Just wondering if it’s possible to setup HomePod to use with your Apple TV, basically replacing a sound bar?
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HomePod with Apple TV
- Thread starter Ben1l
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Great question. I was expecting the ATV 4K and HomePod to be made for each other in order for Apple to provide everything in the AV chain. Also expected some kind of Dolby Atmos due to it having those 7 tweeters & 36o sound.
Time will tell I guess!
Time will tell I guess!
I don't think that's how this works.
No doubt that will come with a sw or hw update
Wish they'd bring out an apple TELEVISION - if you look at the garbage that's around , Apple could clean up
Sony make great tvs but have a terrible android OS , LG make dodgy oled burn in tvs and samsung just make - well I had a samsung tv for 3 days before it packed up - nuff said
Imagine a micro led apple television with built in A11X chips connected to your homepod 5.1 system controlled by your ios device
...
Wish they'd bring out an apple TELEVISION - if you look at the garbage that's around , Apple could clean up
Sony make great tvs but have a terrible android OS , LG make dodgy oled burn in tvs and samsung just make - well I had a samsung tv for 3 days before it packed up - nuff said
Imagine a micro led apple television with built in A11X chips connected to your homepod 5.1 system controlled by your ios device
...
That's great, but the A11X MoBo is morally outdated way earlier than this gorgeous micro-LED panel. So I personally would like to keep them separated.
Actually, I don't care at all about the "smart"-TV. Just give me a good panel with enough inputs.
Well, i'd just love a really really beautifully made 40" or 43" OLED TV maybe by LG 
Whenever, I see TV, I'm still attracted by these sizes and 32" Sadly, it's not going to happen is it as the people that do buy TV are buying bigger and bigger - as apartments and houses in the world are getting smaller (although that explains why the millennials don't buy TVs).
Whenever, I see TV, I'm still attracted by these sizes and 32" Sadly, it's not going to happen is it as the people that do buy TV are buying bigger and bigger - as apartments and houses in the world are getting smaller (although that explains why the millennials don't buy TVs).
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
ATMOS from a single, small speaker is pretty much completely missing the point.
Does anybody know if an AirPlay speaker such as the HomePod can be set as the default audio output. I know you can manually select audio output by holding down play pause which I do with AirPods but having to do that each time for HomePod would get annoying.
A pair of HomePods connected to my Apple TV would be awesome, I hope this is enabled from day one
Are you expecting to be able to assign one of them to the left and the other to the right channel only??
That would allow to use them as a pair of stereo front speakers.
Have no idea if Apple has thougt about such feature for AirPlay at all.
This is literally a no brainer. How would you not have this thing work as surround sound/home theater to your Apple TV? lol. It better.
Why would you do that? You'd be limiting to 2.1 Audio at best.... Get a decent SoundBar system instead. That way you can work your way up to 5.1 if you ever please to.
Based on everything I have read, the two HomePods that I have ordered matched to my Apple TV 4K will blow away the soundbar I currently have (a Samsung unit that I paid too much for). Yes the stereo option is still a firmware upgrade away but I look forward to it.
Well, i'd just love a really really beautifully made 40" or 43" OLED TV maybe by LG
Millennial here: I was super happy with my 720p 32" Vizio, did exactly what I needed it to. I won a 70" 4K Vizio at the work holiday party this year and I'm hoping I can make this one last at least as long as I do. So many things I'd rather buy then a TV considering I have my phone and laptops that end up being a relatively larger display with how close the viewing distance usually is.
Absolutely the same here! All of my money goes on sports, organic food and travelling the world
I'm trying to make a life full of memories and meeting some amazing people along the way in every corner of the globe 
Have been reading reviews and apparently the Apple TV and HomePod aren't a match made in heaven...
The default audio source on the Apple TV gets reset everytime you use the HomePod for something else (Apple Music, streaming from iPhone, ...) thus everytime you want to watch something on the Apple TV you have to manually select the HomePod again.
Hope AirPlay 2 will fix all this, but I wouldn't put any money on it...
The default audio source on the Apple TV gets reset everytime you use the HomePod for something else (Apple Music, streaming from iPhone, ...) thus everytime you want to watch something on the Apple TV you have to manually select the HomePod again.
