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IpadShouldGetMacOS

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Jan 22, 2023
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I have old gen of apple tv; so i have just ordered the new apple tv for homepod arc. i own a sony tv and wanted to know if have 2 new homepods will also play the audio from the tv and not just apple tv
 
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Provided your Sony TV has a HDMI port with ARC ( they are normally labelled as such) then yes, you can pass the audio from the TV to The Apple TV and attached HomePods. This is the setup I have with two Mini’s.

 
I have this enabled on one of my Sony TVs with my AppleTV 4K (2nd gen) and OG HomePods and it works great. I was able to use the AppleTV/HomePod setup to play the audio from my PS5. I’m actually considering setting it up on my main TV with my other game systems because it works so well.
 
I have this enabled on one of my Sony TVs with my AppleTV 4K (2nd gen) and OG HomePods and it works great. I was able to use the AppleTV/HomePod setup to play the audio from my PS5. I’m actually considering setting it up on my main TV with my other game systems because it works so well.
Do you need to have the Apple TV turned on for this setup to work?
 
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Do you need to have the Apple TV turned on for this setup to work?

The Apple TV needs to be connected to power, but you don't have to turn it on for audio to pass through to the HomePods.

You just turn the TV on and audio automatically passes through seamlessly to the HomePods.

You can use either the Apple TV remote or your TV remote to adjust the volume as well.
 
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I have old gen of apple tv; so i have just ordered the new apple tv for homepod arc. i own a sony tv and wanted to know if have 2 new homepods will also play the audio from the tv and not just apple tv
I have the same setup (expect my TV is a new LG), and to be honest with you, the setup is not sufficient if you want surround sound, or ever decent, music playback. The stereo is ok, but it’s missing the base and volume, and there is no surround sound effect whatsoever. I’d rather get a decent sound bar and a proper subwoofer. But, to answer you question, yes it’ll play audio from your TV (even though it’s often not that much better than the TVs own inbuilt speakers, assuming you have a newer model).
 
not talking about homepod mini
Okay, but you’ll still not get any decent surround sound, if that’s what you’re looking for. It’s much better to invest in a decent soundbar and sub. You do whatever you want, but I’m telling you the truth. The HomePod just doesn’t cut it when it comes to any kind of home theatre system, just saying.
 
I have an LG TV and Apple TV 4K with two mini's. Originally I had two OG HomePods, but it was veto'd by my wife as she did not like two large speakers by the TV. You get much better base with the large HomePods than the mini's. However the Mini's are so much better than the built in speakers, its night and day the difference.

Yes you don't get true 5.1 surround sound with a paired HomePods, but if your source has Dolby Atmos ( Most stuff through Apple TV does) then you do get simulated surround sound. It works pretty well to be honest, I had a 5.1 sound system which my wife hated because of all the speakers (she likes technology to not be seen). So if you want a proper 5.1 sound system then a couple of paired HomePods will not give the same experience, but I am happy with my setup. I personally found 5.1 to not be that great with most content anyway. YMMV
 
I personally found 5.1 to not be that great with most content anyway. YMMV
Personally I notice a world of difference between a proper, large soundbar and a subwoofer, compared to the HomePods. There’s no surround effect with the HomePods whatsoever, even though some people claim that it is - and that’s why I bought them in the first place - hoping for a descent, simple and classy home audio system, but honestly there are so many better, and cheaper, options out there. I still have my original setup of the ATV with two HomePods and it usually works okay, but the previous sound system I had was way, way better (soundbar and sub). Depends on how much you care about sound quality I suppose 🤷‍♂️

Sorry, but you’ll simply not get any decent home theatre feel with the Apple HomePods. That’s just the plain and simple truth.
 
If wishes were fishes: Apple would have the ability to add a third and/or fourth HomePod 2 to a paired set as a Base (rear speaker) or as surround sound. Maybe someday.
But that would be $1200.00. Today that equals a good surround sound system. Think I'll stick with mine for now even with the wires and extra speakers. 😄
 
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