Help please! Advice on connecting up Bravia KD55A8 OLED, Sky Q and Sky Soundbox.

[Gr1mb0]

Hi. I’ve just treated myself in the Black Friday sales, and I‘m looking for help in configuring my new kit (the TV is a Sony Bravia KD55A8 OLED) - apologies if this is a hackneyed question, but it’s been several years since I set up my last combination of kit and things have moved on a bit! 

1) Is there a recommended or optimum way to connect up this collection of kit? Are there any resources/diagrams on this anywhere (my site/forums search didn’t throw up an obvious ‘master reference’ for this) e.g

a) I assume HDMI (ARC) from TV to the Soundbox, so that audio from any TV source is played through the Soundbox?

b) HDMI from the Sky Q box to the TV?  But is there any need to connect the Sky Q to the Soundbox too (using the optical cable) - or will this just confuse things?

c) Sky Q needs to be connected to an internet router - I assume that I should connect the TV directly too?  

2)  If both the TV and Sky Q are connected to the internet, should I watch Netflix (or anything else) via Sky Q or directly on the Sony/Android TV app?

3) Are there any other things I should (or shouldn’t!) do or setup tweaks I should make to get the best out of this kit? Links to previous relevant advice most welcome! 

4) I’m keen to be able to control everything through one remote if possible (I’m assuming the Sky Q remote? I don’t want to buy a separate device to control everything). Any advice on achieving this would also be very gratefully received. Thanks.

Many thanks all - excited to get it all working tomorrow!

[royabrown2]

@Gr1mb0 

1) Is there a recommended or optimum way to connect up this collection of kit? Are there any resources/diagrams on this anywhere (my site/forums search didn’t throw up an obvious ‘master reference’ for this) e.g

a) I assume HDMI (ARC) from TV to the Soundbox, so that audio from any TV source is played through the Soundbox?

Yes.

b) HDMI from the Sky Q box to the TV?  

Yes.

But is there any need to connect the Sky Q to the Soundbox too (using the optical cable) - or will this just confuse things?

No need, and yes it will confuse things.

c) Sky Q needs to be connected to an internet router - I assume that I should connect the TV directly too?  

Yes, to use the smart apps on the TV, to get software updates and so on. The connection can be wired with an Ethernet cable if you like, but generally the WiFi on the TV is good enough for this.

2)  If both the TV and Sky Q are connected to the internet, should I watch Netflix (or anything else) via Sky Q or directly on the Sony/Android TV app?

Entirely your choice, as long as the Sky box can provide the 4K, HDR, semi-Dolby Atmos bells and whistles that the TV can. Sometimes there are differences in the apps (NowTV on a YouView box, say, is currently tragic compared with NowTV directly on the TV, though they are working to get this right), but often it’s just convenience that decides this - why start the Sky box just to watch Netflix on it when the TV already has it; or why stop the Sky box when you are using it, if Netflix on the Sky box is just one button push away?

3) Are there any other things I should (or shouldn’t!) do or setup tweaks I should make to get the best out of this kit? Links to previous relevant advice most welcome! 

If you alter any of the picture settings on broadcast, say, to get them just how you want them, make sure the TV is set to apply the same settings to the input the Sky picture is coming in on.

Or if one looks right and the other looks wrong (too bright, too coloured, too washed out etc.) the make sure the TV isn’t set to use the same settings everywhere, so you can optimise each one individually.

4) I’m keen to be able to control everything through one remote if possible (I’m assuming the Sky Q remote? I don’t want to buy a separate device to control everything). Any advice on achieving this would also be very gratefully received.

I’ve never seen a dedicated remote that could control everything on another device; but if you don’t want to get a Harmony or an All-In-One, then see if the Sky Q remote at least has a setting for Sony, so it will do at least all the everyday things. And quite often, even when a remote isn’t programmed to work another device, you will find it works it anyway, when the receiving device passes the command onwards via CEC (BraviaSync) to the desired target device.

You will have to experiment with the Sky Q remote and the Sony TV to see how much control you can get.

Enjoy!

[Gr1mb0]

Many thanks @royabrown2 ... now eagerly awaiting delivery of the TV later today!

[rooobb]

AFAIK Sky soundbox does not support ARC, maybe they changed this...

[royabrown2]

@rooobb @Gr1mb0 

Well, that puts the kybosh on some of my thoughts then 😢

So it looks as though Sky require you to wire it like this:-

https://www.sky.com/help/diagnostics/setting-up-soundbox/set-up-instruction-page

where the anonymous box is actually the Sky Q box.

So the HDMI from the Sky Q goes to the Soundbox, which takes the audio, and passes the video, possibly still with the audio, onward to the TV.

And the Soundbox remote should be set to HDMI with the Sky Q box.

