HomePod HomePod 2 paired in stereo / airplay from ATV / Volume ctrl

[Scott-n-Houston]

I have 2 new HomePods and am considering buying a new TV that supports HomeKit so I can use them with my TV and ditch Sonos.

Today, I can only use the HomePods as TV speakers with my 4K AppleTV (1st gen).
It simply selects the speakers as stereo AirPlay. It's odd because I lose the sounds while navigating around ATV.
I get sound when I play a movie.
But what's odd is that at times, after the screensaver has been running etc. I lose the ability to control the volume of the pods via the ATV remote or the remote app.
The only way I can change them is by putting my phone in proximity to a pod and change on my phone...

Anyone else? Is it due to my configuration?

 

[curdy]

I have my two 2nd gen HomePods set up as a stereo pair connected to my Apple TV 4K (3rd gen) for sound output for anything that the Apple TV plays but have a separate sound system for cable tv through a receiver. My Apple TV is set up to automatically play it's sound through the HomePods (Settings --> Audio Output, select HomePods vs TV speakers). And I do get sound through the Apple TV interface when navigating around (the movement sound when moving through apps, etc).

 

[Itinj24]

FWIW, the UI navigation tone is very low. Mine sound but if the volume is low, you can barely hear it. If you haven’t already, put your ear close to the HomePod while navigating the UI and see if you can hear it.

As for losing volume control for the connected HomePod(s), yeah this happens to me too and very annoying when it does. No rhyme or reason for me. Works one minute then doesn’t the next. A reboot usually fixes it.

 

[digitalfx]

I have 2 new HomePods and am considering buying a new TV that supports HomeKit so I can use them with my TV and ditch Sonos.

Today, I can only use the HomePods as TV speakers with my 4K AppleTV (1st gen).
It simply selects the speakers as stereo AirPlay. It's odd because I lose the sounds while navigating around ATV.
I get sound when I play a movie.
But what's odd is that at times, after the screensaver has been running etc. I lose the ability to control the volume of the pods via the ATV remote or the remote app.
The only way I can change them is by putting my phone in proximity to a pod and change on my phone...

Anyone else? Is it due to my configuration?

you don't need a 'HomeKit supported TV'...just plug your ATV into your TV's HDMI w/ ARC (its usually input 3) and then enable ARC on your ATV.
This will give you TV sound and ATV sound thru HomePod

On ATV Settings:
Video and Audio/Audio Output/Audio Return Channel- turn on

 

[Kaulini]

you don't need a 'HomeKit supported TV'...just plug your ATV into your TV's HDMI w/ ARC (its usually input 3) and then enable ARC on your ATV.
This will give you TV sound and ATV sound thru HomePod

On ATV Settings:
Video and Audio/Audio Output/Audio Return Channel- turn on

You do if you want to controll other things that are connected to the TV itself!

For example having only apple TV box - you can controll everything within the tvOS interface
but apple TV homekit TV screen - that you can tell: "Hey siri, turn on xbox" and itll switch its hdmi input to the one You set as Xbox.

and for that - as good as samsung screens are - its better to buy anything with LG's webOS. They license it to other TV makers and it gets all the homekit updates LG TVs do.