How to get music from iphone to surround

[san001]

Hi

I have tried various ways and cannot get music from my iphone to come from the sound of my surround via ATV.

set up so far is:
ATV linked by HDMI to TV
Optical cable from ATV to TV

The surround only has one HDMI slot which is used to connect with the TV, no optical is available.

Is perhaps my surround not sufficient enough for me to be able to do this

Thanks for any help

 

[paulrbeers]

Hi

I have tried various ways and cannot get music from my iphone to come from the sound of my surround via ATV.

set up so far is:
ATV linked by HDMI to TV
Optical cable from ATV to TV

The surround only has one HDMI slot which is used to connect with the TV, no optical is available.

Is perhaps my surround not sufficient enough for me to be able to do this

Thanks for any help

Generally your HDMI on your TV is HDMI IN only and generally the HDMI coming out of your surround sound is HDMI Out only (especially if using a cheap surround sound package). Therefore the audio will not pass from your tv back to your surround. Usually you would have your ATV plugged into your surround package and then your surround package to your TV....

The only way this will work is IF your TV and surround package can use ARC:
http://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/hdmi-arc-explained-works-care/#!Jr9Bg

So no. Based on what I am seeing, your setup will not be able to do Audio from the ATV to the TV, then TV back to your Stereo....

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Turn on the TV?
Turn on airplay?

If your wiring flow is TV to TV to Sound, eliminate some variables. When you watch other things on your TV (like cable/satt) does the sound come out of your "surround"? I would guess yes since you have it wired this way. If so, the TV can push sound from it to your "surround".

When you watch other things on your TV- like say movie trailers- is all working just fine (picture on the TV, sound coming from your "surround" speakers)? I would also guess yes.

If so, your wiring setup should be fine for playing something from your iPhone.

Can you make anything on your iPhone play through your TV to your TV and "surround"? Movies? TV shows? Youtube? Or does nothing work? If so, you might not be using Airplay to establish the connection to the TV. Read up on that and figure out how to turn it on so you can play from iPhone through TV to TV & "surround.": http://www.apple.com/support/appletv/airplay/

If airplay is working with other media (like playing youtube videos with sound through your TV), it should work with music too. Are you trying to turn off your TV when trying to play that music? Your TV may need to be on to flow the sound to your "surround". If the TV is off it may not pass through sound. If you want it to work that way, you have to think about a different wiring setup that can bypass the TV when you want the TV off but the speakers still on. In your case, this might be a receiver or similar hardware that will split the HDMI, sending video directly to the TV and sound directly to the "surround".

Is your question really about surround sound, meaning you have sound but you want it coming out of your rear speakers too? If so, that's probably a mode in your surround system setup. Music is generally stereo or mono, so playback is generally going to be from your front left & right speakers (separately for stereo or together for mono) or maybe your left, right & center (front) speakers in other setups. To get the rear speakers playing too will typically require a manual shift in the surround sound system's setup menu (something named "hall" or "all speakers" mode or similar). Check your surround system setup for how to play stereo through all of your speakers.

My best guess based on your post is that your wiring setup is OK (otherwise, you'd have other problems with getting any sound out of any source (like cable/satt too)) and you are either 1) not making an airplay connection between iPhone and TV, 2) you're trying to play music without the TV turned on (but it needs to be on to pass the audio through to your speakers) or 3) you are playing music just fine but want the rear speakers to play it too (which will be a mode change in your surround system setup- you'll have to push a button or change a menu item for stereo music from all speakers). If #3, you'll just have to remember to switch the mode back when you are done listening to stereo so that your sound returns to "normal" for watching movies/TV shows (else, everything will be playing through all speakers and movies/TV shows will sound weird).

 

[san001]

Turn on the TV?
Turn on airplay?

Yes done this

If your wiring flow is TV to TV to Sound, eliminate some variables. When you watch other things on your TV (like cable/satt) does the sound come out of your "surround"? I would guess yes since you have it wired this way. If so, the TV can push sound from it to your "surround".

