With respect to Samsung TV’s a good plan is to remove all HDMI cables from the TV and power down TV and SONOS for at least two minutes. Next, power up both units. Wait until both units complete their power up, then connect the TV to SONOS. After the TV and SONOS have finished negotiating the audio and control formats, then connect other HDMI units, if any, to the TV. It’s probably a good idea to make sure that the TV’s AnyNet is enabled before connecting the TV to SONOS.
if you continue to have trouble, systematically unplug other units from the TV. Keep notes with respect to the results.
Included as part of the HDMI is CEC (Consumer Electronics Control). The goal is to allow the operator to simply drop a disc into the player and all of the other system units will power up and select inputs. This is convenient when it works, but the standards are relaxed and some devices operate as if they own the system. All sorts of little inconveniences can crop up. For example, if a disc player or game has been ignored for a while, they may shut down and, as a convenience, shut down the TV. Some cable boxes will shut down after a few hours if no remote command have been received.
If a TV input’s CEC is being unruly, insert a CEC blocker. Of course this will block some of the conveniences, such as automatic power up and will require IR commands for Volume control by the blocked device, but this is a small price to pay for stopping the nonsense.
This might shed some light on what the problem is, and there is nothing we, the consumers, can do… if we have a Samsung TV:
“The reason people report fewer or no sound dropouts on the Sonos Arc Ultra when using a Sony TV compared to a Samsung TV comes down to differences in HDMI eARC implementation and firmware compatibility.
1. Sony’s Better eARC Implementation
- Sony TVs tend to have a more stable eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel) connection, which ensures smooth audio passthrough to the Sonos Arc Ultra.
- Sony works closely with Dolby and Sonos, so its firmware updates often improve compatibility with high-end soundbars.
2. Samsung’s eARC Issues & Dropouts
- Many Samsung TVs, including high-end QLED and OLED models, have had known eARC issues, especially with Dolby Atmos passthrough.
- Samsung’s firmware updates sometimes introduce handshake issues between the TV and external sound systems, causing audio dropouts when using Dolby Atmos over eARC.
- Some users have reported lip-sync issues when using Samsung TVs with the Sonos Arc Ultra, requiring manual audio delay adjustments.
3. Dolby Atmos & LPCM Handling Differences
- Sony TVs generally have better handling of Dolby Atmos and LPCM audio formats, while Samsung TVs sometimes struggle with LPCM passthrough, leading to audio cutouts.
- Samsung TVs have also been reported to drop audio when switching between different sound formats (e.g., going from a game to a movie).
4. HDMI CEC & Handshake Stability
- Sony’s Bravia XR models have a more stable HDMI CEC implementation, meaning fewer issues with audio devices disconnecting or not being recognized.
- Samsung TVs have had problems with HDMI CEC, leading to random sound dropouts or devices not waking up properly when switching inputs.”
So, in conclusion, it sounds like either switch TV brand or soundbar brand as Samsung’s eARC implementation is sub-par. It’s such a shame, I’ve had Samsung TVs for many years now.
@henebe Can you post a link to where you have found this?
