo + Smartthings; (2)Play)