How to Connect a Soundbar to a TCL Roku TV: HDMI and Optical Cables

A soundbar connects to your TV without a receiver and contains many speakers as well as the electronics that power them. For many various issues in your home theater, a soundbar may be a fantastic tool. They improve the aesthetics of your area, cut down on the number of cords you need to run, and, depending on the model, provide excellent sound quality addition to all these advantages. 

However, the sound quality may be affected by how you connect a soundbar to a TCL Roku TV. There are numerous different sorts of connection ports on the rear of a soundbar, which you may have noticed if you recently purchased one. Today’s soundbars typically contain at least one HDMI port. However, some also have optical connections.

Here in this article, we’ll let you know how to connect a Soundbar to a TCL Roku TV with HDMI and Optical Cable Connection.

Let’s start with some basics!

What is HDMI?

High Definition Multimedia Interface is the abbreviation for HDMI. The most popular method for transferring audio and video material from one device to another is an HD signal. However, the port will frequently be the typical full size.

Many recent home technology items, including TVs, display monitors, soundbars, AV receivers, gaming consoles, projectors, and PCs, include this connection. An HDMI port may be present if a device needs to transmit or receive video and audio. In our situation, HDMI connectors are required to connect our TCL television. Let’s connect.

[Image: An image of a HDMI Cord]

What are the Steps to connect a soundbar to a TCL Roku TV via HDMI?

The majority of TCL Roku Tv models include the HDMI function called Audio Return Channel (ARC). The main objective of the ARC is to enable visual and audio communication between your CEC-compatible soundbar and TCL Roku Tv. The fact that so few cords are needed to enjoy the soundbar’s great audio is only made possible via HDMI ARC.

First Step: 

The first step in connecting your soundbar and TCL Roku TV together is to connect them through HDMI. When doing this, make sure the proper wires and connectors are available. It is essential to use a high-speed HDMI cable that supports HDMI ARC and CEC control. If you need help determining whether your TV has one, look for the HDMI ARC port on the back. The backport of the TV should be linked to one end of the HDMI cable, and your soundbar should be attached to the other.

Second Step:

The soundbar has to be discoverable in order to go to step two. Follow the steps listed below to check if your TCL Roku Tv can identify your CEC-compatible devices after turning it on and making sure they are safely connected to the TV:

• Use the remote control to select the home screen.
• Scroll the page and select Settings.
• Then find System.
• Then select control other devices from the menu of choices (CEC).
• Click on the right arrow button, scroll down a bit and choose Search for CEC devices
• As soon as the button is pressed, the TV starts to scan the network for any CEC-compatible devices.

Following the completion of the aforementioned procedure, the TV displays a list of all CEC devices linked to the HDMI, as well as numerous appliances that were previously connected. You should read the product description to quickly identify the brand or model of your soundbar among the CEC devices.

Step 3:

The last and final step is to connect the soundbar to the TCL Roku tv with HDMI. If you’re connecting a soundbar to your TV for the first time, you must first enable the HDMI ARC feature. Here are some quick methods to effectively connect your devices.

• Click the Home button on your remote control to bring up the home screen.
• Until you locate Settings, scroll the page. Click “OK”.
• Now scroll down until you reach the System, then click OK.
• Navigate down to Manage other devices (CEC).
• Select HDMI ARC from the list of possibilities by using the right arrow key (>), scrolling down, and selecting it. Clicking OK will turn on HDMI ARC.

For more details, watch this video:

What is Optical Cable?

Using a specially made cable and connector, an optical cable physically connects a compatible source device to a compatible playback device to transport audio data using fibre optics. On the transmission end, an LED light bulb transforms the digitally recorded electrical pulses that make up the audio data into light. Cable boxes, video game consoles, Blu-ray players, and televisions are examples of devices that accept digital optical cable connections.

[Image: an image of a optical cable]

How to Use an Optical Cable to Connect a Soundbar to a TCL Roku TV?

Use optical cable if your soundbar doesn’t support audio-split HDMI connections. Connect this optical cable to the connectors on the two devices. Which end is the input, and which end is the output should be marked? In addition to digital optical connectors, the majority of modern LED, OLED, or OLED flatscreen TVs are smart TVs with several USB ports, HDMI ports, and Internet access. Its settings should be simple to configure and user-friendly.

Step 1:

You don’t need to buy an optical cable because TCL Roku TVs and soundbars already have one. It’s essential to keep in mind that if the optical cable is brand-new, the ends can still be protected by small caps; you must remove these covers before connecting either end to a device. Next, you need to find the optical output on the TV’s back. The most typical designations are “Audio Out” or “Optical Out.” Put the other end of the optical cable on it once you’ve located it.

Step 2:

After you’ve done that, attach the other end of the cable to your soundbar’s optical input, which is often marked as either a Digital Audio Input or an Optical Input. It will have the same appearance as the plug on the back of your TCL Roku TV. After pairing the two devices, please turn on the soundbar by plugging it into a power outlet.

Step 3: 

Next step is to make changes to your TCL Roku TV’s menu settings now that the optical cable has been connected to both devices.

Step 4:

Navigate to the Audio options in the TV’s menu. The sound will be sent to the soundbar if you choose to disable the TV’s speakers, which you should be able to do.

(Suggestion: For instructions on how to correctly transfer audio to a soundbar, consult the TV’s instruction booklet.)

Step 5:

The last step should confirm that your soundbar’s input is set to the proper one after modifying the settings on your TV. The source or information may often be selected using a button on the soundbar’s remote control.

For More details watch this video:

FAQs

Conclusion

It should be easy to connect your soundbar to a TCL Roku Tv. However, the quality of your connectivity options and the choice of your TCL Roku Tv models and soundbar settings will determine how successful you are in setting up your connection.

It’s also important to reiterate the need for extreme caution while handling optical cables since they are constructed of optical strands, which are essentially glass. But, If you want the most incredible sound quality available, HDMI ARC is the best option. The most recent audio formats are supported by this technology, and you may use the same remote control for both devices.

Additionally, HDMI ARC lessens tangled cords. Since copper is prone to interference, this is HDMI’s fundamental flaw. Optic cables, on the other hand, are constructed from fiber optic strands that transport signals by light, making them immune to interference. However, they need to provide sound quality as well when utilizing HDMI.

Do you have any other brand TV and want to connect soundbar to it? No worries, we got you covered. Check out this article and learn how to connect soundbar to your TV via different methods: How to Hook Up a Soundbar to a TV With and Without HDMI or Optical Cable?