Is the HDMI port on the TV compatible with eARC? If not then you might need a separate optical digital cable.
Disclaimer - I could be talking total bo11ocks.
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We've recently had a Virgin TV package installed but we're unable to get the soundbar working.
Prior to having the package we had a Humax recorder and the soundbar worked fine with it. But even then, if we plugged in our Firestick in the other HDMI port, the soundbar wouldn't work.
The Humax is still connected and the soundbar works but when we change over to Virgin TV it doesn't.
I've disconnected the Humax box, put the TV aerial into the back of the TV but the soundbar still won't work.
The Virgin engineer, who by the way has a degree in music and technology couldn't get the soundbar to work with the new package !
He said there might be formatting issues with the JVC soundbar, but couldn't find any settings on the TV to sort it out.
I'm stumped ! Any ideas ?
Is the HDMI port on the TV compatible with eARC? If not then you might need a separate optical digital cable.
Disclaimer - I could be talking total bo11ocks.
I have a Samsung TV and use the HDMI (ARC Audio Return Channel) and it works fine with the HDMI cable from the tv in the ARC HDMI socket plugged in to the HDMI input on the soundbar. There is also the option for taking the optical output from the tv if you don't have ARC capability. If it's a relatively new tv I'd be surprised if it doesn't have ARC? If not then you'll have to go the optical route.
Presuming you have a fairly recent TV....have you tried changing the source and audio output so the TV knows what you are doing? Any change to from say satellite to antenna will require the source to be altered which in turn will affect audio output selection. It can also come down to what order you plug stuff in. Chances are that's what the engineer was attempting. Good luck.
Thanks for all your responses so far. The engineer did try moving the cables around but couldn't get it to work. I'm not very tech savvy but I just read about a Toslink cable. Is that something I should think about trying ? It's attached between the Virgin V360 box and either the TV or soundbar.
Is the Virgin box and soundbar connected by bluetooth? If not have you tried hard wiring the soundbar to the Virgin box by HDMI assuming there is a connection? That resolved my issues with a Sky Q box so I'm assuming the Virgin box operates on similar lines.
The soundbar isn't connected to the Virgin box by Bluetooth. Think the engineer tried that too. He did suggest that I try running an auxillary cable (which he didn't have with him) from the Virgin box to the soundbar. Not sure exactly what type of cable or which ports in the Box and soundbar they should be attached to. Like I said I'm not very technical, to say the least !
Try changing the HDMI cable, i had the same problem with my sonos beam, turned out to be that simple (btw the first hdmi cable was a decent one, just woudnt work)
On the Virgin box there are 3 spare Ethernet (?) ports (yellow) and 1 spare Tel input.
On the back of the soundbar there are no HDMI inputs. There is a co-axial input, an optical input and a small audio input.
I've really never seen the point of soundboard, they are the emperor's New clothes.
those and memory foam mattresses.
Is it a JVC tv? I'm thinking marry up the tv and the sound bar first without the Virgin box plugged in (use tv aerial input)...select "antenna" from input options. Check sounds bar works. Keep the tv on. Unplug the aerial. On input options select "cable" or might be Virgin box as an option. Plug in the Virgin box, turn on Virgin box. That might trick the tv/soundbar into picking up the sound off the Virgin box. If not....try each audio input option on settings in turn. The option to plug the soundbar into the Virgin box direct.....not sure about that. Doesn't sound like the wiring option is a goer. Good luck.
In settings on the virgin box go to sound and then it's something like output. There should be two options with one being PCM. Choose the other output setting that isn't ticked and try again. It can sometimes be the output isn't recognised by the soundbar.
Failing that take a pic of the inputs on the soundbar and the output/input on the tv and put it on here. I'll have a look later on and see if there is something we are missing.
How is the TV connected to the soundbar now? If you unplug the TV end of that cable, can you plug it into the Virgin Box directly? Does that give anything out of the soundbar? If not, try changing the Virgin box sound settings as suggested by Maccy Blue.
If it does work like this, then next step to try and get it working would be Virgin box -> TV -> soundbar.
Maccy Blue and bigjoe
I went to the video/audio settings for the Virgin box but couldn't find anything related to PCM.
There is a cable from the soundbar to the TV. The TV input is marked Digital Audio Output (Optical) and the soundbar input is labelled TV optical. The fittings on this cable will not go into the Virgin box.
As I said earlier the soundbar works when I have the Humax channel on. But if I take the TV aerial out of the Humax box, plug it straight into the TV and put on Virgin, the white light starts flashing on the front of the soundbar, which in effect means it's not working.
Trying to read through the thread I can't see how you have the sound bar joined to the virgin tv box.
Connecting the soundbar to the tv directly will not get sound from virgin tv.
How does the virgin box connect to the tv?
What model of virgin box do you have and what model of soundbar?
Usually (if not using bluetooth) soundbar should connect to virgin box, which then connects to the tv to produce a chain connecting all three devices.
Also on the soundbar there are different inputs, i have a JVC soundbar and you have to change the input depending if you are getting sound via auxillary, or bluetooth, or optical etc.
The flashing white light when you unplug the humax is probably just telling you the connection has been lost on that input.
Also a firestick wont just work with the soundbar, it has to be paired via bluetooth
Also the virgin box you mention sounds like a router not a TV box. The latest Virgin TV box has hdmi, coax, audio, usb connections. It should only have one yellow connection from where it receives the internet connection from the router.
The back of the TV box should look like this. Where you should be able to connect the optical cable from D.AUDIO to the optical input on the soundbar. Then change the input setting on the soundbar remote control or by changing input by pusjing a button on the soundbar.
What you describe is a router which looks something like the picture below. There should be a cable from one of the yellow ports to the separate virgin TV box going into the yellow connection you see on the first image.
just as a matter of interest - I tried to post already something with the picture of the back of the virgin box. Do I have the rights to do this?