Sony xr55a90j TV - Help needed ASAP with config for TV as using HomePods audio as default.

[Fookes]

Hi. As per title really. I've setup a couple of Gen 2 Apple HomePods (with latest Gen Apple TV 4K) for a friend who has this TV - using eArc capabilities on the TV for multi-source use of HomePods as default speakers.

The question:

Having configured the Apple TV as required (which I know is correctly configured), I got the sound playing through HomePods when using the Apple TV. I then managed to get the terrestrial aerial TV stuff to also play through the HomePods (i.e. NOT when he was using the Apple TV). Thought it was all sorted. Friend is now telling me that he has to change the source to the HomePods every time he plays anything through the aerial on the Sony TV - otherwise it plays through the TV speakers. He also advises when he uses TV remote its showing on TV as 'TV speakers active' When he turned TV off and then on again, sound came through HomePods and he could use TV remote to control HomePod volume. On another occasion when using TV remote to increase volume of HomePods it didn't do it but instead showed message 'Audio System' on TV when pressing volume up/down buttons on Sony remote.

What setting(s) am I missing here on the TV to set the external HomePods to be the permanent speakers for the TV? Can anyone offer guidance to what settings / toggles need to be configured to get this to work properly? Basically all sound, whether its from Apple TV or programs watched through aerial (BBC, ITV etc) need to come through HomePods as the default audio source. Any help would be appreciated.

[royabrown2]

@Fookes 

Any help here? :-

https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/play-audio-from-tv-inputs-homepod-apple-tv/

or here?:-

https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/set-up-home-theater-audio-homepod-apple-tv-4k/

Make sure the HDMI cable carrying the eARC is High Speed HDMI with Ethernet.

I don’t think you need do anything on the TV other than couple the AppleTV 4K to the TV’s eARC HDMI port. Further configuration, as per the articles above, ensures that the AppleTV is listening out for the eARC connection (even if it is just in standby) and knows that when it gets this signal, it should fire up the HomePods as the output devices.

And do all this quickly and seamlessly enough that the TV never sees the AppleTV as unavailable, and so defaults back to its internal speakers, which seems to be what is happening at present. But the solution to this lies in how the Apple TV is configured, not in anything on the TV.

[Piscie]

Hey @Fookes, make sure you prioritise the audio system over the TV speakers: Settings - Speakers - Audio. Also check the steps here: https://helpguide.sony.net/tv/iaep1/v1/en/04-04_02.html, they might help.

You can also test this TV with a different sound system and see if the same problem happens or not. If it works fine, it could be an issue with the HomePods.