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Beam: Keeps switching back to ARC from Bluetooth - how to stop?



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I found an even better free solution.

I have the C2. There’s a remote with a mic. You can press the mic and say ‘Simplink off’, or enable voice recognition without touching anything.

 

If there’s no mic on your remote just turn off Simplink. 

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hi, yes that works using command on tv remote.

many thanks

Me too. Sonos needs to fix this.

Never had a problem CHOOSING the audio output that I wanted to use during a particular TV session (night=Airpods Pro; day=internal speaker) UNTIL I connected Sonos Arc via HDMI Arc port on LG OLED65C9. Now, when I CHOOSE AirPods Pro (connect via Bluetooth), the sound output switches to AirPods Pro for about two seconds, and then reverts to Sonos Arc via HDMI Arc port.  The same happens when I CHOOSE the LG’s internal speaker: the sound output switches to the LG’s internal speaker for about two seconds, and then reverts to Sonos Arc via HDMI Arc port.

Sonos Arc appears to be overriding my sound output selection. The wife is very aggravated (that I’m not using my AirPods Pro! The workaround (unplug the Sonos Arc or its HDMI cable) aggravates me!

Please fix!

Same issue - brand new Sonos Beam gen2 with 2 play:1 surrounds plugged into eArc on a 55” LG C1. Can’t seem to watch TV using the internal TV speaker, as it switches back to eArc audio after 2 seconds or so. 

Guess we keep bugging Sonos for a fix… 

 

Every poster in this thread has listed the TV settings menu as being the source of the problem.  What in the wide world of sports makes you think the settings in the TV menu are something Sonos can fix? 

My C1 will not allow me to manually switch off HDMI CEC so this does not work for me. If i unplug the Arc power lead, i need to reinstall it in the app when reconnected. However, unplugging the HDMI lead from the back of my Arc (which is eay to access in front of my tv) allows me to use ear buds, which auto connect as soon as i open the case. When movie time is over, i simply  plug the HDMI back in and the arc becomes the default sound output again. Annoying problem , simple workaround

@106rallye There’s no way/no setting that I can find (and I’ve looked VERY hard) to turn off SimpLink (a.k.a., HDMI-CEC) on the most recent firmware from LG (which is 05.00.03). 

In the WebOS/LG TV firmware 5.00.03 you need to goto ‘Settings/Connection/HDMI Device Settings” - Simplink ON/OFF is the second option in the list.

IMHO the issue here is with WebOS/LG I think, as it should prompt to switch off ‘simplink’ whenever a user selects ‘another’ audio-out option.

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@Ken_Griffiths Thanks for helping me find that SimpLink/HDMI-CEC on/off setting on the LG C9 TV. It’s exactly where you said it was.

Still--with no disrespect intended towards you or anyone else taking a side here--this sequence of button presses and remote-mouse movements is overly burdensome for anyone but the expert user. The whole thing boils down to: “I keep selecting one thing, but getting another.”

AirPods for some viewing sessions (e.g., don’t wake-up the other members of the household) and Sonos Arc for others (e.g., normal or group or daytime viewing) seems like a pretty modest ask. Yet the number of button pushes and remote-mouse movements is pretty intensive just to switch between the two audio outputs. Makes me want to build a man-cave instead (as yet another workaround to the original problem).

Who knew getting a really nice flat screen TV and pairing it with a really nice soundbar would lead to such disappointment. Very frustrating.

I understand and to some extent I agree, but I see this as being something TV manufacturers in general should fix with their software - the user should be able to select the Bluetooth option and it either switches off CEC, or it simply allows both audio outputs at the same time (my preferred option). I think that is a better solution than perhaps having Sonos fix this.

I really don't get your logic. Multiple OEMs have ARC products working perfectly, Sonos does not. Sonos implements CEC in a way that doesn't work and now multiple TV manufacturers should all separately fix this for them?!

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Hi @alephsmith 

If you read @Airgetlam’s post closely (just above yours) you’ll come to realize there is “no spec for CEC implementation”. What that means is unlike Bluetooth or  WiFi (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) there is no governing body that sets the standard.

