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HomePod solely for Apple TV use

A

ArmPol

macrumors member
Original poster
Sep 22, 2014
96
27
UK
Will we be happy with a HomePod for our minimal needs!

All of our audio and video content comes from our Apple TV 4th generation.

We have a Sony 50” TV and we are an all Apple house (IPhones, IPads, Macs). All TV comes through our 200Mb fibre connection from ITunes, NowTV, Amazon video and Netflix. We do not have, nor want, a satellite dish nor an aerial. All our music needs are through Apple Music.

In the past we had a Sony HT-XT1 Soundbase but we ditched it as we want to be as minimal as possible and it was too big and ugly.

Obviously, the TV has awful sound. We are thinking of getting a HomePod (small and inconspicuous) and putting it near the TV, the only thing that will ever connect to it will be the Apple TV and I don’t think we will ever use Siri (though possibly we would in the future).

Will the Apple TV always use the HomePod or will we have to force it to use it every time the Apple TV starts up?

My wife is a bit of a technophobe and if she had to mess about on Apple TV start-up she would soon get frustrated.

Any help would be appreciated.
 
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You can set the Homepod as the default audio output source in the Apple TV settings. I haven't tried it yet though to see if it sticks.
 
It will stick, until you use the Homepod with your voice to request Apple Music or Airplay from another device.

If you stream music to it from Apple Music, you will then need to reconnect it to the HomePod when you next use Apple TV.

HomePod isn't really designed for home theatre, I'd suggest getting a dedicated Sound Bar/Sub.
 
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It does work quite well for me as a TV speaker in my bedroom. It’s a definitely much better than the TV speakers. Apple could easily fix the audio output not sticking with a software update....
 
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pcfarrar said:
It does work quite well for me as a TV speaker in my bedroom. It’s a definitely much better than the TV speakers. Apple could easily fix the audio output not sticking with a software update....
Click to expand...

Yeah, you have to figure this thing will definitely improve over the time. There are so many software features they could still add.
 
Biggest problem is a volume bug when pairing with AppleTV. At 100% volume it is literally half of what you can get through airplay or apple music. It's not sufficient for movies and a pity that the true performance of HomePod isn't available through the AppleTV. Many are seeing this.
 
whola said:
Biggest problem is a volume bug when pairing with AppleTV. At 100% volume it is literally half of what you can get through airplay or apple music. It's not sufficient for movies and a pity that the true performance of HomePod isn't available through the AppleTV. Many are seeing this.
Click to expand...
For some reason you need to use the hardware buttons to turn it up to 100% first. Then you should be able to control it as normal. It’s quite loud for our Apple TV now.
 
I have been using HomePods as my Apple TV speaker for a day now. There is a easy way to connect. Start Apply TV, and long press the play button, you will see all your audio output sources, such as Apple TV/HomePods/Your other speakers. It took me less then 10 sec to set it up every time I want to watch something. I have ditched my Bose Solo 5, and planning to sale it on eBay. As Whola mentioned, the volume thing sucks, but it is loud enough for me.
 
BananaX said:
It took me less then 10 sec to set it up every time I want to watch something.
Click to expand...

Every single time you watch something you have to do that?
Like it won't remember that you are airplaying to the HomePod between different videos?
 
For those of you saying the volume is lower through the Apple TV, do you have reduced loud noises turned on on the Apple TV?
 
You need to repair it when using the TV and when you want to use it normally from the sounds
 
turbineseaplane said:
Every single time you watch something you have to do that?
Like it won't remember that you are airplaying to the HomePod between different videos?
Click to expand...
As long as Apple TV remain your last audio source output in HomePods, you don't have to change anything, you can ask HomePods to pause/play etc. However, if you ask HomePods to play some music, then you have to pair it again. Then again, it takes around 10-30 sec for me to open Apple TV and power on my Bose Solo 5 sound bar. Now, it takes 10-30 sec to open Apple TV and select output source to HomePods. Makes no different to me. :D
 
Ok using my HomePod for TV a lot and tbh it’s mixed
It sounds amazing when watching normal TV, but if I put on Game of Thrones for example the HomePod just can’t cope with the sound separation. It’s got incredible base but sometimes music can get lost, or voices can get lost.
I think this is more an issue with the HomePod now having Stereo tbh
 
ArmPol said:
Will we be happy with a HomePod for our minimal needs!

All of our audio and video content comes from our Apple TV 4th generation.

We have a Sony 50” TV and we are an all Apple house (IPhones, IPads, Macs). All TV comes through our 200Mb fibre connection from ITunes, NowTV, Amazon video and Netflix. We do not have, nor want, a satellite dish nor an aerial. All our music needs are through Apple Music.

In the past we had a Sony HT-XT1 Soundbase but we ditched it as we want to be as minimal as possible and it was too big and ugly.

Obviously, the TV has awful sound. We are thinking of getting a HomePod (small and inconspicuous) and putting it near the TV, the only thing that will ever connect to it will be the Apple TV and I don’t think we will ever use Siri (though possibly we would in the future).

Will the Apple TV always use the HomePod or will we have to force it to use it every time the Apple TV starts up?

