Does it have a headphone or line out?  You could get a analogue to digital optical converter to use the beam. 
 

But seriously how old is that TV? I’d invest In a new TV first, probably cost less that the beam. 

Thanks for the response!  Its an LG TV 49LJ5100 - I bought it new almost a year ago - I didn't even know HDMI ARC was a thing then, or would have done differently.  I’ll have to buy a new TV if I must, but that has other issues I’ll need to address and would rather not if possible

This is a snapshot of the input panel on the back from an online manual.  our tv has 2 HDMI ports, but I confirmed with LG that neither is ARC.

That looks like an optical port next to the USB socket to me?

Not according to the LG website here:

https://www.lg.com/us/tvs/lg-49LJ5100-led-tv

I would be considering an HDMI switch with an optical output to place between the various sources and the TV set. 

Wow, from LG Support on their site: “Model # 49LJ5100 is an entry-level model that is designed for people who are not looking to augment the sound with external audio systems so it does not have any ports for connecting to a Soundbar, external receiver or Home Theater System”. Crazy. Hope it was dirt cheap.

I forget what site I first ended up at, but the price was $99. It’s as inexpensive a monitor as I’ve ever seen. 

Everyone, thanks for your immediate assistance and responses - that's amazing!  Looks like I bought a crappy TV - when I bought it I had no intention of adding a soundbar, nor had I ever done that previously.  It looks like many people complain about this omission from this specific LG TV.  I guess its a lesson learned - I’ll probably just buy a new TV.  

That said, if someone has a recommendation on a converter to go from HDMI to Optical Output, I’d love to take a look at that.  

rhowlin

I’ve seen others here mention this one, but I have no personal experience with the audio extractor/splitter..

https://www.amazon.com/AV-Access-Extractor-Splitter-Amplifier/dp/B07D9BNVM1/ref=sr_1_21_sspa

That looks fine, if you only have a single HDMI input.