How To Sync a Sony Sound Bar With TV Remote
By Robert Jones · 2021-02-06
Got a Sony sound bar but sick of all the remotes? I've been there! Let's sort out how to get your TV remote to control that sound bar, making your listening a whole lot easier.
Right, let's get this sorted, shall we? You've got yourself a cracking Sony sound bar, perhaps for that bit more punch from your telly, or just to hear the dialogue properly for once. But now you're staring at a coffee table covered in remotes, wondering why you can't just use the one you already pick up for the TV. It's a common old faff, this, but usually, it's not too much bother to get your TV remote calling the shots for your sound bar. **Quick Verdict:** Most Sony sound bars can be tamed by your TV remote, often with surprisingly little fuss. Honestly, I’ve been there more times than I can count. Setting up gear for mates, wrestling with my own latest bit of kit, or just trying to explain it all to my mum over the phone. The goal, always, is simplicity. One remote, one action, happy viewing. Sony makes some cracking gear, really, but they do love their own little way of doing things sometimes. Let's cut through the jargon and get your setup purring like a well-fed cat. ### Why Bother with All This Syncing Nonsense Anyway? Well, for a start, it's just plain easier, isn't it? You hit the power button on your TV remote, and everything springs to life – TV and sound bar in unison. Adjust the volume, and it's the sound bar doing the heavy lifting, not your TV's built-in speakers sounding like a couple of wasps in a jam jar. It just makes the whole experience feel like one cohesive unit, rather than a bunch of separate boxes you've bolted together. And let's be honest, who needs another remote to lose down the back of the sofa? I swear I spend half my life digging around for the Sky box remote. If I can reduce the clutter and the hunting, I'm a happy man. Imagine: watching the footy, quick channel change, volume tweak, then power everything off with a single click. Pure bliss. I've seen some setups in my time where folks have four or five remotes on the go – one for the TV, one for the Freesat box, another for the Blu-ray player, and then the sound bar remote on top. It’s utter madness. We're not having that here. We want clean, simple, and effective. That's what good home cinema is all about, for me. Just enjoying the sound and picture, not faffing with gear.  *How To Sync a Sony Sound Bar With TV Remote — tested in the SpeakersMag workshop.* ## The Battle Plan: Getting Your Remotes Talking We're going to look at a few ways to get this done. Sony, like many of the big players, has a few tricks up its sleeve, and the best method often depends on how old your gear is and what fancy features it boasts. Generally, we're looking at using HDMI-CEC (which Sony calls 'Bravia Sync'), optical connections with a bit of infrared (IR) learning, or sometimes, if you're lucky, a dedicated app or a TV remote programming feature. I'll walk you through each step-by-step. Don't fret if some of the terms sound a bit much; I've been doing this for over twenty years, and I've learned that the best way to explain things is to pretend you're just chatting to someone who wants to enjoy their telly, not trying to build a space shuttle. It's all about getting a decent sound for your favourite programmes without the hassle. ### Method 1: The HDMI-CEC Jiggery-Pokery (Usually the Easiest) This is generally the first port of call, and if your gear is relatively modern, it's often the simplest and most reliable way to go. HDMI-CEC stands for Consumer Electronics Control, and it's a bit of tech built into most HDMI cables and ports these days. What it does, essentially, is let different devices talk to each other over the HDMI cable. Sony, bless 'em, brand their version of CEC as 'Bravia Sync'. Other brands have their own names for it too – Samsung has Anynet+, LG has Simplink, Panasonic has Viera Link, and so on. The beauty of CEC is that it lets your TV tell the sound bar what to do. Power on the TV, sound bar comes on. Adjust the volume on the TV remote, sound bar volume changes. Switch inputs on the TV, and the sound bar might even switch its audio input automatically. It's pretty clever stuff when it works properly. #### What You'll Need: * A Sony sound bar with an HDMI ARC or eARC port. * A TV with an HDMI ARC or eARC port. Most