As an LG TV owner, I know how frustrating it can be when trying to control a soundbar with the LG TV remote. I recently faced this issue and, after doing some research and testing, I’m here to share how I solved it and the other solutions I discovered.
| Tips: |
|---|
| You can control your soundbar with your LG TV remote using either the Bluetooth or cable method. |
| The Bluetooth method requires you to pair your soundbar and TV together, while the cable method requires an HDMI and |
| optical cable to be connected between the two devices. |
| The HDMI ARC port allows you to use only one cable, but it is not available in all devices. |
| Once connected, you can adjust the volume, turn the TV and soundbar on and off, and enjoy your favorite shows. |
Table of Contents
How to Control Soundbar With LG TV Remote
There are a couple of ways through which you can control your soundbar via your TV’s remote, namely the Bluetooth method and the cable method.
The Bluetooth Method
Let’s begin by discussing how to control your soundbar with your LG TV remote with the aid of Bluetooth technology.
This will include increasing or decreasing the volume and switching the TV and soundbar on or off, all via the TV remote only.
- Click the settings button on your LG TV remote.
- Select “Sound Out” from the settings menu. This should look like a small speaker icon.
- Scroll through the displayed connection methods until you find “Bluetooth” and select it.
- Underneath “Bluetooth,” you should find a button that says “Device List” and this will take you to a list of all the Bluetooth devices your TV can pair with. Simply choose your soundbar.
At this point, your soundbar and TV are now paired together and the soundbar will now accept commands from the TV remote.
This method works just fine as long as the soundbar and TV offer Bluetooth pairing, but what if they don’t? What if, for any reason, you can’t use Bluetooth to connect both devices?
Does that mean you’ll have to go back to the remote tray? Not particularly. Check out the next method.
The Cable Method
Back to the cable era, let’s look at how to control the soundbar in case Bluetooth is not working out with you. But before we get into that, you’ll have to do some shopping.
The first thing on your shopping list should be an HDMI cable. The second thing you’ll need is an optical cable. You’ll need both cables to reach optimum experience.
- Flip your soundbar upside down and look for “HDMI IN” and “OPTICAL IN.” both are clearly labeled.
- Connect your HDMI cable to the “HDMI IN” port.
- Connect your optical cable to the “OPTICAL IN” port and set the soundbar back to its upright position.
- Do the same as steps two and three but at the back of your TV. Make sure you connect the HDMI cable to the “HDMI IN” port not the “HDMI (ARC)” port.
- Change the source on your soundbar remote to “D. IN” and that’s it!
To test it out, increase the volume with your TV remote and it should work just fine. The same goes for turning the TV off, the soundbar will go off as well.
Why Do You Need Different Cables?
Is it really necessary to connect two cables just to use an audio device? Well, there’s a reason for that.
As we just mentioned, the HDMI cable should be the first thing on your shopping list because HDMI cables can transmit different signals between the TV and soundbar, which support both audio and video information.
The HDMI is the one that allows the TV remote to control the soundbar. Why do we connect the optical cable then? Because optical cables transmit audio signals better than HDMI cables, but sadly they don’t transmit video signals
To simplify things, an optical cable is the one allowing sound to come out of the soundbar, while the HDMI cable transmits video signals and allows you to control the soundbar.
Just for the record, there’s a way through which you can use only one cable. It’s called “HDMI (ARC).” It lets you get rid of the optical cable and just use HDMI only.
All you have to do is connect it to the “HDMI (ARC)” port in both devices and it will do the job of both regular HDMI and Optical cable.
Not all devices have the “ARC” port, so in that case, you’ll stick to the dual cable method.
Final Thoughts
Read more: How to disable HDR on LG TV
Controlling the soundbar with the TV remote is incredibly handy. All you have to do is follow the steps we mentioned and you’ll enjoy your favorite shows in no time.
Depending on your TV’s features and soundbar brand, you’ll have access to different ways via which you can control things with one remote.
If Bluetooth doesn’t work, stick with HDMI ARC. If you can’t find the ARC port, then you’re only left with regular HDMI and optical chord. Either way, you’ll get it done.