Sync TV sound with Amazon Echo

[Stephen Davies]

Hello,

I've just bought the 2020 LGNANO866 and also an Amazon Echo, which amongst other uses, I wanted to sync with the LG TV in order to have an additional speaker at the rear of the room. So far, my attempts (in the LG 'Sounds' out settings) have enabled the Echo to connect via Blutooth : this gives the TV sound ONLY through the Echo speaker and NO sound through the TV.  The LG rep. I contacted suggested adding the Echo via the 'Surround Sound' setting, which I tried with the result : sound from TV speaker great as normal, but weak, muffled &  'echoey/delayed' sound from the Echo speaker. Attempting to tweak volume and other settings in  Surround Sound made no difference. Awful!

Am I doing something wrong and if so, can someone please show me the right way to achieve something that I (mistakenly thought!) would be relatively easy to achieve?

Thanks,

Stephen.

 

 

[td47]

@Stephen Davies To be honest, I think Bluetooth Speakers are OK with  iPhone an iPad users, and other than the Magic Remotes, the Blutooth interface should not be used.

For good TV surround sound, you cannot beat a good AVR.

[Stephen Davies]

34 minutes ago, td47 said:

@Stephen Davies To be honest, I think Bluetooth Speakers are OK with  iPhone an iPad users, and other than the Magic Remotes, the Blutooth interface should not be used.

For good TV surround sound, you cannot beat a good AVR.

TBH.....I think you are absolutely right! My Sony AV receiver is now over 20 years old, but in conjunction with my 2 Mission speakers, still produces a great sound...well good enough for me anyway. Unfortunately, all the connections on the Sony receiver are RCA/analogue and whilst I was able to connect to my previous, 8 years old LG TV, things have progressed more digitally, connection-wise these days, so my new TV posed a bit of a hook-up problem. However, I think that I've now got it sorted out by investing in an analogue/toslink/optical audio converter. Digital optical cable from the TV goes into the corresponding input on the converter and then the L & R analogue leads output into the receiver. I don't know whether or not the sound is output in any Dolby configuration, but hey, I've now got some semblance of surround sound. I do realise and appreciate, that to do things properly, I really should invest in a more recent AV receiver with more up-to-date & compatible connections, but I don't want to let things get out of hand, financially. 

My next step, when funds allow, is to replace my existing Sony 3D Blu-Ray player (similar 8+ age to my old TV) which I suspect is only equipped with an HDMi 1.4 connection, for a current model 4K UHD compatible (LG UBK90 perhaps?) with HDMi 2.0 or 2.1. I've tried hooking my old player up with the new TV and outputting the sound through the Sony receiver, but there is a noticeable sync mis-match with the sound & vision. As I'm not getting this when I'm watching either live TV or streaming services through the AV system, I suspect the problem might be with the player's HDMi 1.4 port. Will find out in due course......

[td47]

@Stephen Davies The optical "Toslink" cable  ports limit the decoding possibilities (no ATMOS, Dolby DD etc), and only HDMI does the full range of sound decoding methods.

In any event, you really need a centre speaker to get good dialogue from TV sound. I changed my old Marantz for a Yamaha RX-V385, and although low-end, it gives lots of options to enhance the dialogue, and adjust the "DPL MOVIE" setting and equaliser, to centre and enhance the dialogue. Where some inputs don't always follow proper HDMI-CEC rules (e.g. Foxtel iQ2 box), the "scene" buttons one the Yamaha remote are great for just a one press to get all the settings for specific inputs (press and hold to remember your setting that you did for a particular input device, just one time). Use HDMI ARC or eARC and 2.1 cables to/from TV for best results.

[Stephen Davies]

7 hours ago, td47 said:

@Stephen Davies The optical "Toslink" cable  ports limit the decoding possibilities (no ATMOS, Dolby DD etc), and only HDMI does the full range of sound decoding methods.

In any event, you really need a centre speaker to get good dialogue from TV sound. I changed my old Marantz for a Yamaha RX-V385, and although low-end, it gives lots of options to enhance the dialogue, and adjust the "DPL MOVIE" setting and equaliser, to centre and enhance the dialogue. Where some inputs don't always follow proper HDMI-CEC rules (e.g. Foxtel iQ2 box), the "scene" buttons one the Yamaha remote are great for just a one press to get all the settings for specific inputs (press and hold to remember your setting that you did for a particular input device, just one time). Use HDMI ARC or eARC and 2.1 cables to/from TV for best results.

Thanks again for your input. You confirmed my suspicions regarding the Toslink's capabilities, but unfortunately, due to the age of my receiver, I have few choices. As I stated, it doesn't even have a direct optical port (hence having to use an analogue to Toslink adaptor) let alone any HDMi sockets! It comes down to either just listening via the TV's internal speaker and having the benefit of Dolby Atmos, or foregoing that and outputting the sound through the receiver and my two stand-alone speakers.

Of course, the 'sensible' thing to do, would be to just go out and buy a new receiver, equipped with all the latest/current connections & ports and then....no problem! However, I can't really justify that and also, most of the ones I've looked at put out 100w (or more) per channel and my Mission speakers are only recommended for 25-50w pc and although compatible with the modest output of my ancient Sony receiver, might possibly either distort or fry with a unit pushing out more than twice the power, so I'd have to go to the additional expense of replacing my speakers if I upgraded the amp. You see how things escalate......? Additionally, I have no intention (with regards to my room size & layout) having any more than those 2 side/front speakers, so 'proper' surround sound isn't a requirement. I just want a bit more 'presence' to the sound when I'm watching a movie, than is output from just the TV speaker.

