Cannot hear the TV sound from the Soundbar or Home Theater System

IMPORTANT: This article applies only to specific products and operating systems. Check the Applicable Products and Categories section of this article before starting these steps.

Follow these steps to troubleshoot the issue:
Hint: If the sound is not output from the Soundbar subwoofer, refer to the article No sound is output from the Subwoofer.

1. While the TV and audio device (Soundbar, Home Theater System) are turned off, disconnect the cables, and then reconnect them. Make sure that the cables between the TV and the audio device are securely connected.

   Note: The HDMI cable might be damaged or have poor contact. Use the supplied HDMI cable or a Sony HDMI-authorized cable with Ethernet. For details, refer to the product manual or Help Guide.

2. Make sure that you make the appropriate connection based on the model of the TV and the audio device.

   Note: Depending on the model, names and operations may vary or some settings may be unavailable. For details, refer to the manual of the TV or audio device.

   If both the TV and audio device have HDMI ports labeled as ARC or eARC
   

   • A: HDMI IN (ARC or eARC/ARC)
   • B: HDMI cable (high-speed HDMI cable)
   • C: HDMI OUT (ARC or eARC/ARC)

   1. Using the HDMI cable, connect the HDMI IN (ARC or eARC) port on the TV and the HDMI OUT (ARC or eARC) port on the audio device.
   2. Set the BRAVIA Sync control to On.
      If your TV is other than a BRAVIA TV, check the supplied manuals to search the settings related to the HDMI CEC function and set it to On.
   3. Check the following settings on the audio device:
      • Set the Control for HDMI to On.
      • In the HDMI settings, set the Audio Return Channel (ARC) to On or Auto. (You can skip this step if the connected device does not have the settings.)
      • Set the TV Audio Input mode to Auto. (You can skip this step if the connected device does not have the settings.)
   If the HDMI port has no ARC or eARC label on either the TV or the Audio device (Using an Optical digital audio cable)

   If the audio device does not have the Optical Digital IN port, you cannot use this connection and settings.

   

   • A: HDMI IN
   • B: HDMI cable
   • C: HDMI OUT
   • D: Optical Digital OUT
   • E: Optical digital audio cable
   • F: Optical Digital IN

   1. Using the HDMI cable, connect the HDMI IN (ARC or eARC) port on the TV and the HDMI OUT (ARC or eARC) port on the audio device.
   2. Using the optical digital audio cable, connect the Optical Digital OUT port on the TV and the Optical Digital IN port on the audio device.
   3. Check the following settings on the TV:
      • Set the BRAVIA Sync control to On.
        If your TV is other than a BRAVIA TV, check the supplied manuals to search the settings related to the HDMI CEC function and set it to On.
      • Change the TV audio output setting to PCM and check whether the sound is output.
        Note: If the audio device connected to the TV does not support compressed audio, sound may not be output depending on the type of broadcast or video. Check your TV manual for more details.
   4. Check the following settings on the audio device:
      • Set the Control for HDMI setting to ON on the audio device.
      • In the HDMI settings, set the Audio Return Channel (ARC) to Off. (You can skip this step if the connected device does not have the settings.)
      • Set the TV Audio Input mode to Optical or Off. (You can skip this step if the connected device does not have the settings.)
        Note: This setting is set to Auto by default.
   If using only an Optical digital audio cable

   If the audio device does not have the Optical Digital IN port, you cannot use this connection and settings.

   

   • A: Optical Digital OUT
   • B: Optical digital audio cable
   • C: Optical Digital IN

   1. Using the optical digital audio cable, connect the Optical Digital OUT port on the TV and the Optical Digital IN port on the audio device.
   2. In the HDMI settings on the audio device, check the following settings on the audio device:
      • In the HDMI settings, set the Audio Return Channel (ARC) to Off. (You can skip this step if the connected device does not have the settings.)
      • Set the TV Audio Input mode to Optical or Off. (You can skip this step if the connected device does not have the settings.)
        Note: This setting is set to Auto by default.
   3. Change the TV audio output setting to PCM and check whether the sound is output.
      Note: If the audio device connected to the TV does not support compressed audio, sound may not be output depending on the type of broadcast or video. Check your TV manual for more details.
   If using only an Analog audio cable

   If the audio device does not have the Analog audio IN port, you cannot use this connection and settings.

   

   • A: Analog Audio OUT
   • B: Analog audio cable
   • C: Analog Audio IN

   1. Using an analog audio cable, connect the Analog Audio OUT port on the TV and the Analog Audio IN port on the audio device.
   2. In the HDMI settings on the audio device, set the Audio Return Channel (ARC) to Off.
3. Verify that the audio output setting of your TV is set to the audio device. If your TV is BRAVIA TV, set the Speakers to Audio System. The steps below are an example of Sony's Android TV™ or Google TV™.
   Note: Just connecting the TV and audio system with a cable will not produce sound from the audio system.
   1. Open the Settings screen. How to access the Settings
      • If the remote control has a Quick Settings ( or ) button, press the Quick Settings button and select Settings.
      • If the remote control does not have a Quick Settings ( or ) button, press the HOME button and select Settings.
   2. The next steps will depend on your TV menu options:
      • Select Display & Sound → Audio output → Speakers → Audio system.
      • Select Sound → Speakers → Audio system
4. If the input mode of the audio system is set to other than TV, or the Home menu is displayed, the sound is not output. Press the INPUT or TV button on the remote of the audio device, then set the input mode to TV.
5. Turn on the TV, then turn on your audio device.
   Depending on the order in which they are turned on, the system may be muted and MUTING displayed on the front panel display of the audio system.
6. If your TV is a BRAVIA TV, update the TV software to the latest version.
   For how to update your TV, refer to the article How to perform a software update.
7. Update your audio device software to the latest version.
   To update your audio device, visit the Sony Support website, search for your audio device by entering the model number, and then go to the Downloads section.
8. Reset the audio device and the TV.
   For how to perform a reset, refer to the manual of your device.

Related article:

If you connect the subwoofer or rear speaker via Wi-Fi directly to Sony's BRAVIA TV, refer to this article: Frequently Asked Questions when subwoofer or rear speaker is connected directly to Sony’s BRAVIA TV via Wi-Fi