Soundbars often have smart features, which allow you to control some settings with your smartphone or tablet. This is especially likely in mid-range and premium soundbars. Different brands and models have different levels of functionality. In addition to Atmos support, the Stage 360 offers a decent range of connection options, including two HDMI 2.0 inputs and Bluetooth, and isn’t short of audio options either. There are four sound modes to choose from: Music, Movie, Wide and Night, along with near-field and far-field profiles which take into account how close you are to the bar. If you want to enjoy Atmos content but can’t stretch your budget to a true surround sound system, the Creative Stage 360 is your best bet. The Arc supports Dolby Atmos (although only via eARC) as well as both Google Assistant and Alexa. It can be fully integrated into a Sonos multiroom audio system and controlled via the excellent Sonos S2 app. The only caveat is that physical connectivity is limited to a single HDMI ARC/eARC port, with no HDMI or optical digital input available. Otherwise, this is an astonishing achievement in AV audio engineering. When connecting through ARC, your TV may automatically recognize your connection after inserting the cable. Otherwise, use the menu on your VIZIO remote and go to System > CEC, then change the setting to ‘Disabled’, ‘Enabled’, or ‘ARC only’, based on your needs. When it comes to LG TVs, there are a few different ways of connecting to soundbars, and LG TVs come with the LG Magic Remote. You can connect your soundbar to your LG TV through Sound Sync via Bluetooth, a digital optical connection, or an HDMI ARC connection.

The answer could be simply that your soundbar isn't actually producing any audio, meaning you'll still be listening to your TV's speakers. Don’t be tempted to hide your soundbar in your TV cabinet – your new speaker will sound boxed in and you won’t get the most from it. Fortunately, we have an incredibly extensive range, so you can find almost any Hitachi control you need by entering the model number of the product into the search box. Choosing the right one for youEven though TVs are getting larger and providing even better pictures, sound quality lags behind. This is something that we hardly ever notice until we actually have the opportunity of listening to what the music should actually sound like. This situation is unlikely to improve as there is limited space for reasonable size loudspeakers within the newer designs of TV, and as it could get even worse, there is a growing market for external soundbars. Practically every soundbar comes with one form of digital input, be it digital coaxial or digital optical. TVs usually have one or both of these outputs, so you’ll be able to hook yours up to your soundbar without any issue.

If you’re seeking to recreate a cinematic experience at home, there are no two ways about it, you need the best soundbar you can afford. With a digital optical connection to the soundbar from your Samsung TV, hold the left direction on the Samsung TV remote’s direction pad to activate or deactivate Auto Power Link, which only works with an optical connection. Be sure to also change the TV’s audio output settings, so the soundbar will be controlled by your TV remote.

Upgrade your television’s sound with our pick of the best soundbars you can buy

Soundbars with Atmos generally have upwards-firing speakers that bounce audio off the ceiling to achieve this audio height and this can be very effective, although how effective they are depends on how high your ceilings are. There’s usually an optimal height, which you can find in the specifications. With an HDMI ARC connection, your soundbar’s source will automatically change to TV ARC, then you can use the TV remote’s right direction on the direction pad to activate/deactivate Anynet+, which only works with an HDMI ARC connection.

If you’re using a 3.5mm aux cable to connect to your soundbar, this is likely the culprit. First, ensure both ends of the cable are fully and securely inserted into your TV and soundbar. This handy feature allows you to link HDMI-compatible devices together. For example, you can connect your Blu-ray player or console to the soundbar, so only one cable needs to connect to your TV, working as both input and output.

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Hitachi is known for its low-priced smart TVs, which often come with Roku TV built-in. Connecting your soundbar to a Hitachi Roku TV is the same as if you use your Roku remote (no matter your TV brand) to control all of your TV and media. If you have a soundbar connected via a 3.5mm cable, make sure your TV's volume is turned up as high as it can go. This means you only ever need to adjust the volume using your soundbar’s remote control and also means your TV is delivering a powerful enough signal to ensure your soundbar never goes to sleep when sound is playing. Bring your entertainment system to life with the Bestisan Soundbar, which features noise-free sound and boosted bass for an earth-shattering listening experience. This 40 inch speaker is perfect for maximizing your home theater performance by providing flawlessly clean audio quality to your Hitachi TV. You might need to change the delay and volume levels, as every room has its own shape, layout and furniture, and these all affect the sound. 5. Adjust the subwoofer level

If your TV and soundbar have both options, you may be wondering which one you should be using. If so, there’s some more discussion about that in another one of our articles. Once you’ve decided which on to use, keep working through the directions below. Make sure it’s not too close up against a wall, as this will result in boomy bass. You can put it inside your TV cabinet as long as it doesn’t cause distracting vibrations. 2. Keep it centred Plug a Premium High Speed (18Gb/s) cable between the TV HDMI 2 input (marked ARC) and a soundbar HDMI output. In the soundbar make sure HDMI-CEC is ON. Not sure if the soundbars have ARC as a seperate setting but I suspect yes. Find that and set ARC to ON. When using an optical cable, there’s a small chance that the Television will know to use the soundbar automatically, but it’s more likely that you’ll have to go find the Televisions speaker selection menu and change it as described above. This feature allows you to control soundbar functions, such as turning on/off and adjusting volume, by speaking a command out loud – handy if you’re prone to losing the remote.Aim to place it within a foot of the height of your ears when you’re sitting in your normal TV viewing position. Soundbars tend to sound better when they’re wall mounted because of this. 4. Distance to soundbar Big issue is when bass levels are low the bass box keeps switching in and out with a weird fluttering - it sounds really bad and tbh makes the sysytem pretty useless as it id supposed to improve sound. For some, it’s a nice-to-have additional feature. For others it’s a mixed blessing, with some settings and functions only available when you use the app. That might be fine now, but it means you could lose those functions (which can be as important as being able to balance the audio to suit your room) when the app is no longer supported by the manufacturer.