As I said, I'm hoping to upgrade to a 'basic' 4K UHD Blu-Ray player soon and quite possibly the LG UBK90 that I mentioned. I still have that analogue connectivity problem to work around, but it does have an optical out port and is equipped with 2 x HDMi ports which would stand me in good stead for the future IF I bit the bullet and bought a new AV receiver.

Fo the moment, with the TV, I've got great UHD vision and just have to compromise on the sound if I want to output it through the existing receiver. It's a trade off that I just have to accept I think. Just can't have it all at the moment!

 

 

[td47]

@Stephen Davies Sure, I know what you mean, you have to watch the spending on luxuries and "boys toys" these days, and job uncertainties. I had to wait until I had retired before getting some half-decent HiFi.

Have you considered a Soundbar? These have improved a lot these days, with the use of modern electronics and firmware/software embedded. I have seen the LG SN4 soundbar advertised on Amazon UK (£175), and $275 at Retrovision Australia, and it has a high star rating. It supports HDMI.

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[Stephen Davies]

1 hour ago, td47 said:

@Stephen Davies Sure, I know what you mean, you have to watch the spending on luxuries and "boys toys" these days, and job uncertainties. I had to wait until I had retired before getting some half-decent HiFi.

Have you considered a Soundbar? These have improved a lot these days, with the use of modern electronics and firmware/software embedded. I have seen the LG SN4 soundbar advertised on Amazon UK (£175), and $275 at Retrovision Australia, and it has a high star rating. It supports HDMI.

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 Hello again T! I did give some serious thought to soundbars, but in the end, decided (at least for the forseeable future) to try and utilise my existing AV receiver/twin speaker set-up. The main reasons for this being : a) buying a soundbar would just make a working (albeit not brilliantly compatible) system redundant,  b) I've got no way of checking if a sub. £200  soundbar would actually sound 'better' than my current AV set-up and lastly,  c)  The crescent-shaped stand on the 49NANO866 does not allow a 89cm soundbar to fit snugly & unobtrusively beneath the TV without it projecting out too much. Just an aesthetic and dimension consideration and not related to sound quality, but something I had to consider nevertheless....

Still think that the £200 (when & if I have it!) will probably be better spent on that 4K UHD Blu-Ray player. What do you think...? 

[td47]

@Stephen Davies The "weakest link" in your setup is still going to be with the sound I am afraid. A modern/new AVR (such as my Yamaha RX-V385, 100 watts peak) states 70 watts across 2 channels, but you can "soft limit" the volume by having your MAX set to say -20DB in the Sound settings, so as not to over-drive your 50W speakers.

You can get 4K and UHD via a FETCH Mighty set-top-box, and watch what you want, but if you get a Blu-Ray player, you will have to rent or purchase, and I think that works out quite expensive over say a 12-month period, versus a one-off FETCH box purchase, and LOTS of choice (extra channel packs at only $6 per month) with 20 or 30 free movies per month (depending on country).

Your 4K UHD will be a GREAT picture, but mediocre sound, and unclear dialogue unless you get at least 3.1 sound and centre speaker.

[Stephen Davies]

3 hours ago, td47 said:

@Stephen Davies The "weakest link" in your setup is still going to be with the sound I am afraid. A modern/new AVR (such as my Yamaha RX-V385, 100 watts peak) states 70 watts across 2 channels, but you can "soft limit" the volume by having your MAX set to say -20DB in the Sound settings, so as not to over-drive your 50W speakers.

You can get 4K and UHD via a FETCH Mighty set-top-box, and watch what you want, but if you get a Blu-Ray player, you will have to rent or purchase, and I think that works out quite expensive over say a 12-month period, versus a one-off FETCH box purchase, and LOTS of choice (extra channel packs at only $6 per month) with 20 or 30 free movies per month (depending on country).

Your 4K UHD will be a GREAT picture, but mediocre sound, and unclear dialogue unless you get at least 3.1 sound and centre speaker.

I do see what you're getting at, T and accept your logic. I'm just trying (somewhat unsuccessfully!) to both rationalise & weigh up all the alternatives that are open to me, financially and practically. It's complicated, as I've attempted to explain....

I do subscribe to 2 movie streaming services, Netflix & Amazon and 4K UHD content is available (at no extra premium)  on the latter, which is great and I've been able to appreciate the leap in quality over my previous LG HD TV. I have quite a library of Blu-Ray & DVD titles, hence my thoughts about upgrading to a 4K UHD model which would comparatively upscale my existing discs and play any future 4K discs that I buy....probably pre-owned off eBay.

I realise that the 'sensible' route will be to invest in a more up-to-date AV receiver in order to fully enjoy the quality of sound that my new TV can produce, but as I've stated previously, there are several factors to consider. Even installing a centre speaker poses some problems. The most compact one (a Yamaha) that I've seen, would intrude  a couple of inches above the bottom edge of the TV. Not ideal! I've really no other  place to site it, so I'm still unable to reconcile the various limitations I'm faced with, with the most suitable route to better overall sound.