Need soundbar advice - I have no idea what I am doing here :-(
I have a Panasonic TC-P42S1 plasma that needs a bit more audio punch, and I found a good deal on a Panasonic SC-HTB500 2.1 soundbar to pair with the TV.
Plan is to hook it up via HDMI, but on this older Panny, I am not sure any of the HDMI ports are ARC capable, so I may need to hook it up via TOSLink and lose the ability to control the volume through the Panasonic remote.
Reading through the Panasonic TC-P42S1 Quick Start Guide, it shows a limitation that PCM is only available if the TV is receiving conventional broadcasts and locked to Dolby Digital when receiving HDTV / ATSC. Currently a Sling customer, so I am hoping this combination does not cause me more headaches than it is worth.
Posted Jul 23, 2018, 12:46 PM UTC
214
Yes your tv does not support ARC. Not sure about your soundbars. But it might be like most brands IR remote will work on their own sound bars. And some soundbars has the ability to learn remotes.
I not aquatinted with sling. But most sound bars have no issue taking PCM and DD signal.
Ahh crap, I must have JUST bought it around the time that ARC was being rolled out (build date is 10/09). Found this similar post on Amazon reviews of the HTB500 soundbar:
TV is advertised as Viera-enabled, but it does not have ARC feature in HDMI, so sound bar, that needs that ARC connection, cannot talk to the TV. The tech actually tells me that my sound bar is only recommended for newer TVs produced in 2010 and up, but this is not an advertised information! The unit works well as a sound bar, sound is OK, looks nice, but it requires a separate controller to operate, be individually turned on and off
So it sounds like it SHOULD still work, just another remote to have laying by the sofa. For only $60, its a good deal, but I have to at some point decide whether its worth the hassle of not being able to easily adjust the volume or having another remote to deal with.
Side note: I purchased a TCL 49S405 just last year (and it has an HDMI ARC port), but it was a gift for my family, so they use it in the living room while I am stuck with the older Panny in the rec room - I would feel like such a shitty Dad if I swapped TVs with them, as that TCL is a very nice panel for what I pad for it.
Do you have a soundbar on the TCL? if not put the penny sound bar on that one. And look for a soundbar that can learn remote codes from different brands.
Or get a universal remote.
Sounds like a great idea, save for the fact that my wife HATES with a passion the thump-thump-thump from my 10" PC speaker's sub and my existing Yamaha 5.1 with another 10" sub on the HTPC hooked up to the Panny in the rec room.
This is essentially a way to downsize my speaker output, and retire the 5.1 setup to de-clutter and tone down the boominess. I even passed on a Samsung $299 soundbar a week after I bought the TCL panel (closeout @ Walmart for $50 !!!) simply because it was wasted on that TV when my wife would be constantly annoyed with the subs output.
Go with a universal remote. You will be able to control the tv and the soundbar on one remote. ;)