Considering replacing my current soundbar with a pair of HomePods. The bar has been acting up recently and a pair of HomePods would actually be less expensive than a replacement bar of the type I have. I have the latest Apple TV 4K and I understand this is possible but I want to get information on actual experiences.
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Anyone Using A pair Of HomePods (not minis) As Tv Speakers With Apple TV?
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I have done so in the past. And after a few Apple TVOS iterations it worked quite well.
The quality was reasonably well in my opinion, but I'm no audio connoisseur by any standard.
Stopped using them when we got a bigger tv, and there wasn't any place on the tv table. Have you got any specific question?
The quality was reasonably well in my opinion, but I'm no audio connoisseur by any standard.
Stopped using them when we got a bigger tv, and there wasn't any place on the tv table. Have you got any specific question?
Thanks for the reply. Currently my soundbar has 2 HDMI-in ports to which I have my ATV and a Fios cable box connected; then the bar is connected to the tv, eARC to eARC. I had to do it this way because of a lip sync issue when the Fios box was connected directly to the tv. I don’t remember whether there was any such issue with the ATV but decided to just do both this way. Then I just change the inputs on the bar to get either the ATV or Fios to display on the tv.
But, as mentioned, this bar has started to have frequent issues with the audio failing altogether and having to unplug it each time to get the audio back. I’m concerned that might get worse. Looking at the HomePods it seems that I might get equally acceptable audio performance with an easier to control system. The soundbar is massive so there would not be an issue placing the HomePod speakers.
After connecting the 2 devices, ATV and Fios, to the tv, I only use those 2, what would be the steps to set the audio to play on the HomePods, especially when just watching tv through the Fios box with the ATV off? And what steps would be necessary when turning the tv on in the morning to get the box’s audio going on the HomePods?
But, as mentioned, this bar has started to have frequent issues with the audio failing altogether and having to unplug it each time to get the audio back. I’m concerned that might get worse. Looking at the HomePods it seems that I might get equally acceptable audio performance with an easier to control system. The soundbar is massive so there would not be an issue placing the HomePod speakers.
After connecting the 2 devices, ATV and Fios, to the tv, I only use those 2, what would be the steps to set the audio to play on the HomePods, especially when just watching tv through the Fios box with the ATV off? And what steps would be necessary when turning the tv on in the morning to get the box’s audio going on the HomePods?
I'm not familiar with a Fios, I've used my ATV in combination with a PS4pro. The ATV was connected to the TV (on the e-arc connection) and the PS4 on a different HDMI. I had to fiddle with the ATV settings but after a while the sound of the PS4 was audible on the HomePods with no sync issue (in my perception)
It’s just a cable/dvr box that provides our tv service. Previously I had a soundbar that was connected to the tv by an optical cable. The bar didn’t have HDMI ports. At that time the cable box was connected to the tv not the soundbar. There was no syncing issue. But I upgraded to a higher end soundbar that had HDMI ports and the instructions were to use an HDMI cable to connect to the tv. However that resulted in significant audio syncing issues with the cable box connected to the tv.
I found posts on multiple forums complaining of this issue because of the HDMI connection versus an optical cable. So I tried connecting the cable box to the soundbar instead. That fixed the syncing issue. At that time I never checked for the issue on the ATV but since the soundbar has 2 input ports I connected both the ATV and cable box to it instead of to the tv.
Hopefully there won’t be such an issue with the HomePods but I still need the exact steps for setting this up from those who have used them this way.
I had to replace my soundbar which was a sophisticated and expensive device. Similar replacement ones would have been in the $1500 range. Apple TV plus 2 HomePods were half that. I can’t say that the setup is equal to the soundbar but very close, and takes up less space. Many people will already have an Apple TV and a fair number will have a HomePod. So it could serve as a very economical system that works extremely well. My wife loves it and I’m quite happy.
Good to hear. I too switched from a soundbar to 2x Homepod's, and due to the size and shape of the room, our results were markedly better with the HP's. Music sounds incredible, usability is dead simple, and everything else (TV/Movies) sound good enough for me and the fam. Sometimes simplicity outweighs pure horsepower.
Home soundbars are usually better quality than a TV’s built-in speakers but beyond that it depends on the soundbar itself. Some are truly excellent audiophile quality and others not so much. So, it is difficult to provide advice without knowing the specific soundbar, how you use it (normal TV dialog, recorded concerts, live music events, etc.), and how much you like it. Original HomePods were/are pretty impressive in their sound output for size, the 2nd generation slight less so with fewer drivers.