Hope AirPlay 2 will fix all this, but I wouldn't put any money on it...
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
A marriage of HP and 
TV is outside of Apple's intent for HP. If they wanted it to be a home theater speaker or even foundation of a home theater, they'd be marketing it that way. Apple would much rather sell upwards of 5 or 7 of these things instead of just 1 or 2.
WE are the ones trying to make this fit into this use and it's not really a fit (but WOW, are we trying!!!). Those wanting it for home theater should take the very same budget and look at some great speaker systems built for that purpose. Good ones will double as great-sounding music players in the living room too.
HP is positioned to be an island- a great-sounding (primarily) music player for rooms where one might not already have ear shot access to music. A living room practically begs for more than a single little speaker, especially with a primary goal of using speakers for movie & TV show soundtracks.
If one imagines buying upwards of 5 or 7 for discrete 5.1 or 7.1 audio, the budget is $349 times 5 or 7. $1745-$2443 will buy some grrrrrreat home theater speakers. Even the guy who wants to go with just 2 for "stereo-like" (or is believing that 2 can favorably replace 5 or 7 for up to ATMOS) should consider a lot of other options at 2 times $349 = approx. $700.
YourTV:
TV is also more flexible than HP in that it has apps so that it can push non-Apple sources to those speakers too (I listen to Pandora all the time via the free Pandora app for TV- no airplaying or monthly subscription fees involved). It will play your CD-ripped music in iTunes without a Match or AM subscription. If you've ripped some stuff at >256kbps AAC, it will feed that higher quality audio to those speakers.
You'll power those speakers with a receiver and the receiver will have many diverse & standardized inputs so you can hook all kinds of other stuff up and enjoy those speakers too. HP doesn't even have 1 aux port to accomodate anything else.
I know some of us are working overtime to make HP a solution for everything audio but this particular objective is a stretch that even Apple themselves are not pushing. Think. Why are they not pushing it when it would potentially sell these in sets of 2, 5 or 7 for one room? Answer: because that's not even Apple's intended use of HP. This is almost trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. Yes, with enough force (and willingness to roll with the subsequent hassles) you can do that... but why bother when there are plenty of alternative options that are made to work that way?
Get an HP for the usage Apple is promoting. They should be a great way to bring great-sounding audio to rooms with no audio now. Consider alternatives if your primary goal is home theater sound. HP is not really aimed at that space. If you are drawn to the "smarts" side of this, read the pre-release reviews about that. Consider an Echo Dot or similar to bring smart "smarts" to the above setup. Maybe Apple will make a HomePod Dot product on down the road if you really want Siri instead of Alexa or Google. And again, yourTV already has Siri baked inside.
TV is outside of Apple's intent for HP. If they wanted it to be a home theater speaker or even foundation of a home theater, they'd be marketing it that way. Apple would much rather sell upwards of 5 or 7 of these things instead of just 1 or 2.WE are the ones trying to make this fit into this use and it's not really a fit (but WOW, are we trying!!!). Those wanting it for home theater should take the very same budget and look at some great speaker systems built for that purpose. Good ones will double as great-sounding music players in the living room too.
HP is positioned to be an island- a great-sounding (primarily) music player for rooms where one might not already have ear shot access to music. A living room practically begs for more than a single little speaker, especially with a primary goal of using speakers for movie & TV show soundtracks.
If one imagines buying upwards of 5 or 7 for discrete 5.1 or 7.1 audio, the budget is $349 times 5 or 7. $1745-$2443 will buy some grrrrrreat home theater speakers. Even the guy who wants to go with just 2 for "stereo-like" (or is believing that 2 can favorably replace 5 or 7 for up to ATMOS) should consider a lot of other options at 2 times $349 = approx. $700.
Your
TV:- ALREADY has Siri voice control and
- ALREADY has AM and
- ALREADY has Airplay
TV is also more flexible than HP in that it has apps so that it can push non-Apple sources to those speakers too (I listen to Pandora all the time via the free Pandora app for TV- no airplaying or monthly subscription fees involved). It will play your CD-ripped music in iTunes without a Match or AM subscription. If you've ripped some stuff at >256kbps AAC, it will feed that higher quality audio to those speakers.You'll power those speakers with a receiver and the receiver will have many diverse & standardized inputs so you can hook all kinds of other stuff up and enjoy those speakers too. HP doesn't even have 1 aux port to accomodate anything else.
