HomePod speaker as AppleTv 4K speaker.

[gdeusthewhizkid]

Hi guys


I was thinking of picking up a sonos soundbar for my new Apple TV 4K. But may just kill two birds with one stone and pick up the HomePod as a sound bar. How is it. By the way really loving the 4K Apple TV edition. Really smooth with the new remote.

 

[MistrSynistr]

I like it...If you pause a movie/show I noticed the sync goes off a little though on mine.

One thing you have to remember is, if you want to use your TV/Soundbar AND HomePod, you have to go into settings, select HomePod, then BACK to HDMI and select it again. It's very strange.

If you use the drop down menu in the program and select HomePod, your TV/Soundbar turns off and the audio only goes to the HomePod.

 

[BODYBUILDERPAUL]

Why don't you have a look at soundbars with Dolby Atmos? With Apple TV 4K offering Dolby Atmos along with plenty of films being added in iTunes, it really makes sense to buy something that is compatible with Dolby Atmos as that is a truly incredible experience.

Don't forget it's CES in January which means we'll hear all about new Dolby Atmos sounders with eARC and maybe new LG OLED TVs with HSMI 2.1 along with 120fps.

Very exciting times ahead.

PS I agree - Apple TV 4K is incredible! They've thought of everything with it

 

[waw74]

I've got the sonos beam with a couple of play:1 for the surrounds
i've also got the sonos sub

I also have a HomePod that i got before i went sonos, i now mainly use it to yell at siri to turn lights on and off.

Even with the sub turned off, the beam sounds great.
The bass is a bit tighter on the HomePod though.
I'm not a "really loud" music person, but both can pump some volume. for "thumping bass" the sonos with sub probably wins though.


using airplay as the main output (how you would use HomePod) isn't a seamless experience, It will occasionally disconnect while it's off, so you'll have to reconnect the next time you want to watch something, If the app you're using has a custom player, the reconnect option might not be in the pull down menu, so you'll have to go to the home screen to select the HomePod.
I use Channels to watch live tv, and it doesn't have airplay in it's menu, and is occasionally a bit funky when air playing
(i've got a pair of sonos one speakers in the bedroom that i use occasionally with that aTV, they're airplay 2 just like HomePod )

You should also think about which music subscription service you use.
if anything besides apple music (like spotify), you should add several points to the "pro column" for the sonos.

alexa is supposed to add support for apple music next week (Dec 17th), so she might be able to play stuff on sonos then.
currently you can select apple music tracks with the sonos app, and alexa can pause and skip tracks for you.
or ask siri on your phone to "play _________ in the living room" and she'll send it to the sonos.

the play:1 and one have the same speaker and audio processing, the one just adds airplay2 and alexa.
if you want to make a left & right pair, they must be the same model.
if using as surrounds, airplay and alexa are disabled, so save a few $ and get the play:1 (You'll have those features from the beam)

you can also airplay to one sonos speaker that supports it and your other non-airplay sonos speakers can join that one.
and you can send the TV audio from the beam to any other sonos speakers.

 

[gdeusthewhizkid]

Why don't you have a look at soundbars with Dolby Atmos? With Apple TV 4K offering Dolby Atmos along with plenty of films being added in iTunes, it really makes sense to buy something that is compatible with Dolby Atmos as that is a truly incredible experience.

Don't forget it's CES in January which means we'll hear all about new Dolby Atmos sounders with eARC and maybe new LG OLED TVs with HSMI 2.1 along with 120fps.

Very exciting times ahead.

PS I agree - Apple TV 4K is incredible! They've thought of everything with it

Well said.. i am looking at those as we currently speak.. they are quite pricey tho...

 

[BODYBUILDERPAUL]

Well said.. i am looking at those as we currently speak.. they are quite pricey tho...