Yes

When you watch other things on your TV- like say movie trailers- is all working just fine (picture on the TV, sound coming from your "surround" speakers)? I would also guess yes.

At the moment i dont use ATV for anything else, so dont know if surround would work.

If so, your wiring setup should be fine for playing something from your iPhone.

Can you make anything on your iPhone play through your TV to your TV and "surround"? Movies? TV shows? Youtube? Or does nothing work? If so, you might not be using Airplay to establish the connection to the TV. Read up on that and figure out how to turn it on so you can play from iPhone through TV to TV & "surround.": http://www.apple.com/support/appletv/airplay/

Yes can show pictures on TV from iphone and it does play music by only through the TV speakers, not the surround speakers

If airplay is working with other media (like playing youtube videos with sound through your TV), it should work with music too. Are you trying to turn off your TV when trying to play that music? Your TV may need to be on to flow the sound to your "surround". If the TV is off it may not pass through sound. If you want it to work that way, you have to think about a different wiring setup that can bypass the TV when you want the TV off but the speakers still on. In your case, this might be a receiver or similar hardware that will split the HDMI, sending video directly to the TV and sound directly to the "surround".

Yes i leave the TV on

Is your question really about surround sound, meaning you have sound but you want it coming out of your rear speakers too? If so, that's probably a mode in your surround system setup. Music is generally stereo or mono, so playback is generally going to be from your front left & right speakers (separately for stereo or together for mono) or maybe your left, right & center (front) speakers in other setups. To get the rear speakers playing too will typically require a manual shift in the surround sound system's setup menu (something named "hall" or "all speakers" mode or similar). Check your surround system setup for how to play stereo through all of your speakers.

It only comes out of TV speakers

My best guess based on your post is that your wiring setup is OK (otherwise, you'd have other problems with getting any sound out of any source (like cable/satt too)) and you are either 1) not making an airplay connection between iPhone and TV, 2) you're trying to play music without the TV turned on (but it needs to be on to pass the audio through to your speakers) or 3) you are playing music just fine but want the rear speakers to play it too (which will be a mode change in your surround system setup- you'll have to push a button or change a menu item for stereo music from all speakers). If #3, you'll just have to remember to switch the mode back when you are done listening to stereo so that your sound returns to "normal" for watching movies/TV shows (else, everything will be playing through all speakers and movies/TV shows will sound weird).

Thank you so much for your time in replying. I have looked through lots of posts but cannot simply get the surround to work playing my music (it does work with watching movies from the TV). I have shown my comments above to your questions.

----------

Generally your HDMI on your TV is HDMI IN only and generally the HDMI coming out of your surround sound is HDMI Out only (especially if using a cheap surround sound package). Therefore the audio will not pass from your tv back to your surround. Usually you would have your ATV plugged into your surround package and then your surround package to your TV....

The only way this will work is IF your TV and surround package can use ARC:
http://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/hdmi-arc-explained-works-care/#!Jr9Bg

So no. Based on what I am seeing, your setup will not be able to do Audio from the ATV to the TV, then TV back to your Stereo....

Thank you for your reply, i will check tonight but do not think the surround has an ARC.

 

[paulrbeers]

Turn on the TV?
Turn on airplay?

If your wiring flow is TV to TV to Sound, eliminate some variables. When you watch other things on your TV (like cable/satt) does the sound come out of your "surround"? I would guess yes since you have it wired this way. If so, the TV can push sound from it to your "surround".

When you watch other things on your TV- like say movie trailers- is all working just fine (picture on the TV, sound coming from your "surround" speakers)? I would also guess yes.

If so, your wiring setup should be fine for playing something from your iPhone.

Can you make anything on your iPhone play through your TV to your TV and "surround"? Movies? TV shows? Youtube? Or does nothing work? If so, you might not be using Airplay to establish the connection to the TV. Read up on that and figure out how to turn it on so you can play from iPhone through TV to TV & "surround.": http://www.apple.com/support/appletv/airplay/

If airplay is working with other media (like playing youtube videos with sound through your TV), it should work with music too. Are you trying to turn off your TV when trying to play that music? Your TV may need to be on to flow the sound to your "surround". If the TV is off it may not pass through sound. If you want it to work that way, you have to think about a different wiring setup that can bypass the TV when you want the TV off but the speakers still on. In your case, this might be a receiver or similar hardware that will split the HDMI, sending video directly to the TV and sound directly to the "surround".