I know some of us are working overtime to make HP a solution for everything audio but this particular objective is a stretch that even Apple themselves are not pushing. Think. Why are they not pushing it when it would potentially sell these in sets of 2, 5 or 7 for one room? Answer: because that's not even Apple's intended use of HP. This is almost trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. Yes, with enough force (and willingness to roll with the subsequent hassles) you can do that... but why bother when there are plenty of alternative options that are made to work that way?
Get an HP for the usage Apple is promoting. They should be a great way to bring great-sounding audio to rooms with no audio now. Consider alternatives if your primary goal is home theater sound. HP is not really aimed at that space. If you are drawn to the "smarts" side of this, read the pre-release reviews about that. Consider an Echo Dot or similar to bring smart "smarts" to the above setup. Maybe Apple will make a HomePod Dot product on down the road if you really want Siri instead of Alexa or Google. And again, your
TV already has Siri baked inside.
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Two Homepods cost exactly the same as a Sonos Playbar or Playbase, which are the Wirecutter’s picks for soundbar, and aside from my doubts about them using Toslink to output audio instead of HDMI ARC (maybe they will update them when eARC is ready with HDMI 2.1), would be my first choice, before HomePod was released, as well. (It would certainly be a coup for Apple, in my opinion, if they can sweep Sonos’s whole speaker line into a single product.)
A comment I saw on Reddit suggested all Apple would need is for TVs to support AirPlay and then you could input all your home theater devices to your TV and then output the audio to HomePod (ideally Apple would make this display themselves).
Also, in my opinion, the AV receiver is an antiquated and unsightly product that should probably not exist anymore.
Anyway, Rene Ritchie’s iMore review claimed HomePod works well with Apple TV with no noticeable latency (which I take to mean video is in sync with audio), while John Gruber suggests there will be latency in his review (but then only talks about control lag from the Overcast app on iOS).
Can anyone clarify? Because I definitely want to buy one if audio is in sync and likely don’t if not. (If not, Airplay 2 may fix it, but I would want confirmation on that as well.)
(Rtings says AirPods have “noticeable latency sync issue” with videos, which are “a little bit better but still too high” on iOS.
I’m not sure what this means exactly, But even assuming the worst about AirPods, I think they use Bluetooth not Airplay, and so may not be the same.)
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
A Sonos soundbar is just ONE option that could be considered. There are countless others, especially if the budget steps up into real surround sound setups instead of faux setups.
And feel as you wish about a Receiver, but IMO that's like saying "a computer is an antiquated and unsightly product," which seems to be another message that even Apple is beginning to push...
AV receivers tend to be the central hub of a good AV Home Theater setup. Not only are they handling the power needed by the speakers but they also bring the diverse & standardized jacks to direct audio & video from about anything to about anything else. A receiver solves a whole bunch of people's issues with this HP product. For example, Apple seems to be moving in a direction of little-to-no ports (none in HP for example), but the mirror side of "lock in" is "lock out" as in, you can't use anything else with this product outside walled garden limitations.
Modern receivers can have Airplay built in, and bluetooth, and streaming radio (from any source), etc. A receiver set up needs to plug in in one place, not having access to electricity at every place you want to put your speakers.
The consumer gets to choose the quality of the amplifier inside instead of having ONE chosen for them. Similarly, the consumer gets to choose the quality of the speakers & sub, rather than have a corporation make "one size fits all" choices for them. Receivers can generally handle all of the modern audio codecs, not just a modest subset chosen by a corporation. Etc.
A consistent gripe about HP from the friends of Apple being granted pre-release access for "reviews" is the weakness of Siri's smarts. Tough luck if a consumer agrees after they own a HP. However, the flexibility of a receiver-driven setup means you can attach ANY source of the "smarts" to your speakers via the Dot-type products, meaning you can use Alexa or Google or any other to drive the best speakers in your home. Still prefer Siri in spite of the pre-release reviews- you already have Siri in theTV, so you can lean on Siri if you believe it's best while still having the flexibility to try other things if your views of those "smarts" evolve. You can't do that with HP. There, you are dependent on Apple opting to work on making Siri smarter while knowing the track record of Siri's education since it was first released.