TVs made in the last 10-15 years will have at least one. * A decent quality HDMI cable. You don't need to spend a fortune on fancy gold-plated ones, but a reliable cable is a good shout. I've had plenty of issues solved just by swapping out a dodgy old HDMI cable for a new one. #### How to Set It Up (The Bravia Sync Way): 1. **Connect the HDMI Cable:** Make sure your HDMI cable goes from the HDMI ARC/eARC port on your TV to the HDMI ARC/eARC port on your sound bar. This is crucial. If you plug it into a regular HDMI port, it won't work for CEC. 2. **Enable CEC on Your TV:** This is where the specific TV model comes in, but generally, you'll need to dive into your TV's settings. Look for something like 'Bravia Sync Settings' (for Sony TVs), 'HDMI Control', 'CEC Settings', or similar. Turn it on. You might also need to enable features like 'Auto Power On' or 'System Audio Control'. * **On a Sony Bravia TV:** Hit the 'Home' button on your TV remote. Go to 'Settings' > 'External Inputs' > 'Bravia Sync Settings'. Make sure 'Bravia Sync Control' is set to 'On'. You might also want to set 'Auto Devices Off' to 'On' so everything powers down together, and 'System Audio Control' to 'On' so the sound bar handles the sound. 3. **Enable CEC on Your Sound Bar:** Your Sony sound bar will also have a setting for CEC. This might be on the remote control (a dedicated 'TV' or 'Home' button that accesses sound bar settings), or through a menu on a small display on the sound bar itself. Consult your sound bar's manual if you're stuck. Typically, it's called 'HDMI CEC', 'Control for HDMI', or 'Bravia Sync'. Make sure it's enabled. 4. **Test It Out:** Turn everything off, then turn your TV back on using your TV remote. The sound bar should power on with it. Try adjusting the volume with the TV remote. If the sound bar's volume changes, you're golden! If not, try powering everything off again and restarting. Sometimes it needs a fresh handshake. #### Troubleshooting CEC: * **Make sure ARC/eARC ports are used.** I can't stress this enough. It's the biggest mistake I see folks make. * **Try a different HDMI cable.** Seriously, a cheap or old cable can cause no end of headaches with CEC. * **Restart everything.** Unplug both the TV and sound bar from the mains for a minute, then plug them back in. This often clears up communication issues. * **Check for firmware updates.** Both your TV and sound bar might have software updates available that improve CEC compatibility. It's always worth checking. * **Disable CEC on other devices temporarily.** If you have a Sky box, Blu-ray player, or games console connected via HDMI, their CEC settings can sometimes interfere. Try disabling CEC on them one by one to see if it solves the problem. ### Method 2: Optical Connection with IR Learning (The Old School Way) Not every TV or sound bar has HDMI ARC, especially if you're rocking older kit. Or perhaps you're using the optical cable (Toslink) for audio. In this scenario, you can often teach your Sony sound bar to respond to your TV remote's infrared (IR) signals. This is a bit more hands-on, but it's a reliable fallback. Think of it like this: your sound bar has an ear, and you're teaching it to recognise the specific sound (IR signal) your TV remote makes when you press 'volume up' or 'volume down'. It doesn't control power usually, but it's great for volume. #### What You'll Need: * A Sony sound bar with an IR Repeater or IR Learn function (most do). * An optical audio cable (if not using HDMI for audio). * Your TV remote control. * Your Sony sound bar remote control (for initial setup). #### How to Set It Up (IR Learning): 1. **Connect Audio (if not already done):** If you're not using HDMI ARC, make sure your optical cable is connected from your TV's optical out to your sound bar's optical in. 2. **Enter IR Learning Mode on Sound Bar:** Grab your Sony sound bar remote. Look for a button or menu option that lets you access 'IR Remote Setup', 'TV Remote Control Setup', 'Learning Function', or similar. This is usually in the sound bar's settings menu, which you might access by pressing a 'Home' or 'Menu' button on the sound bar remote, or sometimes by holding down a button on the sound bar itself. The sound bar will usually have a small display that guides you through the process. 