Is your question really about surround sound, meaning you have sound but you want it coming out of your rear speakers too? If so, that's probably a mode in your surround system setup. Music is generally stereo or mono, so playback is generally going to be from your front left & right speakers (separately for stereo or together for mono) or maybe your left, right & center (front) speakers in other setups. To get the rear speakers playing too will typically require a manual shift in the surround sound system's setup menu (something named "hall" or "all speakers" mode or similar). Check your surround system setup for how to play stereo through all of your speakers.

My best guess based on your post is that your wiring setup is OK (otherwise, you'd have other problems with getting any sound out of any source (like cable/satt too)) and you are either 1) not making an airplay connection between iPhone and TV, 2) you're trying to play music without the TV turned on (but it needs to be on to pass the audio through to your speakers) or 3) you are playing music just fine but want the rear speakers to play it too (which will be a mode change in your surround system setup- you'll have to push a button or change a menu item for stereo music from all speakers). If #3, you'll just have to remember to switch the mode back when you are done listening to stereo so that your sound returns to "normal" for watching movies/TV shows (else, everything will be playing through all speakers and movies/TV shows will sound weird).

You missed his entire post:

He's going ATV -> TV
Surround -> TV

What he needs is ATV -> Surround -> TV if he wants to do Airplay to the Surround; however, his Surround package sounds like a cheap box seat that has NO inputs (probably a built in Blu-Ray + Surround). Therefore the ATV will NOT play thru the TV, thus turning on Airplay has nothing to do with it. he can play thru the TV speakers, but that isn't what he is asking for....

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

paulrbreers, I read his post very carefully and got it clearly. And it makes no sense to go from Surround -> TV. "Surround" has to be the last link in his chain unless he wants to bypass the TV. A surround speaker system- cheap or not- is no source of anything that could play on his TV if its "->". Yes, some come with pass through, but his does not. So it's obviously meant to be last link in the chain.

In his followup he confirms he's got other things playing from tv -> surround, so I interpret that as TV->TV->Surround or 🙂apple:TV (hdmi out) to (hdmi in) TV (hdmi out) to Surround.

OP, since you appear to be confirming that other sources like cable/satt will play sound through your surround sound system, it appears the TV is passing sound through. Can you recall an audio setting when you first hooked up cable/satt that "enabled" pass through? If no, try temporarily switching the TV HDMI cable from the HDMI in jack you are using now to the same HDMI jack to which your cable/satt is attached (just as a test to see if there might be a pass through TV setting associated with the HDMI ports). Then try playing things again through the TV (to the sound system). If that works, there's probably a TV menu audio setting tied to the other HDMI input (you're currently using for TV) that would enable sound pass through. You'd need to look through the audio menu for something like that: "enable pass through" or similar.

If not, try 1+ experiments:
1. Go into the "apps" in TV and open (movie) "trailers". Play them. Does sound come from the TV speakers or from the "surround" system? Try a few trailers, not just one. See if you can find at least ONE that will play through the surround system speakers.

2. Go into the youtube app and locate a music video. It's likely in stereo (for audio). Play it. Does sound come from the TV speakers or from the "surround" system?

3. Temporarily cut the TV out of the equation by going direct from TV to the surround sound system. Does it play your music with a direct connection?

Such experiments can narrow the possibilities. For instance, by cutting the TV out of the chain in #3, you'll get a bigger sense that the problem is probably centered within the TV part of the chain.

Note also, that there is an explicit setting within TV settings to use or not use Dolby Digital. If that's off, your TV is receiving only stereo and may only pass through to the surround system when it has a surround stream. Be sure to check that TV setting too. It might be as simple as switching the option in that one menu.

