No TV Sound With the Beam Soundbar

Have you switched on CEC-control within the TV settings and set the audio-out to the TV’s Arc/eARC port, or if using the Optical Port (with the supplied adapter), that the port has been selected for the TV audio-out.

Check the TV audio-out codec is compatible to the Beam - PCM/Dolby Digital etc; and not DTS.

Also, just ensure you have ‘TV Autoplay’ switched on in the Beams ‘room’ settings in the Sonos App (in ’Settings/System’) and that the device is not muted, or that the TV/room volume is not set too low to hear the audio.

Dear Ken, thank you for the suggesstions.  I have discovered that the CEC control in the TV settings will not retain the list of devices when it is refreshed.  When refreshed the sound comes on.  But once I turn the TV off, no devices appear in the list.  I think this is a TV issue?  Your thoughts.  By the way I’ve had both the TV and the soundbar for more than two years and I had no problems until recently. 

Maybe try powering off (not standby) both the TV and the Beam for a few minutes to fully drain the power and just ensure the HDMI cable is seated correctly at each end. Also (if present) temporarily disconnect any other devices/cable TV boxes from the TV and leave those disconnected.

Now power the TV and Beam back on again and see if that resolves the issue… if it does solve it, then begin to put back the other disconnected HDMI devices (just one at a time) and see if any other device is stealing the CEC control away from the Beam - if you do find that it’s one of the other connected devices then perhaps switch off the CEC control on that ‘other’ device, via its settings (if possible).

Might also be worth checking the TV for a software update, and apply that if there is one. A hard reboot as Ken suggests (unplugging the TV from the wall for three minutes) may be necessary, especially as it sounds like the computer in the TV that controls CEC isn’t working properly. 

Thank you both for your suggestions.  I’ve tried the power suggestion and I have no other device plugged in - the tv simply will not retain the CEC device list when turned off.  I have looked at updates for the TV system and there are none currently available.  Turning to the TCL forum but would appreciate any other suggestions you might have.

Hi @Dianerae 

If the issue seems to be related to the TV no longer retaining the CEC device list then it is one of two issues: 

The TV definitely has a firmware issue with connected CEC devices  or 

The HDMI cable is defective (so try a different one to be sure).

Last resort is to send a diagnostic to Sonos to rule out the Beam as the cause. Do so within 10 minutes of the  Beam not playing TV audio. Be sure to post the reference ID in your next post. 

Thank you for the help - can you please advise me as to how to run a diagnostic?  Diane

Here is a link:

submit a system diagnostic

And to bug you once again - you indicate I need a reference number - how do I obtain one?  I do really appreciate your help. 

At the end of the submitting a diagnostic process, it provides a reference number to you of the diagnostic submitted.