And then you do need the optical cable between the TV and the Soundbox, to get sound from the TV to the Soundbox if you are using a source directly on the TV - broadcast or an app on the TV - and you want the sound on the Soundbox. For which you then need to switch the Soundbox remote to use the optical input.

I’m not getting any idea, from the details given, about the exact circumstances under which sound will come both from the Soundbox and the TV, but there are some, and the instructions say you will have to turn the TV sound down to nothing when this happens. (Mute would possibly be better, but might mute even the optical, in which case it wouldn’t).

It would have been immeasurably better if Sky had specified this Soundbox to work as an ARC device, at least optionally, which the Sony TV is designed to work seamlessly with; but I am sure you will get it to work, though I am not sure how clunkily.

[Gr1mb0]

Ok @rooobb  and @royabrown2 ... an update and a plea for more advice!

HDMI only connection did not work (no ARC, as Rooob predicted), so I’ve reverted to the Sky recommendation of the Soundbox in line between the TV and Sky Q (via HDMI) and optical from the TV to the Soundbox for non-Sky content.

We would now like to listen to the TV (which has great sound) for most content, using the Soundbox only for movies or other programmes where audio is a particular feature. I thought this would be easy - just keep the Soundbox in Standby and switch it fully on when we need it.

However, the Soundbox switches on whenever I hit the Home key on the remote, or whenever I change channels or whenever I switch on the TV ie. whenever I do anything!  

Are there settings I can change to stop this - or do I have to revert to Optical connection only and lose a load of integrated Soundbox/SkyQ features (in which case I might as well send it back and use my Q Acoustics M4 instead)?

Many thanks for any further advice....!

[rooobb]

This is the setup I suggest:

Sky q directy to the tv via HDMI

TV to soundbar via optical only

You won't lose much and get the audio via the tv (from internal app/tuner or passing through from Skyq) whenever you need and decide to.

You will need to use the soundbar remote to control it (power on/off, volume) and remember to set the audio of the tv to external speaker otherways you'll get also the internal speaker on and only PCM stereo to the soundbar.

[royabrown2]

@Gr1mb0 @rooobb 

I can’t argue with rooobb’s summation, except to take up your point that in that configuration, you might as well keep the Q4 and send the Soundbox back for a refund.

I suppose it might depend on which sounds better.

What, exactly, though, are the integrated SkyQ/Soundbox features you mention?

But even with the Q4, won’t you have the issues of not wanting it on all the time? Or does it stay switched off when you want it off?

And I can see why the Soundbox, in its Sky-preferred configuration, will turn on whenever you use the Sky Q box. But does it still turn on, even when you just turn the TV on?

Which it may do, by detecting activity on the HDMI link to the TV, even though sound only comes from the TV via the Optical. You can experiment to see which it is, or if it is both, by pulling out either or both cables....

With optical connection, to Q4 or Soundbox, do you still get the TV sound as well, or is it automatically muted, or do you have to mute it manually?

I certainly appreciate ARC, where we either get the TV sound, or the soundbar sound when we turn that on (and only when), with the TV sound then automatically muted.

[Gr1mb0]

Many thanks @rooobb and @royabrown2 ....  I’m going to have a play with various configurations and TV settings - I’ve got 31 days to decide whether I send the Soundbox back!

I’ll be testing whether optical only connection means you lose sound capabilities or features like the auto setting of sound modes (depending on what you’re watching) - and whether these are in fact, worth having.

I also looked at what the Q4 is selling for on ebay 😳... given mine is immaculate, I suspect the answer may be to sell mine, return the Soundbox, and buy an Atmos soundbar - like the Sony HT-G700 or something similar around the £300-350 mark!

[Gr1mb0]

Sorry @royabrown2 - I didn’t answer your questions fully

”With optical connection, to Q4 or Soundbox, do you still get the TV sound as well, or is it automatically muted, or do you have to mute it manually?”

With the Q4on my older LG TV, I got both TV and soundbar sound, and just turned down or muted the TV. The Q4 also has an actual on/off switch - so just switched it off when not in use (rather than it being on standby, which caused it to wake up automatically when I switched on the TV... but not when I changed channels).

I need to experiment with the Soundbox and new TV settings more... if HDMI is used at all, I can’t switch it off or have it in ‘red’ standby or I get no pictures (for obvious reasons). I want to try optical only, and see what TV settings work best....

I’m trying to avoid having to change TV audio settings (switching to sound system rather than TV sound) every time I use the Soundbox, as that’s a pain - I had to do this for the M4 too when I tried it yesterday, but didn’t play with other settings.

Given I’ve worked in electronic engineering, telecommunications and IT, I do wonder how some people get the best out of modern TVs and associated kit 🤣