3. **Teach the Volume Up Command:** The sound bar's display will probably prompt you to press 'Volume +'. Once it's ready, point your *TV remote* at the sound bar's IR receiver (usually a small black window on the front) and press the 'Volume +' button on the TV remote. The sound bar should confirm it's learned the command (e.g., a flash, a beep, or a message on its display). 4. **Teach the Volume Down Command:** Repeat the process for the 'Volume -' button on your TV remote. 5. **Teach the Mute Command (Optional but Recommended):** Do the same for the 'Mute' button on your TV remote. 6. **Exit Learning Mode:** Once you've taught all the commands, exit the learning mode on the sound bar. Again, the sound bar's manual will be your best friend here, as the exact steps vary between models. 7. **Test It Out:** Put the sound bar remote aside and try using your TV remote to adjust the volume. If it works, brilliant! You've successfully taught your sound bar a new trick. #### Troubleshooting IR Learning: * **Line of Sight:** IR signals need a clear line of sight. Make sure there's nothing blocking the path between your TV remote and the sound bar's IR receiver. * **Battery Power:** Make sure your TV remote has fresh batteries. Weak batteries can send out weak IR signals that the sound bar struggles to learn. * **Angle/Distance:** Experiment with the angle and distance when teaching the commands. Sometimes holding the remote closer or at a slightly different angle helps. * **Clear Previous Learning:** Some sound bars allow you to reset or clear previously learned IR commands. If you're having trouble, try clearing everything and starting again. * **Read the Manual:** I know, I know, but seriously, the manual for your specific sound bar model will have the precise steps for IR learning. They can be a bit quirky. ### Method 3: Using a Universal Remote or TV's Remote Programming (If All Else Fails) Sometimes, neither HDMI-CEC nor IR learning works perfectly, or perhaps you've got a truly ancient TV that doesn't play ball. In these cases, a universal remote can be a godsend. Or, some modern TVs have a feature to program their own remote to control external devices. #### Universal Remotes: I've had a few universal remotes over the years, some brilliant, some utterly useless. The better ones, like some of the Logitech Harmony range (though they're a bit harder to find new now, sadly), can control pretty much anything. You program them with codes for your TV, sound bar, Sky box, Blu-ray player, you name it. They usually have a huge database of devices, and it's often a simple matter of typing in a code or going through an auto-scan process. * **Pros:** Can control multiple devices, consolidates remotes, often offers 'activity' macros (e.g., 'Watch TV' turns on TV, sound bar, and sets inputs). * **Cons:** Another remote to buy, can be complex to set up, cheaper ones might not have all the codes. #### TV Remote Programming: Some newer TVs, particularly smart TVs, have a feature within their settings to set up universal control. You effectively tell the TV what brand and model your sound bar is, and the TV's remote sends out the appropriate IR signals. It's similar to IR learning but done from the TV's side. * **How to Check:** Dive into your TV's settings. Look for 'Universal Remote Setup', 'External Device Setup', or something along those lines. Follow the on-screen prompts. You might need to select 'Sound Bar' as the device type and then 'Sony' as the brand. ### A Quick Word on Volume Discrepancy Sometimes, even after you've got your TV remote controlling the sound bar, you might notice that the TV's internal volume display still shows up when you press the volume buttons. This usually means the TV is still trying to adjust its own (muted) speakers as well as sending the command to the sound bar. It's a bit annoying but largely harmless. As long as the sound bar's volume is changing, you're good. Some TVs let you turn off the internal volume display, but not all. If you're using HDMI-CEC, and the TV still shows its own volume on screen, check your TV's sound output settings. Make sure it's set to 'Audio System' or 'External Speakers' and not 'TV Speakers'. This usually sorts it. ## Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) ### Q: My Sony sound bar isn't turning on or off with my TV using HDMI-CEC. What gives? A: First, double-check that both your TV and sound bar are connected via the specific HDMI ARC/eARC ports. Also, ensure 'Bravia Sync' (or 'HDMI Control'/