Stereo HomePod mini with AppleTV

[R.Youden]

I'm looking to upgrade my audio system with AppleTV and have a spare HomePod mini. I've seen the new configuration where you can pair 2 HomePod mini's for a stereo audio configuration. All of the content states AppleTV 4kHD. The AppleTV I have setup is just the standard HD. Would this still work?

Also has anyone configured these speakers in stereo, if so how is the audio controlled? Is it smart in anyway, i.e. will the audio sound 'off' if the speakers are not mounted equidistant from the TV and each other?

 

[leesweet]

I did this testing with my 4K and it works fine. Trying to put one on my HD and after an hour, I can't get the mini to do anything besides show up under the temporary list. The default says TV Speakers and won't change. No idea why. Same Room, all current software, restarted everything, reset the mini, all on wifi of course. No idea what's up here. I thought the HD was also supported for the Default (and it's in the menu), but nothing shows up. Temporary shows all my Homepod Minis.

Anyone have an idea besides it's a bug?

 

[R.Youden]

Yeah, I wonder if it is one of the Apple 'features' that only allows these configurations with the latest hardware.

Also wondering how, when configured in stereo mode, the speakers know which is 'L' and which is 'R'. Maybe that's just an old school way of thinking about stereo configurations.

 

[leesweet]

Yeah, I wonder if it is one of the Apple 'features' that only allows these configurations with the latest hardware.

Also wondering how, when configured in stereo mode, the speakers know which is 'L' and which is 'R'. Maybe that's just an old school way of thinking about stereo configurations.

There is a choice when you set it up to pick/swap (in software) L and R.

Just reset my HD ATV totally, no change. Default is speakers only. Gonna have to ask Apple. I assume it's a bug, since there is a 'Default' setting. Before, they had the 'temporary' selection, no default.

 

[B/D]

Yeah, I wonder if it is one of the Apple 'features' that only allows these configurations with the latest hardware.

Also wondering how, when configured in stereo mode, the speakers know which is 'L' and which is 'R'. Maybe that's just an old school way of thinking about stereo configurations.

Not the latest, the 2017 4K model works with this.

The reason why the HD model is not supported is because the new "default audio output" method uses a low latency, real time audio transmission protocol between the apple tv and the homepods, and does so trough an ad-hoc network between the two, that requires simultaneous use of wifi and bluetooth 5.0. The Apple TV HD only has bluetooth 4.2.


Also this requirements are not new. They were the same when the feature was available only for the big homepods.

 

[leesweet]

Yeah, just talked with Apple, they don't have anything on this. The menu item appears to be a bug. Gotcha on the BT versions. Sigh... A little more QA on this, removing that menu item, would have been nice.

And you can use the Homepods (the temporary menu is still there), but the default isn't.... (usable).

 

[mallbritton]

The AppleTV I have setup is just the standard HD. Would this still work?

Unfortunately not. The Default Audio feature is only available on the 4K models of Apple TV.