Yep the LG SK9 is decent and I believe that in the US, there can be discount offers - BestBuy had an offer on them recently.
I believe that B&O will be bringing out sounders next year. Hopefully, Sonos will bring Atmos to a sounder soon. I guess the ULTIMATE dream would be for Apple to bring out a beautifully designed sounder with Atmos. Imagine how well that would integrate with Apple TV!!!!!!!!!

If you can, wait for January and CES. That's what we plan on doing. Our LG B7 OLED TV has Atmos and even that from the TV built in speakers is pretty good.

Don't forget to set your apple TV in Video settings to 'Match' frame rate. Then all of your films will be silky smooth!

My Apple TV is 100% my main box for the TV. It's flawless. BTW AirPods work amazing with the Apple TV. Zero lag / sync issues etc. Just superb!
[doublepost=1544651105][/doublepost]

I've got the sonos beam with a couple of play:1 for the surrounds
i've also got the sonos sub

I also have a HomePod that i got before i went sonos, i now mainly use it to yell at siri to turn lights on and off.

Even with the sub turned off, the beam sounds great.
The bass is a bit tighter on the HomePod though.
I'm not a "really loud" music person, but both can pump some volume. for "thumping bass" the sonos with sub probably wins though.


using airplay as the main output (how you would use HomePod) isn't a seamless experience, It will occasionally disconnect while it's off, so you'll have to reconnect the next time you want to watch something, If the app you're using has a custom player, the reconnect option might not be in the pull down menu, so you'll have to go to the home screen to select the HomePod.
I use Channels to watch live tv, and it doesn't have airplay in it's menu, and is occasionally a bit funky when air playing
(i've got a pair of sonos one speakers in the bedroom that i use occasionally with that aTV, they're airplay 2 just like HomePod )

You should also think about which music subscription service you use.
if anything besides apple music (like spotify), you should add several points to the "pro column" for the sonos.

alexa is supposed to add support for apple music next week (Dec 17th), so she might be able to play stuff on sonos then.
currently you can select apple music tracks with the sonos app, and alexa can pause and skip tracks for you.
or ask siri on your phone to "play _________ in the living room" and she'll send it to the sonos.

the play:1 and one have the same speaker and audio processing, the one just adds airplay2 and alexa.
if you want to make a left & right pair, they must be the same model.
if using as surrounds, airplay and alexa are disabled, so save a few $ and get the play:1 (You'll have those features from the beam)

you can also airplay to one sonos speaker that supports it and your other non-airplay sonos speakers can join that one.
and you can send the TV audio from the beam to any other sonos speakers.

The Sonos Beam has got to be the nicest looking sounder that I've ever seen. It's beautiful and so compact. Most soundbars look huge or ugly or boring or all of those! It would be amazing if SONOS was to bring out a Beam with Dolby Atmos. I'd buy one instantly! What great design!

 

[gdeusthewhizkid]

Yep the LG SK9 is decent and I believe that in the US, there can be discount offers - BestBuy had an offer on them recently.
I believe that B&O will be bringing out sounders next year. Hopefully, Sonos will bring Atmos to a sounder soon. I guess the ULTIMATE dream would be for Apple to bring out a beautifully designed sounder with Atmos. Imagine how well that would integrate with Apple TV!!!!!!!!!

If you can, wait for January and CES. That's what we plan on doing. Our LG B7 OLED TV has Atmos and even that from the TV built in speakers is pretty good.

Don't forget to set your apple TV in Video settings to 'Match' frame rate. Then all of your films will be silky smooth!

My Apple TV is 100% my main box for the TV. It's flawless. BTW AirPods work amazing with the Apple TV. Zero lag / sync issues etc. Just superb!
[doublepost=1544651105][/doublepost]

The Sonos Beam has got to be the nicest looking sounder that I've ever seen. It's beautiful and so compact. Most soundbars look huge or ugly or boring or all of those! It would be amazing if SONOS was to bring out a Beam with Dolby Atmos. I'd buy one instantly! What great design!