And on and on.
Again, I get that we want to help Apple sell as many of these as we can (though they certainly do not need our help), but these are far from being a "one speaker to rule them all" option. It's just ONE good-to-great option for select applications and select users. For those mostly wanting home theater, there are many other great options, that- paired withTV and an iDevice- can cover upwards of EVERYTHING one can get from a HP and then some-to-lots-more. Consumers should "think different" and "choose wisely" here.
And feel as you wish about a Receiver, but IMO that's like saying "a computer is an antiquated and unsightly product," which seems to be another message that even Apple is beginning to push...
AV receivers tend to be the central hub of a good AV Home Theater setup. Not only are they handling the power needed by the speakers but they also bring the diverse & standardized jacks to direct audio & video from about anything to about anything else. A receiver solves a whole bunch of people's issues with this HP product. For example, Apple seems to be moving in a direction of little-to-no ports (none in HP for example), but the mirror side of "lock in" is "lock out" as in, you can't use anything else with this product outside walled garden limitations.
Modern receivers can have Airplay built in, and bluetooth, and streaming radio (from any source), etc. A receiver set up needs to plug in in one place, not having access to electricity at every place you want to put your speakers.
The consumer gets to choose the quality of the amplifier inside instead of having ONE chosen for them. Similarly, the consumer gets to choose the quality of the speakers & sub, rather than have a corporation make "one size fits all" choices for them. Receivers can generally handle all of the modern audio codecs, not just a modest subset chosen by a corporation. Etc.
A consistent gripe about HP from the friends of Apple being granted pre-release access for "reviews" is the weakness of Siri's smarts. Tough luck if a consumer agrees after they own a HP. However, the flexibility of a receiver-driven setup means you can attach ANY source of the "smarts" to your speakers via the Dot-type products, meaning you can use Alexa or Google or any other to drive the best speakers in your home. Still prefer Siri in spite of the pre-release reviews- you already have Siri in the
TV, so you can lean on Siri if you believe it's best while still having the flexibility to try other things if your views of those "smarts" evolve. You can't do that with HP. There, you are dependent on Apple opting to work on making Siri smarter while knowing the track record of Siri's education since it was first released.And on and on.
Again, I get that we want to help Apple sell as many of these as we can (though they certainly do not need our help), but these are far from being a "one speaker to rule them all" option. It's just ONE good-to-great option for select applications and select users. For those mostly wanting home theater, there are many other great options, that- paired with
TV and an iDevice- can cover upwards of EVERYTHING one can get from a HP and then some-to-lots-more. Consumers should "think different" and "choose wisely" here.
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Right, but I’m saying I’ve considered it and think Sonos was the best option pre-HomePod, which just happens to cost the price of two Homepods.
Off topic, but I think the message of the ad is that the iPad is a “real computer,” and people who don’t agree misunderstood the ad as saying it wasn’t. (The kid just doesn’t know the term “computer.” I.e. the term not the thing it describes is what’s antiquated.)
Right, but I think these types of things can be integrated into the TVs themselves or other products like routers (like a Tablo device but better).
IMO, this is the one legit use case for an external amp (rather than a full-blown receiver), but aside from people who want to hang speakers from their ceiling, most people probably already have outlets on two sides of the room and can run a cord in a pinch, and IMO should probably think about having another outlet installed before buying a home theater system and trying to run wire across the room or through the walls.
My understanding is the consensus view is that self-powered speakers have a (all else equal) technical performance advantage over passive speaker+external amp, but even assuming passive speaker designs are equal in every way, it would be my preference to eliminate the component, particularly given the looks and size of AV receivers (you can find some decent looking stereo amps, I think).
All of the receivers I’m familiar with were made by corporations.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
With respect to your opinion, sounds like HP completely works for you. Enjoy it/them.
Hopefully others visiting this thread will weigh our little debate and make the right decision for them. If they all buy HP and try to make it work for home theater purposes, great. And if they don't, it doesn't affect you- or I- whatsoever.
I reiterate my suggestion that for those seeking great home theater speakers, there are many more choices than just HP vs. Sonos. For those who already own anTV, you already have the main benefits of HP, except for the speaker (though, conceptually, you may already have your TV hooked up to some great speakers too).
