Skip to main content
Answered

sonos playbase to TV via extractor - no audio

  • December 16, 2025
  • 11 replies
  • 85 views

Hi! My parents have given me their old Sonos playbase. I have the new Philips ambilight 4K TV which does not have the optical input. We bought an optical to HDMI adaptor and I have set up the playbase on the app, connected to the TV, changed settings on the TV so the audio should be coming out via HDMI but it is still coming out of the TV. When I press the volume the light flashes on the Sonos so it is all connected but just won’t play out of there. 
any advice? Thanks all!

Best answer by User117655

@Emackenzie10 There is a similar discussion here but for a Play Bar rather than a Play Base. Both require TosLink optical input though:

https://en.community.sonos.com/home-theater-229129/playbar-and-new-tv-6932335

An important point to note: the conversion is from the TV HDMI output (Arc/eArc) to the PlayBase TOSLINK OPTICAL input not the other way round, as suggested in the title and opening post.

Also TV will need to be configured to use a soundbar connected to an appropriate HDMI Arc/eArc output. There is no control layer with a converted optical connection.

11 replies

Stanley_4
  • Lead Maestro
  • December 16, 2025

Optical input on the TV? Did you mean output?

Guessing the TV has an ARC OR eARC HDMI output. You need to convert that to optical for the Playbar optical input.

Is your converter HDMI to Optical, and not Optical to HDMI? Going the wrong way won't work.

The Optical connection only carries sound so it isn't passing remote control signals between the two.


jgatie
  • December 16, 2025

Did you buy the Sonos adapter?  If so, the Sonos adapter converts optical to HDMI-ARC, not the other way around.  You need a generic adapter that converts HDMI-ARC to optical.  Amazon has hundreds of them. 


  • Author
  • Contributor I
  • December 16, 2025

There’s no optical plug on the TV so the optical is plugged into the adaptor. The adaptor has a HDMI in and HDMI out option and neither work


  • Author
  • Contributor I
  • December 16, 2025

Did you buy the Sonos adapter?  If so, the Sonos adapter converts optical to HDMI-ARC, not the other way around.  You need a generic adapter that converts HDMI-ARC to optical.  Amazon has hundreds of them. 

Yes that what’s we’ve got! 


Stanley_4
  • Lead Maestro
  • December 16, 2025

Since the sound comes from the TV's HDMI output and has to go into the Playbar as an Optical input you must have an ARC eARC HDMI to Optical converter.


  • Author
  • Contributor I
  • December 16, 2025

ah I see. This is what we’ve got so presumably it’s the wrong one? 


jgatie
  • December 16, 2025

Did you buy the Sonos adapter?  If so, the Sonos adapter converts optical to HDMI-ARC, not the other way around.  You need a generic adapter that converts HDMI-ARC to optical.  Amazon has hundreds of them. 

Yes that what’s we’ve got! 

 

That Sonos adapter is specially made to take optical out of the TV and convert it to HDMI-ARC for the Sonos Beam/Arc/Amp.  You need the opposite, which can be found at Amazon.  Just search for HDMI-ARC to optical converter.  


Stanley_4
  • Lead Maestro
  • December 16, 2025

The picture doesn't have enough info to say either way. Got a brand/model, or better a web link to a spec sheet?

It does look to be converting the right direction but does it support ARC and eARC?


Forum|alt.badge.img+4
  • Prodigy I
  • Answer
  • December 16, 2025

@Emackenzie10 There is a similar discussion here but for a Play Bar rather than a Play Base. Both require TosLink optical input though:

https://en.community.sonos.com/home-theater-229129/playbar-and-new-tv-6932335

An important point to note: the conversion is from the TV HDMI output (Arc/eArc) to the PlayBase TOSLINK OPTICAL input not the other way round, as suggested in the title and opening post.

Also TV will need to be configured to use a soundbar connected to an appropriate HDMI Arc/eArc output. There is no control layer with a converted optical connection.


  • Author
  • Contributor I
  • December 22, 2025

We have bought a new adaptor that is eARC compatible. It is plugged into the eARC HDMI slot and all the TV settings have been changed to ask the tv to play sound via external speakers, but it still won’t play out the Sonos! Any other advice?! We’re at a loss 


Forum|alt.badge.img+4
  • Prodigy I
  • December 22, 2025

Not sure about your TV but mine needed configuring to 'Use Wired Speaker -> HDMI(ARC) Device' (I paraphrase) rather than 'External Speakers'. There was a difference in my case (an older Panasonic Viera).

🤞