How to Connect a Samsung Soundbar to a TV

Connect one end of the HDMI cable to your TV's ARC port and the other end to your soundbar

By
Ruben Circelli
Ruben Circelli
Ruben Circelli
Editor
  • University of Massachusetts, Boston
Ruben Circelli has been a freelance technology writer and editor since 2014. His work has appeared on dozens of sites, including Komando.com, Twinfinite, and TheGamer.
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Updated on January 4, 2024

What to Know

  • The best way to connect a Samsung soundbar to a TV is with the HDMI-ARC port.
  • If you don't have that port, regular HDMI or optical connections also work.
  • You'll need to confirm the TV's audio settings list the soundbar as the active audio device.

This article explains how to connect a soundbar from Samsung to your TV.

Connect Your TV to Your Samsung Soundbar

Luckily, Samsung designs their soundbars to be able to get working in just a few minutes, even if you've done this before. You'll need access to your TV, the included cables with your soundbar, and an open power outlet to get started.

These steps may not work with every soundbar Samsung has ever made, but it covers the overwhelming majority of them. Regardless of who makes your soundbar, HDMI-ARC will almost always be the ideal connection, but certain soundbars will also support a wide variety of other ways to connect to a TV.

  1. Identify the cables included with your soundbar. Most soundbars come with a power cable, an HDMI cable, and an optical cable. HDMI is the most popular connection, so you may just have an HDMI cable in the box alongside a power cable.

  2. Place your soundbar in its intended location, and connect it to power. Confirm it powers on.

  3. Check the ports on your TV. Most TVs come with a variety of HDMI ports and the occasional other port like an optical port. Ideally, you'll have an open HDMI-ARC port, which is an HDMI port with the word "ARC" written somewhere next to it.

    Your TV may not support HDMI-ARC or you may use that connection with another device. If this is the case, you can use a regular HDMI port. Confirm your TV has an open HDMI port if this is the case. However, features like controlling your soundbar's volume with your TV remote will not be supported.

  4. Connect your soundbar to your TV with the appropriate cable. Using the included cables is convenient, but not necessary (i.e., you can use an old one or purchase a new one elsewhere).

    Most people will use HDMI. If you can't, you'll need to consult your particular soundbar's manual to see what other connections are supported. Traditionally, this is an optical connection you can simply use an optical cable to connect your soundbar to your TV with.

    If your personal setup can't support either an optical or HDMI connection, check to see if your soundbar has Bluetooth or AUX support. This varies between soundbars, as does the specific setup.

  5. You might need to change the source on the soundbar to D.IN. After doing this, the soundbar should display TV ARC to show that it's ready to play audio from the TV.

How Do I Get My TV to Recognize My Samsung Soundbar?

In most cases, your TV will automatically recognize your connected soundbar and output audio to it without any tweaking needed from you. Follow these steps if your TV isn't transferring sound through your soundbar:

This process won't be the same for all TVs. Still, most TVs have similar interfaces, so steps similar to those described below will work for everyone.

  1. Using either the buttons on your TV or your remote, open your TV's Settings menu.

  2. Look for an area called Audio, Sound, Audio Devices, or something similar.

  3. Confirm that the port you have your soundbar connected to is set as the active port. Sometimes, TVs will automatically detect devices and list them by name or type; if this is the case, make sure your soundbar is your default audio device.

  4. Play some content on your TV to test everything's working as intended.

FAQ
  • Why won't my Samsung soundbar connect to my TV?

    If your Samsung soundbar isn't working, it could be due to faulty connections, settings issues, or hardware malfunctions. Ensure that your TV is set up to use external speakers and that the soundbar is set to the correct source. If you're still having problems, try resetting your Samsung soundbar.

  • How do I control my soundbar with my TV remote?

    As long your soundbar is connected to your TV via HDMI-ARC, you should be able to control it with your TV's remote. If you can't, try connecting to an HDMI-ARC port and make sure the soundbar is selected in your TV's Sound Output settings.

  • How do I connect my Samsung soundbar to my TV wirelessly via Bluetooth?

    Look for a Bluetooth pairing button on the soundbar remote, or press the Source button on the soundbar and select BT. When you see BT READY, press and hold the Source button for five seconds until you see BT PAIRING. Then, go to your TV sound settings, select sound output, and choose your Bluetooth soundbar.

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