Please recommend me a solution to this problem

  • 26 December 2022
  • 44 replies
  • 1100 views
gregeeh
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Hi all,

New owner of Sonos Beam Gen 2 and loving it.  However I have a small problem and would like suggestions on the best way to solve it.

I have a Media Player connected via HDMI to my Sony X90J TV and the Sonos via the eARC Port.  And, all works just fine.

My problem is that selecting eARC for an output on the TV negates the digial (toslink) output on the TV meaning I now have no where to connect my headphones.

So what is the solution, without costing an arm and a leg.  Looked at the Orei HDA-912 but that does not output via the digital or analog outputs with passthrough selected. HDA-927 looks like it might be OK so I don’t have to enable eARC on the TV.  But the equivalent FeinTech VAX01202 suggests it does not work with Sonos.

Any other solutions greatly appreciated.

TIA

 

44 replies

Ken_Griffiths

 

Thank you for your reply.

If only it was this easy!  The Sony TV does not allow turning OFF CEC once an eARC device is found.  That option is greyed out, which is a real shame as your suggestions would have worked and easily solved my problem.

 

I would perhaps double-check that with Sony.

See this link below and the attached image.

https://www.sony.com/electronics/support/articles/00161073

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gregeeh
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I would perhaps double-check that with Sony.

See this link below and the attached image.

Here is what I get on the TV.  Bravia Sync Control is greyed out.

 

 

106rallye
Userlevel 7
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And if you turn eARC off first (just using ARC)?

gregeeh
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And if you turn eARC off first (just using ARC)?

If I change eARC from Auto to OFF Bravia Sync Control is still greyed out.

Ken_Griffiths

And if you turn eARC off first (just using ARC)?

If I change eARC from Auto to OFF Bravia Sync Control is still greyed out.

It will be the first TV that I have ever come across, where it’s not possible to disable CEC control and the connected Soundbar via the TV settings in order to allow the TV to use the headphone output.

I really suspect you still need to ask Sony Support the question about this, just in case.

I have both a Samsung TV & LG TV  with Beam and Arc respectively…and both allow their CEC … (called Simplink on LG and AnyNet+ on Samsung) … to be switched off and I’m sure an old Sony TV I had a long time ago, allowed Bravia-Sync to be switched from ‘Auto’ to ‘OFF’ - It would be a big step backwards for Sony not to allow this option for their customers. A lot of users want to use CEC to control devices and use headphones with their TV’s.

gregeeh
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It will be the first TV that I have ever come across, where it’s not possible to disable CEC control and the connected Soundbar via the TV settings in order to allow the TV to use the headphone output.

This is what I just did:

Remove the HDMI Cable from the Beam

This enabled the Bravia Sync Option.  So I turned it OFF.

Plugged back in the HDMI on the Beam.  Sync Option remains OFF.

Get sound from Beam and can control volume.  But Digital Output still deactivated.

Changed eARC from Auto to OFF.

Digial Output now active, but no sound from Beam.

Ken_Griffiths

It will be the first TV that I have ever come across, where it’s not possible to disable CEC control and the connected Soundbar via the TV settings in order to allow the TV to use the headphone output.

This is what I just did:

Remove the HDMI Cable from the Beam

This enabled the Bravia Sync Option.  So I turned it OFF.

Plugged back in the HDMI on the Beam.  Sync Option remains OFF.

Get sound from Beam and can control volume.  But Digital Output still deactivated.

Changed eARC from Auto to OFF.

Digial Output now active, but no sound from Beam.

 

So are you now able to switch between the Beam audio and headphone audio outputs, just by toggling a particular TV setting on/off? (You should not need to have to unplug the HDMI lead to achieve the aim here).

As an example, I have to toggle ‘Simplink’ (CEC) ‘OFF’ on my LG TV and switch the audio-out to the wired headphones, (or I can use Bluetooth output), then I do the exact opposite to restore the sound to my Sonos Arc by switching ‘Simplink’ back ‘ON’, it auto-switches to the HDMI-eARC sound out.

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gregeeh
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So are you now able to switch between the Beam audio and headphone audio outputs, just by toggling a particular TV setting on/off?

If I repeat the steps previously mentioned, removing HDMI Cable etc. I cannot get sound from the Beam with the Bravia Sync Option OFF.

