Re: Optical audio no volume control - Page 6

drou · ‎18-03-2020

My TV is UE 50 RU7402. My speakers are Edifier R1280DB.

If I connect them through optical (toslink), I can't control the volume with Samsung's One remote. When I press volume up or down, the tv shows on screen the word "optical" and nothing happens.

Is there a way to control the volume?

If I understand correctly, when I search through TV settings it is possible to control speakers or AV receivers from other brands when connected with optical cable. So the optical connection isn't "fixed". Why not having it "open" for all brands?

Is this going to change in the future with an update?

P.S. If I connect them through bluetooth I can control the volume with One remote just fine. But I prefer the sound through optical. Also, I have to re-pair the speakers every time I power on the TV.

Iceman1680 · ‎08-12-2020

Yes sir you are correct—once you change the hdmi input to something else you lose control of the soundbar BUT, that’s why I changed each hdmi port into the gimmicky universal remote. So I had a cable box, Apple TV, and PS4 all set up the same way so the soundbar worked for each. As far as Netflix and other apps are concerned, they are not affected by this issue as long as you leave the input on whichever ones you have set up. In other words, if hdmi 1 is set up properly then leave it on hdmi 1 and when you open the Netflix app through the Tizen OS it will not change which hdmi port you have active hence allowing Netflix and other apps to still work properly. For the record, my setup is a 2016 Samsung TV with a Yamaha soundbar.

drou · ‎08-12-2020

I tried it again. It doesn't work with pc. I made sure that I left it on hdm1 (where sat-box is) and Netflix app has no sound. And also, I found out that there is no sound when I load a file through usb (not DTS).

Propably your solution will work with certain combinations of tv models and speakers, like other solutions from previous users. At least, people coming to this thread will have a few options to try.

TipsAndTricks · ‎11-12-2020

On your Samsung TV go to settings, then to sound and select the first icon and switch it to TV Speaker. Hope this works for you!

Courtney39 · ‎24-01-2021

It didn’t work for me. 😞

Jim77 · ‎24-01-2021

Jim77 (new)

I have this issue and have gone through all 6 pages of this topic.

Bottom line - Samsung has a software issue in the TV.

This initially worked just fine with optical line to Yamaha YAS-207 soundbar. Samsung One Remote and Direct TV remote both worked the soundbar up/down volume and mute flawlessly. Then it stopped working.

It's not IR vs RF, or seems any of the other elegant interpretations above.

It's a Samsung TV software glitch.

Wonder if they will come to the party and fix it with an update ?

Thanks -

Jim77

Santa Fe, NM

drou · ‎25-01-2021

You are correct. As I wrote in previous posts, it is a software problem.

One Remote's bluetooth/RF/IR implementation does play a role. It is one more step where Samsung messed up. The other one is the ditching of RCA and 3.5mm jack outputs without making the optical "variable". And the more important one is the tv's software that binds all together.

They will not fix it. I have found similar posts in other forums as old as 5 years, where the OP said that he contacted Samsung about it.

DrD · ‎24-02-2021

Same problem. I have an older receiver-Denon AVR1801, which has S-VHS inputs and optical inputs, but no HDMI. I went through the whole set up as outllned by Samsung. It brought up my receiver in the list, but was unable to connect with it after several attempts. I gave up and tried Samsung customer service. He remoted into my TV, and did everything I did, with the same results. After trying for about a half hour, he told me that he found out it's only set up to work with HDMI, not optical. Doesn't make much sense, because if you have an HDMI receiver you wouldn't need to use optical. So I don't know if this means the connection signal between the TV and the receiver goes through the video side, rather than the audio, and he couldn't tell me that either. I ordered an HDMI to S-VHS converter and will see if that's a work around, but that also would mean going to analog audio, and I certainly don't want to do that, so I think I'm just stuck with using two remotes. has anyone else solved this?

FOLLOW UP to this post : I got the HDMI to S-Video (sorry, not S-VHS. I'm showing my age!) adapter and hooked it up through my receiver through the VCR 1 inputs. Got a picture and sound (both terrible) and the TV actually recognized my receiver and turned the power off. HOWEVER--still no control of the external speakers with the Samsung remote, no matter what I did. Now lookin for a good del on a Denon X series AVR, but really can't see spending the money just to avoid using a second remote. Only upside, it sounds REALLY good just using 3 channel audio. My speakers are NHT VT-2 towers, by the way. 20 yrs old, but still blow the socks off any soundbar.

Members_tKp2hRP · ‎05-03-2021

This question posted by drou, the subsequent discussion, and questions on other forums across the internet have been helpful for me in solving a similar problem. From what I can see, Samsung generally will not, and have not, been good at their software functionality design. This is a shame, as it let's down an otherwise good reputation and physical product.

Like the OP, I also wanted to connect to high quality external speakers, and was so easy before with 3.5mm or RCA out from the TV. I tried toslink first using a optical to 3.5m adapter, and not being able to control volume was a (unexpected) problem. I then thought bluetooth would be the way to go. I tried the first adapter I bought, but this had the problem that when I turned off the Samsung TV, the bluetooth would go into sleep, and you would need to reconnect from the bluetooth adapter (by pyhycially turning it on) every time. Then I tried bluetooth (v5) adapter number 2, which sent a "connect to me" signal regularly and stayed always on. This should have been the perfect solution (the sound quality was fine for me, with no noticeable delay). Except, the stupid Samsung TV software will ask you every time if you want to connect to the bluetooth speaker when you switch it on. I have never seen a device do this. If the bluetooth speaker was connected before you switched it off, and the adapter is powered on, and it has been connected before, then it should simply be connected (no questions asked). Not the case here and an annoying popup that needed a (laggy) button press every time you turned on the TV.

So I almost gave up. But instead, started exploring the HDMI ARC approach. I wasn't expecting this to work any better, but bought (yet another adapter ...) a HDMI ARC audio extractor with CEC. The CEC is the important part. This allows the volume control (perhaps). There are a lot of ARC audio extractors, but I think most do not have CEC. This part is very important. Anyway, received this unit, plugged it into the ARC socket, connected the speakers, and it works!! Can use the TV remote to control the external speaker volume through the TV (not using universal remote mode). You need to make sure "Anynet+" is enabled in the TV settings. Anynet+ is Samsung's name for CEC. Other advantage is there is no Bluetooth compression or delay, it is direct signal to the speakers, so the quality is great. For those who can buy this, this is the ARC adapter that worked: HDMI ARC Adapter & DAC Converter, edola HDMI ARC Audio Extractor Adapter & DAC Converter Selector wi...

Hope that helps.

drou · ‎05-03-2021

Thank you very much for your sugestion.

I had asked around in the past and some people had success with various DACs and some no. So, can you please post your TV and Speakers model? Kudos for pointing out about the CEC function of the DAC.

Also, if it is not a trouble, can you try and see if it works when you connect the DAC to the TV through optical port, and to the speakers through wichever port you like (optimal also through optical)?

Members_tKp2hRP · ‎05-03-2021

You're welcome. The model is QE65LS03TAUXXU, which the Frame 65". I'm sure all the new Samsung TVs are very similar. The speakers are active near-field studio monitors (ESI), not that it matters much though. It's simply connected through the RCA (or 3.5mm) of the HDMI ARC audio extractor unit.

I can guarantee that there will be no volume control with the optical, not just through this device but through any device. It is *only* because of the CEC (which only comes with HDMI ARC) that allows volume control natively through the TV. This would be the only option. Bluetooth would be fine if it weren't for the annoying on screen popup. Bluetooth would have been better otherwise in fact, because you can also pair your phone to the speakers at the same time.