Need help with TV speakers

[Edonidd]

My Dad is getting to be officially old and grumpy. My mom is definitely showing some cognitive loss too. When my dad watches TV he turns it up loudcenough the neighbors can hear, and they live 1/2 mile away. He can't hear anything, and refuses to even try hearing aids. They had an old home theater in a box type audio system, but they winter in Florida and when they come back have completely forgotten how to use it. So he just pushes buttons and ended up blowing the speakers. He switched to the TV speakers, but they're so tinny and underpowered that he can't understand anything. My mom understand less than him. Trying to explain you need one remote to change the channel and another whole remote to change the volume and they're both lost.

I'm looking to get them a simple sound bar. Controlled just by the volume up and down button of their regular TV. No options for tuners or radio or any other settings. They'll get mad for weeks at a time because the TV is on one channel but the sound is coming from Spotify or something. But neither will ask for help. They'll just be mad. No installation or anything complicated, because they'll decide they need to unplug it to vaccuum or something and then never be able to get it to work again.

Just plug and play. Controlled by the TV (or through alexa) . But still loud enough for a half deaf old man. Oh and they're kinda label queen old boomers, so,preferably from a brand They'll know.

I don't know enough about this stuff anymore to knows what's simple.

 

[Debbie Does]

Use the mute button and you won't need to listen to anything on TV. Works great for commercials.

 

[WizardHawk]

What Is HDMI ARC?

HDMI ARC provides a two-way flow of sound between a TV and a soundbar or other gear. Here's what you need to know.

www.tomsguide.com

Depends on how old the TV is, but HDMI arc does what you are asking for.

 

[Hank Kingsley]

What Is HDMI ARC?

HDMI ARC provides a two-way flow of sound between a TV and a soundbar or other gear. Here's what you need to know.

www.tomsguide.com

Depends on how old the TV is, but HDMI arc does what you are asking for.

ARC is great for playing back from a smart TV.

I put all my devices into my receiver, had put one cable up to the TV via ARC. It does both input and output to the TV. Input from various devices is video only because the reciever handles the audio. The only thing I need output is smart TV sound because the receiver plays everything else.

Outside on my patio where I’ve got cheapo 65 inch Hisense TV I also have a Sony sound bar and that baby works wonderfully. It needs the ARC in order to function properly.

And if they are using a cable box for their sourcing, they can still run into issues with getting out of sequence on power between the TV the cable box and the sound bar. They have to learn to hold the remote at the TV until everything they want done from the power button is done.

 

[WizardHawk]

ARC is great for playing back from a smart TV.

I put all my devices into my receiver, had put one cable up to the TV via ARC. It does both input and output to the TV. Input from various devices is video only because the reciever handles the audio. The only thing I need output is smart TV sound because the receiver plays everything else.

Outside on my patio where I’ve got cheapo 65 inch Hisense TV I also have a Sony sound bar and that baby works wonderfully. It needs the ARC in order to function properly.

And if they are using a cable box for their sourcing, they can still run into issues with getting out of sequence on power between the TV the cable box and the sound bar. They have to learn to hold the remote at the TV until everything they want done from the power button is done.

I can control my sound bar with either the TV remove (smart streaming etc) or the cable remote if I'm using cable. It's all seamless and ubiquitous.
It's all in how it is setup. If he's trying to make it easy for the elderly a little work up front to set it all up makes it easy on them. It might take a little digging to figure it out, but it's worth it. ARC or eARC is the way to go.

 

[Hank Kingsley]

I can control my sound bar with either the TV remove (smart streaming etc) or the cable remote if I'm using cable. It's all seamless and ubiquitous.
It's all in how it is setup. If he's trying to make it easy for the elderly a little work up front to set it all up makes it easy on them. It might take a little digging to figure it out, but it's worth it. ARC or eARC is the way to go.

So can I. But the issue these people are going to have if there’s two separate power things or even a third cable box is making sure they keep their remote and at the general vicinity long enough for the three signals to go out and not slap it down on the floor before the third signals going out. That’s how things get out of sequence.

 

[WizardHawk]

So can I. But the issue these people are going to have if there’s two separate power things or even a third cable box is making sure they keep their remote and at the general vicinity long enough for the three signals to go out and not slap it down on the floor before the third signals going out. That’s how things get out of sequence.

My remote has been RF for many many years so it's not a thing. Doesn't have to 'point' at anything.

 

[Hank Kingsley]

My remote has been RF for many many years so it's not a thing. Doesn't have to 'point' at anything.

Mine as well. But my parent’s aren’t. Not everybody has the state of the art.

 

[WizardHawk]

Mine as well. But my parent’s aren’t. Not everybody has the state of the art.

That's why OP has to take a lot into consideration. It's totally possible to make it all simple stupid for older people if they are willing to get the right parts. I've dealt with it for family and friends. Helped a coworker setup an Echo Show where they could dial in without their elderly mother having to do anything so they could facetime with grandchildren.

It always takes a little homework to get it all right, but the tech is there.

 

[Hank Kingsley]

That's why OP has to take a lot into consideration. It's totally possible to make it all simple stupid for older people if they are willing to get the right parts. I've dealt with it for family and friends. Helped a coworker setup an Echo Show where they could dial in without their elderly mother having to do anything so they could facetime with grandchildren.

It always takes a little homework to get it all right, but the tech is there.

And I'd wager they aren't into tech and don't want a flashy new TV, etc. Expense, etc.

 

[WizardHawk]

And I'd wager they aren't into tech and don't want a flashy new TV, etc. Expense, etc.

Sure, and he mentioned Alexa where there may be other soundbar options that might work with older TV's. It's just that Arc is the place to start for what they are looking for and google alternatives to Arc soundbars if there are those challenges.

For those reading this and thinking about ARC, also note you may need to go into your TV and adjust the sound/video timing to sync them. Not a big deal, but if the sound doesn't exactly lineup with video after adding a soundbar know you should be able to fix it in your TV settings. Sending the sound through ARC does create a slight lag. This isn't something limited to just ARC though. There are other ways of doing external sound that also can take video and sound out of sync.

 

[Edonidd]

They just bought a new TV last Black Friday because it had all (most) apps built intl the TV. I had bought them a roku before that but they couldn't handle having three different remotes. Cut the cord with cable last(?) Year when they fought with ESPN and he started missing football games. It's an LG 88 inch that they got for like less than $1500. So I'm sure it's not top of the line.

 

[WizardHawk]

They just bought a new TV last Black Friday because it had all (most) apps built intl the TV. I had bought them a roku before that but they couldn't handle having three different remotes. Cut the cord with cable last(?) Year when they fought with ESPN and he started missing football games. It's an LG 88 inch that they got for like less than $1500. So I'm sure it's not top of the line.

Even $400 TV's have ARC/eARC support. Just lookup the model number and it should tell you what support it has.

I have a Samsung TV and Sony soundbar/sub woofer neither of which is ultra high end or super expensive and I've had them since pre-covid so none of this is very new.

ARC just connects via a HDMI cable and most ARC devices now have pass-through HDMI so you don't lose a HDMI slot for adding sources that can pass sound on the way to the TV as well. If they are doing 100% smart TV streaming anyway it sounds like a fairly easy setup. Their TV remote would turn on/off the soundbar and adjust the sound on it with minimal setup. It is exactly what ARC is designed for.