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My Samsung Frame TV is suddenly no longer able to play audio through my Sonos AMP connected via HDMI ARC. It was working fine yesterday and had worked largely without issue for ~2 years.

I have a Samsung Frame TV (2022) with the following details:

  • Model Code: QN65LS03BDFXZA
  • Software Version: T-PTMAKUC-1622.4, BT - S

I have a Sonos AMP with this info:

  • Sonos OS: S2
  • Version: 16.1.1 (build 78152020)
  • Hardware Version: 1.24.1.17-1.2

I have the Sonos AMP connected to the Samsung TV’s HDMI ARC port (HDMI 3) and have been able to play audio from the TV and a connected Apple TV device without issue for almost 2 years. It was working fine yesterday. Today the TV is no longer recognizing the Sonos AMP as an audio output option and I am limited to the built-in TV Speakers.

From the Sonos App on my phone, if I go to the AMP and click on TV Setup, then click Continue, then click Connected to ARC, then click Test connection, I get an error of “CEC not connected.” In troubleshooting, I have noticed that if I turn off the Samsung TV and run through the Sonos App TV Setup, it will fail at the “Connected to ARC” part (error: “HDMI ARC not detected. Make sure the HDMI cable is connected to the ARC port and your TV is on.”, so I feel like it is able to recognize the TV properly through the HDMI connection. I just cannot figure out why the Sonos App keeps getting stuck at “CEC not connected.”

Also, the Sonos AMP itself still plays audio just fine from other sources like music via Spotify.

On the Samsung TV itself, I have not changed any connections or settings. The HDMI-eARC Mode = Auto, and under the External Device Manager I have Anynet+ (HDMI-CEC) enabled.

Troubleshooting Steps Attempted without success:

  • Unplugged the Sonos AMP and waited to reboot it
  • Unplugged the HDMI cable from the Sonos AMP side
  • Toggle the Samsung TV’s settings for HDMI-eARC Mode and Anynet+
  • Attempted the TV Setup in the Sonos Mobile App again
  • Reached out to Sonos Support via Live Chat, who said to set the Digital Audio Format on the TV to PCM and then power cycle both the TV and the Sonos AMP.

Note: My TV is mounted flush to the wall with a wallbox containing the power outlet, so I am unable to easily unplug the TV for troubleshooting without dismounting the TV.

I have seen several other similar posts that are a few years old with similar issues but have not been able to figure out the root cause or a fix. The post titled “Sonos Arc Samsung Frame TV eARC not working” seems very similar but again I don’t understand why this is happening today and how to fix it.

If this is a known issue, is there some patch to fix this issue?

Hi @FixMyTVAudio 

Welcome to the Sonos Community!

I’m sure this is very frustrating for you - nothing has changed, but no matter what you do, it just won’t start working again. There must be a reason, however, so let’s see if we can find it!

I really do first recommend that you disconnect the TV from power for at least a minute - whether by removing the TV from the wall or by shutting off the circuit breaker for that part of your home. It will force the TV to reboot it’s software in a way that standby mode simply does not achieve. It’s certainly better than changing a whole bunch of settings that shouldn’t really need changed. HDMI-CEC, which your Amp is complaining about, is a simple network set up by the TV that operates over the HDMI cables between the connected devices - if the network has basically failed due to some random happenstance (it could literally be due to a distant supernova), then it will likely take a full reboot of the TV to fix it.

If that does not work, I would recommend next checking your HDMI cables - for this, you will need to take the TV off the wall, but it would make it a good time to look into perhaps fitting an inexpensive smart-home plug so you can disconnect power from the TV more easily than you can at present. Ensure all your HDMI cables - especially the one for your Amp, but also any others - are properly inserted at both ends. It may even be worth just taking each out and putting it right back in again, just to ensure the connection is electrically sound. Test audio before replacing the TV back on the wall, but you may need to run TV Setup again in the Sonos App.

If it is still not working, please repeat the power-off procedure, but while the TV is off, please disconnect all other HDMI devices from the TV. Turn the TV on and try TV Setup in the Sonos app once more. If this works, I recommend reconnecting one device at a time - if one stops audio again, disable all of it’s CEC-related options (such as “Turn TV on/off with device” or “switch inputs when playing” or similar).

Please note -  you mentioned a thread relating to Samsung Frame and eARC. Your Amp does not support eARC, so that setting should be disabled on your TV for audio to work (Auto should be fine).

If none of this works, I recommend you get in touch with our technical support team who have tools at their disposal that will allow them to give you advice specific to your Sonos system and what it reports. It may be best to still have the TV off the wall while you call.

I hope this helps.

Thank you Corry for the thoughtful response. I did try your first suggestion and flipped the circuit breaker that powers the TV and the room it is in. The issue still persists after turning the power back on and rebooting the TV.

I am curious why you think the HDMI cables would be the issue if my Sonos App already recognizes the HDMI ARC connection before it fails at the CEC step. I did remove the HDMI cable from the Amp side, which did not help. I am unable to do the same on the TV side without dismounting it which is not easy for me.

Note I do not have any other HDMI devices connected to the TV.

If the CEC connection is really this fickle, I miss having simpler, more reliable connections of older equipment even if the audio quality was worse.

Hi @FixMyTVAudio 

Thanks for trying those steps - I was really hoping it was just the reboot that was needed.

The HDMI-CEC protocol is conducted on dedicated wires on the HDMI cable - if there were an un-sound connection on that particular wire only, then CEC communication would fail, which is what the Amp was reporting - it seemed worth trying, given what was reported.

You mention that you don’t have any other HDMI devices connected to your TV, but in your opening post, you also mentioned an Apple TV. Please turn off the TV (circuit breaker) and disconnect the Apple TV from the TV, then turn the TV on again with only the Amp connected. If you are then able to get the Amp fully set-up and playing TV audio, then the Apple TV was creating a CEC conflict - disabling it’s CEC-related settings (these are usually related to turning the TV off with the box or vice versa, and automatic TV input switching) may help, if this turns out to be the case. I understand that your Apple TV might be the only source you actually use, but we need to find the cause of the issue so it can be addressed, and disconnecting the Apple TV is currently the best idea I have for doing this.

Apart from power control, volume control and input switching, CEC also informs the TV which audio formats are supported, allowing the TV to convert if needed - it may be temperamental at times, but CEC does have it’s uses!

I hope this helps.

 

 

Hi @FixMyTVAudio 

If you are still having this issue, I recommend you get in touch with our technical support team for further assistance.

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