I’m not going to lie to you if apple came out with a sound bar similar to the HomePod that thing would sell like hot cakes and I would def buy that.. I hope they are reading this.. I think they missed out on the smart speaker market but if they were to compete with the sound bar market with Dolby Atmos and something that looked similar to the HomePod. I believe it would be a very successful product...

 

[BODYBUILDERPAUL]

I’m not going to lie to you if apple came out with a sound bar similar to the HomePod that thing would sell like hot cakes and I would def buy that.. I hope they are reading this.. I think they missed out on the smart speaker market but if they were to compete with the sound bar market with Dolby Atmos and something that looked similar to the HomePod. I believe it would be a very successful product...

TOTALLY! Since Apple really are giving LOTS of love to Apple TV 4K along with iTunes films, I really really hope that they'll make a beautiful Dolby Atmos soundbar system. I'm sure that the design will be gorgeous and with it being Apple, you know that there will be zero connectivity issues and it'll 'just work'. May happen next year when HSMI 2.1 and eARC are released I hope so. I was in the new Apple Store in Covent Garden, London last week. The staff were brilliant AND they had a lovely Apple TV 4K wall with... 55" LG OLED TVs (B8 I believe) NICE NICE NICE!!!!!!!! All that was missing was an Apple Dolby Atmos soundbar

 

[H3LL5P4WN]

I'll chime in on the other end of the spectrum. I have a stereo pair of HomePods that I bought specifically to use with my ATV4K. They sound fantastic and really made me realize how bad my actual TV speakers sound.

 

[CreepyAF]

I'll chime in on the other end of the spectrum. I have a stereo pair of HomePods that I bought specifically to use with my ATV4K. They sound fantastic and really made me realize how bad my actual TV speakers sound.

yeah, i had a dedicated yamaha soundbar that i thought was good until i paired two homepods. movies sound great and voices are clear. apple really good the sound right without me having to do any tinkering.

 

[H3LL5P4WN]

yeah, i had a dedicated yamaha soundbar that i thought was good until i paired two homepods. movies sound great and voices are clear. apple really good the sound right without me having to do any tinkering.

Exactly. Though as others have noted, the bass isn't as prominent as it was when I first got them. They went from J.J. Abrams to 'expert sound technician.'

And as an added perk, on both 12.2 betas so far, my Home Pods stay connected to each other and the Apple TV.

 

[BODYBUILDERPAUL]

For all of the guys pairing Apple Homepods, Flatspanels are finding that when 'Match Frame Rate' is switched ON, there is lip sync issues! Are any of you finding this?

 

[H3LL5P4WN]

For all of the guys pairing Apple Homepods, Flatspanels are finding that when 'Match Frame Rate' is switched ON, there is lip sync issues! Are any of you finding this?

If you mean TVs, I've only seen it with some videos, specifically leading me to believe it was an encoding issue, not a syncing issue on my end.

 

[BODYBUILDERPAUL]

If you mean TVs, I've only seen it with some videos, specifically leading me to believe it was an encoding issue, not a syncing issue on my end.

Yes what I mean is that when using 2 Homepods as a home cinema with the Apple TV 4K, if the 'Match Frame' is switched on (so that a film is played correctly) the sound is slightly out of sync on the homepods which would drive me crazy whereas if Match Frame is switched off (so that everything is going out at 60 fps) there is no issue with lip sync errors.

https://www.flatpanelshd.com/review.php?subaction=showfull&id=1545383058

 

[H3LL5P4WN]

Yes what I mean is that when using 2 Homepods as a home cinema with the Apple TV 4K, if the 'Match Frame' is switched on (so that a film is played correctly) the sound is slightly out of sync on the homepods which would drive me crazy whereas if Match Frame is switched off (so that everything is going out at 60 fps) there is no issue with lip sync errors.

https://www.flatpanelshd.com/review.php?subaction=showfull&id=1545383058

Interesting read. I've never even messed with that myself. I do feel somewhat vindicated that someone else had issues with the Home Pods dropping their connections on iOS/tvOS 12.0-12.1.