Specific to my situation, we use two 2nd gen HomePods as paired speakers for our AppleTV4k. They are drop-dead simple to use, worked immediately and well, and you get the added features of having them listen for “Siri” to do your bidding especially to turn the TV/AppleTV combo on and off verbally. Is the sound quality as good as a soundbar? Depends on the soundbar. For us, they are a huge improvement over the TV speakers. Oh, and ours are refurb’d 2nd gens from Apple. No HDMI ports nor cables required, just a 120v wall outlet for each HP. We’re very pleased.
I tried my home stereo , the least expensive Sonos soundbar, and a pair of gen1 Homepods. I settled in the HomePods. I am sure that audiophiles would not be overly impressed with the HomePods but for my ears they are pretty damn good, are easy to setup and integrate well with AppleTV.
We set up 2 first generation HomePods as well with the Apple TV. I have to say I was super amazed with the sound quality. You hear every little whisper. I feel this is the best solution for us. Simple and great sound. I'm sure that expensive sound bars may be a bit better, but I'd really be surprised if they were. I think you'll be pleased with them!
I have been so far. Compared to a typical soundbar, much better. And pretty close to those at twice this price. They’re worth considering by anyone thinking of a high end sound system. I was apprehensive that they just wouldn’t be adequate and I might regret the decision but so far I’m really pleased.
I’ve been running a pair off my Apple TV with no problems…but that’s all I have or want with that setup. No cable tv as you had in your original question. I was curious how you integrated that in.
I was somewhat confused at first but it turned out to be easy. Once the Apple TV recognizes the pods, just go to the ATV settings under Audio/Video and enable play tv sounds. I think you can do the same through the Home app but it was easier with ATV settings. That way any device that produces audio, ATV, cable box, game player, etc. that is connected to the tv will be routed to the pods. Occasionally on certain media/broadcasts there is a noticeable audio sync issue. But I’ve found that to be mostly due to the particular station, their feed to the Fios network may be having issues, or some content on the app I’m watching, Amazon tends to be the most common culprit but not that often.
One surprise I had was that all my remotes, ATV, Fios box, and Tv remote, can control the ATV and volume.
oh wow I usually worry about the other way around, controlling my tv through my Apple Remote. thats good to know it works in reverse too.
For this functionality, do you need to have the Apple TV connected to an HDMI port with erARC ?
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I don’t think so. I think any of the HDMI ports would work. However there is a setting to enable “enhanced” HDMI in my tv input settings. I have that enabled for all the ports but am not sure what that does. My previous soundbar had been connected to the eARC port on the tv so I decided to just run the ATV to it too. In the Apple instructions to do this it mentioned that you will see “connected to ARC/eARC below the setting to “play tv sound” if it all connects properly. That’s why I don’t think it matters if it’s the eARC port or not, but it may.
I had to enable CEC (in addition to (e)ARC) on my TV.
HDMI eARC and CEC [Enhancing Your Home Theater Experience]
Simplify your audio setup and improve the quality with HDMI eARC and CEC. Our guide covers the benefits of these technologies.
hometheaterology.com
It can even do chained control. For example, I have the Apple TV connected to an AV receiver, waking the Apple TV turns on the receiver and turns on the TV plus changes the input on the TV.
My TV does not have HDMI eARC ports nor does it have the ”enhanced” HDMI feature which may be why my AppleTV, with the fully up to date TVOS, does not give me that option.
Hmm I wonder if She Who Must Be Obeyed would accept this as a valid reason for upgrading our 12+ y.o. 1080p TV for a spanking new 4K model. 😉
The CEC feature, mentioned above by @MacCheetah3, seems to be the secret sauce that makes the magic happen. I can ask Siri (through HomePod) to turn on/off my Apple TV and the Apple TV in turns on the TV and switches to the Apple TV's HDMI connection, ready to watch. It's a neat trick, and very useful.
As for upgrading, if She Who Must Be Obeyed appreciates a good picture, try an LG OLED (Gallery models are 🤌 if budget allows) and get some Apple TV+ content on it (with eco mode off) – shows like Platonic, Monarch, Little Voice, The Morning Show, Still Up, Silo, For All Mankind, Shrinking – probably anything from the catalogue tbh – look wonderful.