Anyone interested in a HP needs an iDevice to set one up. So between theTV and their iDevice, they already have main benefits of HP with some added features/functionality not possible leaning on HP.
Pair some great home theater speakers with what one already has and they may enjoy a better home theater setup than HP can deliver trying to be the same. Again, even Apple is NOT pushing HP as a home theater speaker or system.
Hopefully others visiting this thread will weigh our little debate and make the right decision for them. If they all buy HP and try to make it work for home theater purposes, great. And if they don't, it doesn't affect you- or I- whatsoever.
I reiterate my suggestion that for those seeking great home theater speakers, there are many more choices than just HP vs. Sonos. For those who already own an
TV, you already have the main benefits of HP, except for the speaker (though, conceptually, you may already have your TV hooked up to some great speakers too). Anyone interested in a HP needs an iDevice to set one up. So between the
TV and their iDevice, they already have main benefits of HP with some added features/functionality not possible leaning on HP. Pair some great home theater speakers with what one already has and they may enjoy a better home theater setup than HP can deliver trying to be the same. Again, even Apple is NOT pushing HP as a home theater speaker or system.
If you go back and look at my first reply to you, you’ll see I expressed concern about the latency mentioned in John Gruber’s HomePod review (which Rene Ritchie didn’t experience) and requested clarification on the issue.
I said if the HomePod has video latency syncing issues I likely wouldn’t want to buy one.
I also implied based on a Reddit comment I read that the HomePod would at least need a TV that supports AirPlay (as perhaps one possible solution among many) before becoming a complete Home Theater solution for people with multiple inputs.
Sonos isn’t the best comparison to go with if we’re trying to get a better value than a $700 2.0 HomePod setup for a home theater. You can get a setup with a sub for that much money that will perform much better than two HomePods or a Sonos playbase/bar.
As long as we have devices with HDMI cables needed to transport video and audio, which we will for the foreseeable future, receivers will be necessary. Even aside from that you’ll need a way to amplify speakers unless you want to pay through the nose for a proper ‘wireless’ setup. I agree though receiver manufacturers could use some help in the design department. Some do look very nice, but are prohibitively expensive, i.e. McIntosh’s stuff.
I was wondering about this after the homepod was announced - I was in the market for a new living-room audio system.
The Sonos model was very tempting - but what put me off was being tied into their ecosystem (which didn't work well with a particular audio-source that we use heavily). I ended up buying a samsung sound bar - very happy with it - works seamlessly with my apple TV and my samsung TV. Thinking of adding a wireless subwoofer when funds allow.
Apple's slow pace in the "home" market segment is really frustrating - particularly the apple TV. It just feels like they have nobody really working on this, and no real direction/strategy.
But I guess they have lots of sales and marketing data on the relative benefits of going after the Echo customers, rather than the people who want something to work well with the apple tv. But I don't think it's unreasonable to think that the homepod could do both? They seemed to have designed it's shape to specifically stop you from using it with your tv/appletv Why not simultaneously launch the same product in a long/thin enclosure to sit under your TV as a soundbar type solution? Seems pretty simple to me - and would open up a whole extra market for essentially the same device.
All of this may be coming - but apple's history in the "home" market suggests that, at best, it's a long way off
The Sonos model was very tempting - but what put me off was being tied into their ecosystem (which didn't work well with a particular audio-source that we use heavily). I ended up buying a samsung sound bar - very happy with it - works seamlessly with my apple TV and my samsung TV. Thinking of adding a wireless subwoofer when funds allow.
Apple's slow pace in the "home" market segment is really frustrating - particularly the apple TV. It just feels like they have nobody really working on this, and no real direction/strategy.
But I guess they have lots of sales and marketing data on the relative benefits of going after the Echo customers, rather than the people who want something to work well with the apple tv. But I don't think it's unreasonable to think that the homepod could do both? They seemed to have designed it's shape to specifically stop you from using it with your tv/appletv Why not simultaneously launch the same product in a long/thin enclosure to sit under your TV as a soundbar type solution? Seems pretty simple to me - and would open up a whole extra market for essentially the same device.
All of this may be coming - but apple's history in the "home" market suggests that, at best, it's a long way off