Connect your soundbar to your television in 5 steps

In this article, we'll help you connect your new soundbar to your television in 5 steps.

• Step 1: determine which cable you need.
• Step 2: place the soundbar.
• Step 3: connect the soundbar to your television.
• Optional step: connect the subwoofer.
• Step 4: turn on the TV.
• Step 5: set the output device.

HDMI cable To check if you can use an HDMI cable, check the connector of the television and the soundbar. If your television has an ARC connector, you can use an HDMI cable. You recognize this connector by the text 'ARC' above or next to one of the HDMI. If you have an eARC connector on your television, you use an HDMI 2.1 cable. With this cable, you transmit the sound of your TV to your soundbar without quality loss. With an ARC connector, an HDMI 2.0b cable is good enough. You put the cable in the HDMI OUT port of your TV and in the HDMI IN port of your soundbar.

Optical cable If your television or soundbar doesn't have an HDMI connector, go for an optical cable. You can recognize the optical connector on your television by the 'DIGITAL AUDIO OUTPUT' text. This connector has a hexagonal shape and it's protected by a plastic cover.

Place the soundbar where you want it. For an optimal sound reproduction, place the soundbar in front of the television or mount it above or below the television. Don't place the soundbar in a closed cabinet, because the sound won't be able to spread and the device will overheat.

Use the HDMI cable or optical cable to connect the soundbar to your television. You connect the HDMI cable to the input that says eARC or ARC. On the soundbar, use the HDMI OUT connector. Are you using an optical cable? You have to use the television input that says OPTICAL OUT and the soundbar connector that says OPTICAL. Have an external subwoofer? Connect it to the soundbar now.

Turn on your television and play some sound. You can do this by putting on a movie or channel. Use the remote of the soundbar to select the correct input. The button you use to do this is usually labelled 'Input' or 'Source'. Press this until the soundbar screen indicates the correct input. For HDMI cables, this connector is called 'TV', 'ARC' or 'HDMI'. For optical cables, this connector is called 'Optical', 'Digital', or 'D-In'.

Is the sound playing via your soundbar, instead of your television speakers? Skip this step. If the soundbar doesn't produce any sound or if your soundbar and television are both playing sound, you need to adjust the settings on your television. The setting you need is called 'Output Device' and you can find it in the audio menu of your television. In this menu, select External Speakers. Your television will now transmit all audio to the soundbar.