Long story short the implementation CEC is not broken as there is no spec to break. It’s an open technology (and may be taking a few liberties with the aforementioned wording) that TV manufacturers incorporate into their products in a manner that best suites their needs.

So a fix as you stated would take a gathering similar to the United Nations for TV manufacturers. LOL 😂 

That said… one can only hope 🤔

Not sure what im doing wrong but the Simplink setting on the LG C1 will automatically re-enable itself. So i dont think that ‘work around’ is an effective one. Im able to get the bluetooth headphones to work intermittently by following a random procedure of switching the audio ouput and disabling simplink, but i have not been able to uncover a pattern/procedure of steps required to do this consistently. 

The only thing that seems to work 100% of the time is unplugging the HDMI cable from the eARC enabled hdmi port on the TV or soundbar. 

To assure myself that im not going mad, i plugged in my old Samsung soundbar and it worked a treat (including LG remote control volume adjustment which demonstrated that CEC was still on), so this is definitely a SONOS related issue. Anybody who begs to differ is clearly delusional. 

After dropping some decent coin on this setup I’m left quite disappointed with my first (and last) SONOS acquisition given the terrible customer support and outright refusal to even acknowledge that this is their problem to fix. 

I have 3 Samsung TVs, one with Arc, one with Amp, one with Beam. All have the problem, if I select a Bluetooth headphone or TV speakers, they revert back to Sonos within 2 seconds.

it is terrible, Sonos, if you cannot fix it, it would be appreciated that you write why in this thread 🙏

Note that “Simplink” is LG’s private name for industry standard CEC (Consumer Electronics Control). Some TV’s will disable advanced sound modes when CEC is disabled. This behavior varies from model to model. Using a CEC blocker in the HDMI connection prevents the miscommunication while satisfying the TV that CEC is enabled. As far as the TV is concerned, its CEC commands are ignored and it never receives any CEC commands.

I agree.  Sonos app should be updated to fix this issue!!  Come on, Sonos.  Get with the program. ; )

Hello All,

 

as there are more and more users facing same issue, can each of you open a support ticket with Sonos ? This is the only way we can push Sonos to finally fix this annoying bug in their software.

 

Kind regards,

Greg

I bought an Alexa enabled plug. I say “Alexa turn Arc off.” It powers down. The  Bluetooth sticks because the Arc power is off. Just have to turn back on in am. 

I have the same problem with a OLED65C39LC in combination with a Sonos ARC. I personally see the problem on LG side.

@Pcl007abc 

It must be the first LG TV model then that doesn’t allow the user to switch off ‘Simplink’ - So you are likely best to speak to LG. I have three models of LG TV around our Home and every one of them will only switch to its Bluetooth output when the CEC protocol is disabled and I have no issue disabling it on any of the three LG TV’s, with either a Beam, or Arc, connected to the HDMI-2 port.

Hello,

I am having exactly the same issue.  LG OLED TV with Beam connected via ARC & HDMI-CEC.   When I switch to my Bluetooth headphone I get about 2 seconds of audio before the TV switches back to ARC.   Even if I put a different source through the Beam.   I have to unplug the Beam for Bluetooth to work.   Clearly a bug SONOS need to look at,

Regards 

Chris 

 

I switched a few days ago from a Bose SoundTouch 300 and Acoustimass to the Arc with the Sub. Way back when I bought the Bose setup I had the same issues that I do have now with the Arc.

Back then Bose added a button within the Bose App “HDMI-CEC” or something similar to toggle on and off. By toggling it off the issues were GONE. I was able to watch TV and listen to Audio via Bluetooth on the headphones while the Bose was doing something else (e.g. playing music / doing nothing at all), without the bar switching between inputs.

So there is no doubt that this is purely a Sonos issue. TV: LGB7D by the way. Hasn't changed. 

This is super annoying. 

Please get a fix going Sonos!

A workaround using fiber is no option for me because the Sonos ARC does not support fiber :-(

 

There’s an optical to HDMI-ARC adapter included with every Arc. 

@Ken_Griffiths

Hi, i definitely not the only one with an LG that can't switch off simplink while the beam is connected through arc. .If you read through the whole thread,, many people mentioned it already. If you swifch simplink off, it automatically switches back on within seconds.That is when the beam is connected.