 

[paulrbeers]

Hi

I have tried various ways and cannot get music from my iphone to come from the sound of my surround via ATV.

set up so far is:
ATV linked by HDMI to TV
Optical cable from ATV to TV

The surround only has one HDMI slot which is used to connect with the TV, no optical is available.

Is perhaps my surround not sufficient enough for me to be able to do this

Thanks for any help

Hey OP, real quick. Is your surround sound package one that has a built in DVD/Blu-Ray? If so, is the DVD/Blu-Ray the only thing that will play thru the surround sound?

 

[san001]

paulrbreers, I read his post very carefully and got it clearly. And it makes no sense to go from Surround -> TV. "Surround" has to be the last link in his chain unless he wants to bypass the TV. A surround speaker system- cheap or not- is no source of anything that could play on his TV if its "->". Yes, some come with pass through, but his does not. So it's obviously meant to be last link in the chain.

In his followup he confirms he's got other things playing from tv -> surround, so I interpret that as TV->TV->Surround or 🙂apple:TV (hdmi out) to (hdmi in) TV (hdmi out) to Surround.

OP, since you appear to be confirming that other sources like cable/satt will play sound through your surround sound system, it appears the TV is passing sound through. Can you recall an audio setting when you first hooked up cable/satt that "enabled" pass through? If no, try temporarily switching the TV HDMI cable from the HDMI in jack you are using now to the same HDMI jack to which your cable/satt is attached (just as a test to see if there might be a pass through TV setting associated with the HDMI ports). Then try playing things again through the TV (to the sound system). If that works, there's probably a TV menu audio setting tied to the other HDMI input (you're currently using for TV) that would enable sound pass through. You'd need to look through the audio menu for something like that: "enable pass through" or similar.

If not, try 1+ experiments:
1. Go into the "apps" in TV and open (movie) "trailers". Play them. Does sound come from the TV speakers or from the "surround" system? Try a few trailers, not just one. See if you can find at least ONE that will play through the surround system speakers.

2. Go into the youtube app and locate a music video. It's likely in stereo (for audio). Play it. Does sound come from the TV speakers or from the "surround" system?

3. Temporarily cut the TV out of the equation by going direct from TV to the surround sound system. Does it play your music with a direct connection?

Such experiments can narrow the possibilities. For instance, by cutting the TV out of the chain in #3, you'll get a bigger sense that the problem is probably centered within the TV part of the chain.

Note also, that there is an explicit setting within TV settings to use or not use Dolby Digital. If that's off, your TV is receiving only stereo and may only pass through to the surround system when it has a surround stream. Be sure to check that TV setting too. It might be as simple as switching the option in that one menu.

Thank you again for your time in explaining this, i am afraid i am not to technical with these things, but for a women i get by !

I will try all your suggestions tonight and give you the feedback tomorrow.

----------

Hey OP, real quick. Is your surround sound package one that has a built in DVD/Blu-Ray? If so, is the DVD/Blu-Ray the only thing that will play thru the surround sound?

Thank you also for your time in helping me.

Yes the surround does have a built in DVD (not Blu-Ray).

The TV also does also play the surround if i turn the surround/dvd on)

 

[.macbookpro.]

Hi

I have tried various ways and cannot get music from my iphone to come from the sound of my surround via ATV.

set up so far is:
ATV linked by HDMI to TV
Optical cable from ATV to TV

The surround only has one HDMI slot which is used to connect with the TV, no optical is available.

Is perhaps my surround not sufficient enough for me to be able to do this

Thanks for any help

Surely the Optical Cable from ATV to TV is unnecessary as its connected with HDMI? That could be the issue

 

[san001]

As an update, i was unable to play music through the surround.

I think my surround may be the problem as it has only one HDMI cable which goes into the TV.

We also tried with a new Blu Ray player getting the sound to come through our surround.

So my guess is, buy a new surround.

Thank you for all help and guidance, it was much appreicated.

 

[nebo1ss]

If you have a half decent TV it should have an Optical out. Connect the HDMI from the ATV to the TV and connect the optical out from the TV to the Surround and you will be able to play sound on your surround system.