Samsung One SolarCell Remote with Sonos Playbar but via ARC Audio Extractor/Converter

Hi ​@MiniEmma 

Welcome back to the Sonos Community!

Sorry to hear of this issue that you are having with your remote not working with your Playbar.

Yes - this is exactly what you need to do. The remote must be transmitting IR for it to work with your Playbar, and you will need to program the Playbar to accept the remote.

Please try Remote Setup in the Playbar’s room settings again, but press each button 3 times - if it still does not detect it, ensure the remote is using IR.

If this still does not work, I recommend you get in touch with our technical support team who have tools at their disposal that will allow them to give you advice specific to your Sonos system and what it reports.

I hope this helps.

Thanks ​@Corry P 

The trouble is I can't even get to the bit in the S1 app where it asks you to press it 3 times.

I think this is a Samsung problem mixed with me adding the optical to hdmi converter.

When the Playbar is plugged in with optical directly then the Samsung One SolarCell remote is happy to change the volume even without me adding it in the S1 app but as soon as I plug it into the HDMI eARC it just stops working.

I use the skyq remote with my playbar...

Yeah that's what I have always done up until now and it still works with this configuration too 👍 as does the boring/standard Samsung remote but I would like to use the TV apps more instead of the Sky box so like to have a Samung remote handy and it would be nice all the functions on it worked. Just feels odd using the Sky Q remote when I'm not using Sky 😁 

It's not the end of the world, I just like things to work 🤓

Hi ​@MiniEmma 

This is strange - the Playbar has no way of telling what it is plugged in to, and it should make no difference anyway.

I can only recommend you get in touch with our technical support team who have tools at their disposal that will allow them to give you advice specific to your Sonos system and what it reports.

You may, however, find the following pages useful:

Use a Samsung One Remote with Sonos home theater speakers.

Control Sonos home theater with your TV remote

I hope this helps.

I have same problem with lg tv remote, it works when tv off for volume, but turn tv on and it becomes a magic remote and stops using IR (took me ages to discover that one), so i have both to hand…..

Yes, I think that's exactly the issue, the Samsung remote stops using IR as soon as I plug in the HDMI converter.  I've seen replies on other forums suggesting adding a pretend old version sky box that uses IR in the connected devices menu but I can't get that to work either.

I'll give tech support a try at both Sonos and Samsung but I like to get community views and hopefully if we get a resolution I can update it here for everyone who needs it.

I'm part of the way there thanks to this Reddit thread:

https://www.reddit.com/r/TheFrame/s/HTCIKE0Dqf 

And specially this reply:

"I have the same problem.   

I found a temporary solution to switch the remote to the IR mode.   

1. Put the remote to the pairing mode by holding down the return and pause button   

2. Go to the Bluetooth settings on your smartphone (I have tried with iPhone only)   

3. Connect to the "Smart Control 2016" and press "pair"   

The smartphone should remember your remote and switch the remote to the IR mode.   

It could take several attempts for iPhone to find the remote.   

Hope this will help."

Followed by this reply: 

"Thanks! This worked for me after I added a final step of “Forget This Device” after successfully pairing to Smart Control 2016."

At this point I could see the IR working on the Solarcell One Remote by looking at the end with my phone camera but it still wasn't controlling the volume on the TV so I went ahead and used the Sonos app to add the remote and it worked!! BUT now my other remotes (standard Samsung and Sky Q) don't work the volume any more.

So, nearly there but maybe worse off 😂

I gave up.

Got rid of the converter/extractor and bought a high quality HDMI that helped with the lip sync from the sky q box to the point where our brains can filter it out. 

So the One Remote now works as intended.

But, next issue is that the Sky remote and the standard Samsung remote now action twice for the mute or volume presses. i.e. I click mute and then the TV mutes and then unmutes immediately, playbar light flashes twice. Same for volume, up or down, 2 flashes of the playbar light per single click on the remotes.

If I hide the One Remote, like properly under multiple cushions, then the other 2 work correctly! 

I feel like I'm so close to answering the original question here, like the info is all here but I can't put it all together. The One Remote is emitting IR at this point.

Hi ​@MiniEmma 

This sounds as if the One Remote is acting as a repeater for the other remotes. I have not heard of this before, but I suppose it is not impossible. If removing the batteries from the One Remote makes the other two remotes work as intended, then that is confirmed. I can only really recommend you contact Samsung about it - I would presume that there is a setting somewhere to stop the behaviour.

I hope you find a solution.

Another quick update: 

I deleted the Sonos from the universal remote setup and then reset the One Remote so that it's no longer outputting IR. At this point the Sky remote and standard Samsung remote are working properly. 

I then re-paired the One Remote with the TV and added Sonos back to the Universal Remote setup and we are back to the other 2 remotes double clicking the volume and mute. 

One Remote still not outputting IR and the issue still exists with the One Remote in another room so the repeater idea was a red herring it seems.

Will contact Samsung to see where the TV or One Connect box might be outputting IR as a repeater.