Then I would most definitely contact LG Support because that sounds like a design-fault/firmware issue that needs correcting on their part - you can quote the fact that their OLED55C9PLA, LG 24TQ510S-PZ or TV28MTS48S TV’s do not do this and correctly allows the CEC Protocol to be disabled to enable all other audio outputs, either with, or without, any soundbar (including Sonos Beam & Arc) attached to their HDMI2-ARC/eARC port. 

I have two other TV’s from both Samsung and Sharp that are at a different location that also allow the CEC protocol to be disabled when a Sonos Beam is attached.

This is an issue for the TV manufacturer to resolve, as many soundbars these days correctly use the ARC/eARC (Audio Return Channel) for sound-out and it should always be the case that another audio output source can be selected in the TV settings, by disabling Simplink/CEC.

This has nothing to do with Sonos - it’s down to the TV manufacturer.

Has anybody tried an HDMI CEC-blocker in line with the EARC lead to the Sonos Arc? In theory it should stop the Arc switching the tv.

I tried one off Amazon (Lindy) for around £9 and has solved the problem. No longer auto switches back to the Arc automatically.

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Same issue - brand new Sonos Beam gen2 with 2 play:1 surrounds plugged into eArc on a 55” LG C1. Can’t seem to watch TV using the internal TV speaker, as it switches back to eArc audio after 2 seconds or so. 

Guess we keep bugging Sonos for a fix… 

 

Every poster in this thread has listed the TV settings menu as being the source of the problem.  What in the wide world of sports makes you think the settings in the TV menu are something Sonos can fix? 

Because people have reported not experiencing the same issues with non-Sonos products, i.e. Bose soundbars.

Same issue with the LG C9 and a Samsung QLED.

With the Samsung it's even worse since very often when switching source (from cable TV to PS4 to some TV app like Netflix) the sound is completely lost, and I either have to change output to TV speakers (which jumps back immediately to the beam gen 2 and sometimes fixes it), or completely turn off and on the TV and sometimes this also works.

Extremely random and very disappointing for such a premium product.

It's unacceptable that I have to play around with the output settings every time I switch source because the Sonos beam goes silent on certain sources randomly.

I have the LG C9 OLED - all you need do there is switch off Simplink in the TV settings. I assume the same with Samsung, just switch off AnyNet+.

I believe these things are for the TV manufacturers to resolve as HDMI-CEC will stop the "output switching" once any ARC/eARC Receiver is connected. I don’t believe this is a Sonos issue.

Appreciate the feedback.

Though switching off cec should also not be necessary in my opinion. Probably will tryout a Samsung audio set-up and if that sounds satisfactory without problems switching to headphones (and no cec workarounds) , I'll probably move away from sonos (for Tv at least, already have a 2.1 sonos for many years for music which i'll keep) 

It’s a feature of almost every TV that I’ve ever encountered and I’ve helped a few members of my family and some friends with their TV’s and Soundbars/Home Theatres in the last few years - CEC when used with ARC/eARC needs to be switched off to allow the TV to use a different audio output - like Bluetooth, Optical, Headphones etc. I would definitely go speak to LG 

I’m not sure if this may help as it’s probably a different WebOS version, but on my OLED C9 TV I have to goto ‘Settings/Connection/HDMI Device Settings” to disable it - it’s the same area where you should see auto-power-sync, which is another feature of CEC control.

I’m going to try something that may be easier than physically unplugging.

 

Kasa sells smart plugs that do not require a separate hub, only Wi-Fi. I have a bunch of them around for lights, my coffee maker, and fans. There’s an app that lets you have a timer or schedule and allows you to turn it on an off from your phone. I’m going to plug the speaker into the smart plug so that I can simply turn on and off the speakers from the couch when I want to use my AirPods or my XBOX headset so I won’t wake up the baby when I watch TV or game.

Rather than physically unplugging the HDMI this is an option. I don’t see either Sonos or LG fixing this because honestly no one gives a f. It’s been years from browsing other posts in this and other forums. Will let you guys know how this works tonight!

 

 

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