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


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Hi. I have an LG C8 OLED TV and a Beam, connected Via HDMI Arc. I also have some Sony Bluetooth headphones. Whenever I try and play the TV audio via Bluetooth after 2 seconds it switches back to Arc. Is there anyway to prevent this? I have to pull the HDMI lead out of the Beam, but can it be disabled via the app or some other way? Thanks.
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Best answer by chucky999 12 August 2019, 04:10

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Hi folks, thanks for reaching out with the Sonos Community! I understand that we all want to keep the Sonos Arc/Beam and headphones connected to our TV at the same time and that kind of behavior is based on your TV on how the HDMI connections work because you are connecting two output devices to your TV. As others suggested this is more and can be handled appropriately by the TV manufacturers. You can try optical for better options but it will still up to you on how to proceed. Just let us know if you need anything. We and the community are always here to help.

Hey, new to the forum. Recently purchased the Sonos Arc and ran into the same issue with my LG OLED C9 77 inch tv, with the HDMI Arc input being the only audio input I could play while using my sound bar unless I unplug the power cord or the HDMI cable. If I try using any other input it goes back to the HDMI Arc input immediately. One work around use could do is purchase an HDMI splitter. I listed the link below: 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079JQ9XXV/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_xM-XFbTJ3V16Z?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

You'll be able to select the input you wanna use while leaving the HDMI cable in both the sound bar and tv as long as you select the splitter to the opposite input so it's not conflicting with your tv/sound bar. I hope this helps. 

 

 

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Hi folks, thanks for reaching out with the Sonos Community! I understand that we all want to keep the Sonos Arc/Beam and headphones connected to our TV at the same time and that kind of behavior is based on your TV on how the HDMI connections work because you are connecting two output devices to your TV. As others suggested this is more and can be handled appropriately by the TV manufacturers. You can try optical for better options but it will still up to you on how to proceed. Just let us know if you need anything. We and the community are always here to help.

 

Hi, going through the post you can read that many folks have the problem only with Sonos Beam or Sonos Arc solutions. (This is the case for me as well, LG C9 + Sonos Arc). It works well with other HDMI-ARC connected audio devices (as mentioned in the posts several times).

 

So this clearly seems to be a problem in the Sonos system. Please do not throw the ball to the TV manufactures. I strongly doubt that Samsung, LG, Sony and others are to blame here.

 

Btw. this does have nothing todo with Bluetooth, it does not matter which output you choose on your TV (at least for me), the Sonos (HDMI connected) Soundbar will always take over after a second or so.

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Hi folks, thanks for reaching out with the Sonos Community! I understand that we all want to keep the Sonos Arc/Beam and headphones connected to our TV at the same time and that kind of behavior is based on your TV on how the HDMI connections work because you are connecting two output devices to your TV. As others suggested this is more and can be handled appropriately by the TV manufacturers. You can try optical for better options but it will still up to you on how to proceed. Just let us know if you need anything. We and the community are always here to help.

 

Hi, going through the post you can read that many folks have the problem only with Sonos Beam or Sonos Arc solutions. (This is the case for me as well, LG C9 + Sonos Arc). It works well with other HDMI-ARC connected audio devices (as mentioned in the posts several times).

 

So this clearly seems to be a problem in the Sonos system. Please do not throw the ball to the TV manufactures. I strongly doubt that Samsung, LG, Sony and others are to blame here.

 

Btw. this does have nothing todo with Bluetooth, it does not matter which output you choose on your TV (at least for me), the Sonos (HDMI connected) Soundbar will always take over after a second or so.

This is exactly what I wanted to write. HDMI ARC connection in my LG TV worked well with a JBL bar and Sony headphones in my case. 
Really Sonos? Is blaming the others the right way to solve the problems in your understanding? Disappointing...

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

Add me to the list.  New LG OLED CX with Sonos Arc/AirPod Pros.  Same issue as everybody else.  Had to unplug the HDMI cable so I don’t wake the wife up

 

Very surprising Sonos is having this issue for as much as I paid for my set up

it is my turn now….. …...Sonos Arc with Samsung TV UA-50KU6000

Im not a technical person. Stumbled upon this thread while I am searching on how to connect my  wired headphone to my TV without without affecting my sonos arc setup.

 

New AirPod pros. 
 

lg65 lied & beam

 

disappointing. Disabling the CEC disables my harmony remote functions

 

SONOS!!

Unfortunately got the same issue with a Sonos Beam setup and bluetooth headphones. Switching off HDMI-CEC seems like a work-around, but it still extremely annoying this doesn’t work otherwise.