My wife is a bit of a technophobe and if she had to mess about on Apple TV start-up she would soon get frustrated.

Any help would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
I can’t get the HomePod to work reliably with Apple TV (nothing else connected to tv). Apple Tech told me Apple never intended HomePod to be used as speakers for tv, but he is trying to pin the problem down — Apple TV or the HomePod. My favorite music is movie music, so it’s reasonable to pair the Apple TV & HomePod. And every Apple site includes directions to do this. It worked sometimes, and I haven’t given up. But I’m ticked!
 
ipodssss said:
Ok using my HomePod for TV a lot and tbh it’s mixed
It sounds amazing when watching normal TV, but if I put on Game of Thrones for example the HomePod just can’t cope with the sound separation. It’s got incredible base but sometimes music can get lost, or voices can get lost.
I think this is more an issue with the HomePod now having Stereo tbh
Click to expand...

Play with your Audio settings on the Apple TV. I had to change a few things to stereo for my Soundbase and it works great now.
 
Maybe it’s just me. But I’m shocked they couldn’t figure out how to simply use your HomePod as an Amazon echo. Where you say hey Siri, give it an Apple TV command. And it does the command. Without having to run the audio through the HomePod. I love how my echo tap can simply open Netflix or whatever, while walking around the room and doing whatever.
 
Denise Miller said:
...Apple never intended HomePod to be used as speakers for tv
Click to expand...

I admire everyones persistence here, but the quoted text is really the start and finish of this honestly.
Who knows - Hopefully Apple will also release a HomeBar, but I sort of doubt it.

What Apple decides to make or not make anymore seems to be a complete crapshoot.
A Sonos PlayBar (or any other good quality Soundbar) is a far better TV audio solution.

I have a ZVOX SB500 - Freaking love the thing and it was only $399 (on sale at the time).
Great sound - Simple - Just works wonderfully, even with my Apple TV remote.

Everyone is different of course, but I have "the other half" to worry about with things like TV Audio and I need that setup to be good quality audio that is bulletproof to use, otherwise I'm simply creating an in-house constant tech support situation for myself. No thank you on that! :)
 
Yeah....i don't think it is the best idea.

My homepod sounds better, with music, than my $400 sound bar. But said sound bar sounds way better with movie/tv audio (I tested them next to each other, out of curosity).

The homepod can't produce the amount of base that a soundbar + sub combo gives you. In order to match it, you would need the ability to pair 2 homepods and a sub to the apple tv....and at that point you are spending a lot of money, and you will don't have surround sound or a center channel. You can get a much better experience going elsewhere, when it comes to theater audio.

If you want something as simple as the homepod, with great sound, go with a Sonos setup for the TV. But at that point...the sonos ecosystem beckons (unless said setup is one of the products getting updated with airplay 2).

I use my homepod for what it is great at...listening to music. I returned the the 2 for $349 sonos deal for the homepod. The homepod is easier to move and has more bass. The sonos pair in stereo mode sounds superior, but the bass and adaptive sound (since I move my homepod around) worked better for me.
 
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BananaX said:
As long as Apple TV remain your last audio source output in HomePods, you don't have to change anything, you can ask HomePods to pause/play etc. However, if you ask HomePods to play some music, then you have to pair it again. Then again, it takes around 10-30 sec for me to open Apple TV and power on my Bose Solo 5 sound bar. Now, it takes 10-30 sec to open Apple TV and select output source to HomePods. Makes no different to me. :D
Click to expand...
I’ve noticed that if I simply watch a movie with the Apple TV run thru the HomePod. I say pause. And then walk away, if I wait too long. It disconnects. It’s happened when I paused a movie and took a shower. When I came back. I had to reconnect the HomePod to the Apple TV. And there were other times when it just seems to disconnect itself from my Apple TV for no reason. And I have to reconnect. Even in the middle of a movie.
 
lsutigerfan1976 said:
I’ve noticed that if I simply watch a movie with the Apple TV run thru the HomePod. I say pause. And then walk away, if I wait too long. It disconnects. It’s happened when I paused a movie and took a shower. When I came back. I had to reconnect the HomePod to the Apple TV. And there were other times when it just seems to disconnect itself from my Apple TV for no reason. And I have to reconnect. Even in the middle of a movie.
Click to expand...
I have been using HomePods as the speaker for almost a week. The disconnection never happens to me. o_O
 
BananaX said:
I have been using HomePods as the speaker for almost a week. The disconnection never happens to me. o_O
Click to expand...
It happens to me all the time. If I pause something and grab a snack. Where i won’t be gone for long I’m good. But if I pause something and am gone for more than a few minutes. I have to reconnect the HomePod with the Apple TV again. It’s not a huge deal, but annoying.
 
It really depends on the size of the room. I think the HomePod is fabulous for a bedroom/den/office, but if you're looking to fill a great room or a large family room with immersive, deep sound - it can't. It's a tiny speaker and while it is impressive what comes out of it, it can't compete with a full-size home theater. You are also only going to be able to stream sound from Apple TV so if you wanna watch a blu-ray or something, there is no way to hook that up so it plays through HomePod.
 
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