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Connecting TCL TV to Play 5

  • 2 February 2024
  • 5 replies
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I am looking for a solution to connect my TCL Roku TV with my Play 5 and Play 1 speakers in my bar. I do not have a sound bar to use and have a Digital Optical Audio to Analog cable plugged into the TV and Play 5 at the moment. 

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Best answer by Airgetlam 5 February 2024, 17:50

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It will be tough, as you’re using Sonos speakers not designed to be connected to a TV, and will need to deal with the 75ms delay on a Sonos analog line in. But I suspect you’ve found that out with your current connection between the TCL and your PLAY:5.

In this case, to get the same thing on your PLAY:1, you would just need to group the two ‘rooms’ together.

You won’t be getting any surround information, the Line in on a PLAY:5 is stereo only, so you’ll need to restrict the output on the TV to stereo only, otherwise the PLAY:5 won’t be able to read the data. 

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Get a Soundbar, this is what it is designed for.

It will be tough, as you’re using Sonos speakers not designed to be connected to a TV, and will need to deal with the 75ms delay on a Sonos analog line in. But I suspect you’ve found that out with your current connection between the TCL and your PLAY:5.

In this case, to get the same thing on your PLAY:1, you would just need to group the two ‘rooms’ together.

You won’t be getting any surround information, the Line in on a PLAY:5 is stereo only, so you’ll need to restrict the output on the TV to stereo only, otherwise the PLAY:5 won’t be able to read the data. 

I may have phrased my question poorly. I am not getting any sound out of my Play 5 speakers at the moment. What do I need to do in order to send the sound information from the TV to the Play 5?

Get a Soundbar, this is what it is designed for.

If i were to buy a soundbar. Do I then go from my TV out to the sound bar in? 

The analog line in on a PLAY:5 is looking for a line level input. Very few TVs have such an output, most people have to jury rig something from a headphone out, and then play with the output levels on the TV, and the input levels on the Sonos before getting a distortion free signal. Very unsatisfactory, and easily messed up by folks trying to adjust the volume on your TV in ways they think is ‘right’, rather than using the volume controls in the Sonos app. 

A Sonos speaker designed for connection to a TV works more efficiently, by getting rid of that 75ms delay on an analog input, and allows expansion possibilities for surround sound. Connection to the TV is either through an optical connection (the Sonos Ray), or through ARC or eARC for the Sonos Beam or Sonos Arc. All of these soundbars can be set up immediately, or later, with surround speakers and subwoofers as desired. You may want to look at www.Sonos.com for additional reference. 

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