I need to be able to turn this Sync ON and OFF to enable the Digital Output but once it’s ON you cannot turn it OFF (greyed out) without removing the HDMI from the Beam.

I think your suggestion to contact Sony is not a bad one, so I will go down that path and see if it returns anything.

Thanks very much for your input and time, it is greatly appreciated.

A
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It will be the first TV that I have ever come across, where it’s not possible to disable CEC control and the connected Soundbar via the TV settings in order to allow the TV to use the headphone output.

This is what I just did:

Remove the HDMI Cable from the Beam

This enabled the Bravia Sync Option.  So I turned it OFF.

Plugged back in the HDMI on the Beam.  Sync Option remains OFF.

Get sound from Beam and can control volume.  But Digital Output still deactivated.

Changed eARC from Auto to OFF.

Digial Output now active, but no sound from Beam.

This method seems feasible, why it did not work 🤔 . Let me just check it personally.

Ken_Griffiths

This method seems feasible, why it did not work 🤔 . Let me just check it personally.

I personally would not be happy having to regularly remove the HDMI cable from the TV, just to use the headphone port - I still think there must be a simple answer to this. I don’t think Sony engineers would have missed this off their TV’s, particularly as both our Samsung and LG TV’s here, each support this by switching off CEC in the TV settings - it’s probably something Sony have perhaps built into their TV ‘remote’, perhaps🤔? 🤞🤞

gregeeh
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it’s probably something Sony have perhaps built into their TV ‘remote’, perhaps🤔? 🤞🤞

Got onto Sony Support via Chat and here is an extract I received after quite sometime with them trying to get the point across.

Me (28/12/2022, 11:26:17): I just need a Yes or No answer to this question:

With and eARC Device connected to the eARC Port on the TV and Bravia Sync Enabled should the Digital Output be still active? 


Kimberly C (28/12/2022, 11:28:22): As per our Level 2 technical support, there should be a light on the digital output port even if there is HDMI connection made, meaning even while the BRAVIA Sync is enabled and the HDMI is connected to the eARC port, a light would still be on. However, as you have said that when those two are on, the light is not showing in your digital output port, we will have to review a video so that we can check this concern. 

 

So I have provided a video to them showing to issue, but all Level 2 techs are not available to review it until next week.

Another forum suggests what I’m seeing is normal for my TV so I don’t hold out much hope of a Sony solution.  Surely this should not be so hard nor an usual situation.

A
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It will be the first TV that I have ever come across, where it’s not possible to disable CEC control and the connected Soundbar via the TV settings in order to allow the TV to use the headphone output...

This is what I just did:

Remove the HDMI Cable from the Beam

This enabled the Bravia Sync Option.  So I turned it OFF.

Plugged back in the HDMI on the Beam.  Sync Option remains OFF.

Get sound from Beam and can control volume.  But Digital Output still deactivated.

Changed eARC from Auto to OFF.

Digial Output now active, but no sound from Beam.

This method seems feasible, why it did not work 🤔 . Let me just check it personally.

Noo replyy.?

A
Badge

This method seems feasible, why it did not work 🤔 . Let me just check it personally.

I personally would not be happy having to regularly remove the HDMI cable from the TV, just to use the headphone port - I still think there must be a simple answer to this. I don’t think Sony engineers would have missed this off their TV’s, particularly as both our Samsung and LG TV’s here, each support this by switching off CEC in the TV settings - it’s probably something Sony have perhaps built into their TV ‘remote’, perhaps🤔? 🤞🤞

Thanks for the reply indeed.. joining this forum was actually worthit. :D

buzz

.  Surely this should not be so hard nor an usual situation.

 

There is no exact specification for CEC interaction between units. For example: a unit may announce that it has turned ON, but it is up to the other units to follow-up. Supposedly, when the HDMI cables are first connected, the units will announce to each other and work out a scheme to interact. When a cable box is powered ON, the chain of components should also turn ON and select the proper signal path. If the cable remote issues a Volume command, where should this command land? Normally, it would be at the TV, unless an A/V receiver or SONOS is in the chain. In our case the SONOS unit should announce that “I own Volume commands”, but if the other units are not listening when this is announced … 

If there is an issue, MFR ‘A’ blames ‘B’ and ‘B’ blames ‘A’. Sometime later, after ‘A’ has received a ton of specific complaints about the ‘A’/’B’ mess, a firmware update is issued -- maybe fixing the specific ‘A’/’B’ issue, but a MFR ‘C’ product is now messed up. Meanwhile if MFR ‘B’ decides to issue a fix, it might break the ‘A’ fix and the circle continues -- always “not our fault”.

gregeeh
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@buzz - Thanks for your reply and great explanation.

