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What are the benefits of different soundbar to TV connections?

Soundbars give a boost to your home entertainment system, with room-filling sound that takes your audio to the next level. Soundbars are versatile, and there are a few different ways that they can be set up with your Samsung TV. Each connection type has its own benefits, but some provide a better sound quality than others. Find out more about the different ways to connect and how to set your soundbar up.

What audio formats are supported by each connection type?


	HDMI-eARC	HDMI	OPTICAL	BLUETOOTH
Dolby True HD (Including Dolby Atmos uncompressed)	Yes	No	No	No
Dolby Digital Plus (Including Dolby Atmos compressed)	Yes	Yes	No	No
Dolby Digital 5.1	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Dolby Digital	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

Connecting using HDMI

Connecting your TV to your soundbar using an HDMI cable will ensure that you receive the best possible audio quality. HDMI connections transmit sound digitally and support high bitrate audio formats such as Dolby Digital Plus. When connecting using HDMI, you should use an HDMI cable that is labelled “High Speed” or “High Speed with Ethernet”. You could use the HDMI cable supplied with set top boxes like Sky Q, or games consoles like the Xbox Series X, as they are already certified.

How to connect your soundbar using HDMI

Please note: before starting, make sure that your soundbar, TV, and any connected devices are turned off.

1 Connect one end of your HDMI cable to the HDMI IN (ARC) port on your TV

2 Connect the other end of the HDMI cable to the HDMI ARC or HDMI OUT port on your soundbar

3 Turn on your soundbar and TV

4 Change the soundbar output to HDMI

5 Open the Settings menu on your TV

6 Select Sound

7 Select Sound Output

8 Select your connected soundbar

Connecting using Optical

Optical cables transmit sound in a digital format, just like HDMI. The biggest difference is that optical cables are unable to transmit some high bitrate audio formats such as Dolby Digital Plus.

How to connect your soundbar using an optical cable

1 Connect one side of the optical cable to the Digital Audio In (optical / SPDIF) port on the soundbar

2 Turn on the Soundbar and select DIGITAL AUDIO IN (D.IN.) as the audio source

3 Connect the other side of the cable to the Digital Audio Out (optical) port on your TV

4 Turn on the TV. It should automatically detect the Optical connection

5 If the TV does not automatically detect the Optical connection, open the Settings menu on your TV

6 Select Sound

7 Select Sound Output

8 Select Audio Out/Optical

Connecting using Bluetooth

Bluetooth connections don’t require any cables and can be very convenient if your soundbar isn’t next to your TV. If you’re connecting using both a Samsung TV and Samsung soundbar you will be able to use BT / TVSoundConnect / Soundshare. This feature helps you to pair your Samsung devices using Bluetooth and allows compatible TVs to control the soundbar.

How to connect your soundbar using Bluetooth

1 Turn on your TV and soundbar

2 Open the Settings menu on your TV

3 Select Sound

4 Select Sound Output

5 Select Bluetooth Speaker List

6 Enable Bluetooth pairing on your soundbar

7 Select your soundbar on the list. Your TV and soundbar will connect

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