Hi folks, thanks for reaching out with the Sonos Community! I understand that we all want to keep the Sonos Arc/Beam and headphones connected to our TV at the same time and that kind of behavior is based on your TV on how the HDMI connections work because you are connecting two output devices to your TV. As others suggested this is more and can be handled appropriately by the TV manufacturers. You can try optical for better options but it will still up to you on how to proceed. Just let us know if you need anything. We and the community are always here to help.


What an asinine and disrespectful reply from Sonos.

Yeah, just buy our soundbar/sub/surrounds then connect with optical "for better options" and lose Atmos capabilities.

Sure, great advice!

Me too now..

CX OLED

Sonos BEAM

AirPods Pro.

Just kept switching back to eArc when trying to connect the AirPods.

Me too..

 

LG OLed CX

Sonos ARC

keeps switching back to arc when connecting to the Bluetooth..

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@Geniusiron @sridhg Have you tried turning off HDMI-CEC (Anynet, Bravia Link, Simplink) for the time you are using your headphone?

@mafm How is this answer disrespectful? Giving you an extra work around and stating the disadvantages of that seesm good practice to me. There are technical reasons for this, it's your TV (not Sonos) that does this, and as I understand it this is conform HDMI-CEC spec, so an industry standard. To me it seems Sonos is not the one to change this…..

@Geniusiron @sridhg Have you tried turning off HDMI-CEC (Anynet, Bravia Link, Simplink) for the time you are using your headphone?

@mafm How is this answer disrespectful? Giving you an extra work around and stating the disadvantages of that seesm good practice to me. There are technical reasons for this, it's your TV (not Sonos) that does this, and as I understand it this is conform HDMI-CEC spec, so an industry standard. To me it seems Sonos is not the one to change this…..

I will happily try this. Any ideas how I do this on an LG? I’d read earlier on this thread that LG’s switch straight back when HDMI-CEC is turned off too. 
 

🤷🏼‍♂️

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HDMI-CEC is called Simplink with LG. I don not own an LG (and have another solution for my headphones - a Connect Gen 2), so I have no experience with this myself, It should be somewhere in de connectivity settings on your TV.

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!

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@Bill H. Wow. And here I was explaining that:

  1. this is within HDMI-CEC spec for the TV (so Sonos can’t do anything about it); and
  2. there is a work around (turning HDMI-CEC off temporarily).

As I understand it it is your TV that by HDMI-CEC specification sends the sound to a speaker connected via HDMI-ARC. There’s no need to unplug anything.

@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). I’m left with just one workaround (which itself is a kluge): unplugging either the Sonos Arc power cord or the HDMI cable to prevent the Sonos Arc from grabbing the sound output back from the sound output that I had selected/want to listen via (e.g., AirPods Pro).

This behavior doesn’t seem to be intended. An analogy might be wanting to watch CNN, but having the TV switch to FOX every time you choose CNN.

Others have said in this thread that other soundbars or external speaker systems do not have the same issue. Choose them via the TV, and the sound output comes from and remains from the selected output. Again the “choose this, but get that” behavior does not seem logical or particularly desirable.

@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.

@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.

@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.

Same issue here. LG CX, Sonos Arc, and Bluetooth headphones.

After connecting headphones, TV will immediately switch back to Sonos Arc. I have to disable SimpLink for it to stick with the headphones.

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Really annoying issue. Does Sonos have few TVs and QA team? I mean according to this thread it's not related to one TV vendor.


It's just strange that Sonos don't wish to confirm this problem and provide some hotfix e.g. button in own app interface or something.

I'm ashamed of you, guys.

 

 

SimpLink disabled in my LGC9 and my Airpods now working more then 2 seconds ;) still IN MY OPINION there is some software conflict - thats why ARC or Beam’s doing this. As other devices not doing this on same TV and same Bluetooth set. So Sonos guys don’t get all upset - fix it !!! My wife will not give ma what I want from her for next 2 months as the house was shaking before I found this topic lol !

I have the same problem, brand new LG 65CX OLED with Sony Bluetooth headset, everything was working well before I add my new Sonos ARC plugged with ARC-HDMI. As soon as I put it on my Bluetooth headset it automatically switch back on HDMI ARC… really frustrating. I have to unplugged HDMI ARC each time I use my Bluetooth headset… that’s not normal 

I don’t wan’t to plug the Sonos with IR connection because the sound of my tv won’t be automatically Controlled. 

is there anything to do?

 

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