However I am still left with a problem that I have been unable to solve.  I don’t believe Sony will be any help and I think I’m stuck with the Digital Output on the TV being deactivated while having eARC and Bravia Sync enabled.  Hence I need another solution.

I need something that will pass through HDMI, from my Media Player, while at the same time giving me a decoded Digital Output. 

I have already contacted J-Tech and they have told me none of their devices are able to simultaneously send audio over an HDMI output and have a Digital Output.   I’m waiting for a reply from Orei.

I don’t believe my request for such a device is unreasonable nor should it be hard to achieve.  I also don’t think I could be the only one that has come across this issue.

I welcome any input or comments on this and please tell me if I’m being unreasonable or if there is a better way of solving this issue.

buzz

There are solutions, but they are a mess. One path uses a control system that can execute macros. You would build a “Headphone ON” macro that would execute all of the commands that you have been manually using. A second “Headphone OFF” would reverse the lash up. This arrangement could use IR commands. The SONY TV also responds to network commands and these are much faster, but I don’t recall if there is a network command to enable/disable CEC.

Another approach would use micro processor, such as a Raspberry PI to control things. In addition to IR and network commands, the Raspberry PI could work directly with the CEC buss.

Ken_Griffiths

@buzz - Thanks for your reply and great explanation.

However I am still left with a problem that I have been unable to solve.  I don’t believe Sony will be any help and I think I’m stuck with the Digital Output on the TV being deactivated while having eARC and Bravia Sync enabled.  Hence I need another solution.

I need something that will pass through HDMI, from my Media Player, while at the same time giving me a decoded Digital Output. 

I have already contacted J-Tech and they have told me none of their devices are unable to simultaneously send audio over an HDMI output and have a Digital Output.   I’m waiting for a reply from Orei.

I don’t believe my request for such a device is unreasonable nor should it be hard to achieve.  I also don’t think I could be the only one that has come across this issue.

I welcome any input or comments on this and please tell me if I’m being unreasonable or if there is a better way of solving this issue.

There must be other options on the Sony TV for its sound-out, eg. Bluetooth, headphones, optical-out, or even its own internal speakers etc; that’s in addition to the HDMI-Audio Return Channel.

Sony manufactured the TV to work with any of those sound-out options. So it does not make sense that you suddenly cannot use Bluetooth or Headphones or even the TV internal speakers, without first having to un-cable the soundbar connected to the HDMI-ARC port.

What happens in a situation where the TV is wall-mounted and you need to access those other options, but can’t (easily) get to unplug the HDMI cable? 

It still seems to me there must be a simple answer to this and I still think ‘Sony Support’ should be asked the question. As mentioned earlier, I’ve never come across a TV that does not allow a user to switch to any of its other audio outputs using either buttons on the TV ‘remote’, or via the menu options onscreen, simply because something is attached to its HDMI-ARC port. 

gregeeh
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@Ken_Griffiths - Yesterday I played around with a lot of the TV Settings and I can tell you 100% enabling both eARC and Bravia Sync will deactivate the Digtal Output (Toslink) socket.

I have also found if I leave the Digital Output Setting at PCM and change the eARC setting from Auto to OFF it will activate the Digital Output Socket. Re-enabling eARC will deactivate the socket again.  All this while having Bravia Sync ON.  Remember you cannot turn Bravia Sync OFF once it is ON without removing the cable from the eARC port.  While this, enabling and disabled eARC, is what I’m presently doing to use the Headphones it is only temporary as I need a better solution to enable others to switch between using and not using the Headphones.

Yes, I agree there must be a simple answer to this.  And, I have contacted Sony and they tell me what I’m seeing it not right, per their extract above.  But, I have the TV here and what they are saying is wrong.  Even if they admit there’s an issue, how long do you think it will take to get a fix?

The best option is to forget Sony, except what the TV does and find a solution.  The best solution is a device that sits between the Media Player and the TV and passes HDMI and extracts audio to SPDIF.

Greg

buzz

Maybe this could help. In any case MetraAV’s support is very good.

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