Now that Apple‘s new set top box is a reality and many are starting to receive their unit or intend to get one soon, it may be interesting to know how to configure a HomePod as a speaker for Apple TV 4K HDR .
How to use Apple TV and HomePod together
If you are an Apple user and you have both an Apple TV and a HomePod (or several) you will know that you can use them together to create a much more immersive sound experience, especially if you use two HomePods to create a stereo sound setup.
Thanks to these configuration options and the capabilities of the original HomePod (now discontinued, but with an option to purchase while stocks last) you can even enjoy Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital 7.1 or Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. With the HomePod mini you will not be able, but you can make use of a pair to have stereo sound that also improves the sound experience that many televisions offer.
To use this configuration of an Apple TV plus one or two original or mini HomePods (for stereo sound both Apple smart speakers must be identical, you cannot mix a HomePod with a HomePod mini) all you have to do is the next:
- From your iOS, iPadOS or macOS devices, start the home application and hold down the icon that you will see corresponding to the Apple TV you want to configure
- Once the new pop-up menu is displayed, go to the bottom and tap on the gears icon to access the device configuration settings
- Now tap on the default Audio Out option and then tap on the room where the HomePod is located or the stereo configuration created from the use of two HomePods
Ready, you can start enjoying this much more immersive sound experience thanks to the HomePods and the Apple TV. Just one last thing regarding this initial setup, to enjoy the surround sound offered by the original HomePod the company recommends that the distance between your speaker and the wall does not exceed 25 cm. This is the only way you will be able to calculate the parameters necessary to project the sound against it and that this bounce generates the sensation of immersive audio.
How to send all the sound of a Smart TV through an Apple TV 4K HDR (2nd Gen)
So far everything you’ve read you may already know if you were an Apple TV or HomePod user. However, along with the launch of the new second-generation Apple TV 4K HDR model, Apple published a new support document that offers a very interesting detail: the option to send all the sound that a television reproduces to the Apple TV so that it in turn send it to the original HomePod or pair of HomePods you may have connected to your TV.
Yes, you read it right. This new functionality is only compatible with the original HomePods . One of those strange decisions that Apple makes for some reason. Although it is difficult to understand that it cannot, because in theory it is a device with better connectivity options as it is more modern. We could get the hang of surround sound, but not being able to use HomePod minis with stereo speakers… it’s weird.
However, it is what it is. So let’s keep moving forward. What do you need to be able to send all the sound from your TV to the new Apple TV and from there to your HomePod or pair of HomePods? Well, the first essential requirement is to have the latest version of the second generation Apple TV 4K HDR. The previous model a priori seems to be not compatible.
The second thing is that your TV has an HDMI ARC port. This will be the one that allows you to send the audio signal you are receiving through another player, streaming platform or even the DTT signal.
And finally, the aforementioned of having one or two original HomePods, models that are already out of print and that Apple keeps on sale until the end of stocks. So it is to be hoped that at some point they will support the mini no matter how annoying now it is not.
If you meet all these requirements, in order to enable the use of HDMI ARC or eARC on your Apple TV 4K HDR (2nd Gen) you have to do the following:
- Set your HomePod, multiple HomePods, or even other speakers as the default output devices. To do this, you just have to go to the Apple TV settings and in the audio option select the aforementioned setting. Previously having established the use of that or those HomePods as speakers of Apple’s set top box
- Next, from the Apple TV home screen if you have come to it, go to Settings> Video and Audio. There, note that you will have or should have an option called Audio Return Channel
- Now you only have to activate this option and you will see how the TV audio playback appears activated and in parentheses you will see if it is via HDMI ARC or eARC
Ready, to enjoy this new option that will allow you to use your HomePods as speakers thanks to Apple TV. Something that Mac users would particularly like to do, be able to set them up as system speakers.
How to troubleshoot HDMI ARC, eARC or CEC on your Smart TV
Until now, all the steps had to be carried out on the Apple TV itself, because it is understood that this option is already enabled on your television and you have used the HDMI connector that supports this technology. Even so, in case of finding or suffering any kind of problem or anomaly, here are some possible solutions in case you need them:
- It is not the usual thing, but in some TV models it is necessary to activate the use of the HDMI connectors such as ARC, eARC or CEC
- If the HomePods do not reproduce sound, check that everything is marked and activated as it should and if so, restart the HomePod so that possible internal configuration errors of them are eliminated and you can successfully achieve what you want
Now to enjoy the experience.