Nine times out of ten the television is outputting an audio format the bar cannot decode, and the entire fix is one setting in the television’s audio menu.
The setting
Television audio output: PCM or bitstream. PCM is decoded by the television and sent as plain stereo — universally compatible. Bitstream sends the raw surround stream for the bar to decode, which is what you want on a bar that can, and silence on one that cannot.
Set it to PCM to establish that the connection works at all, then move it to bitstream if the bar supports surround.
The other causes, in order
The television’s own speakers still selected as the output device. The wrong HDMI port — only one is usually labelled ARC or eARC, and the bar must be on it. HDMI CEC disabled on either device, which breaks the automatic switching. Optical connected but the television set to send surround it cannot carry, which is the same format problem in a different cable.
What it is almost never
The cable, on an optical or HDMI link that has never worked. Cables fail, and they usually do it after a period of working rather than on installation day.
Questions people actually ask
What should the TV audio output be set to?
If the bar decodes surround, bitstream or "pass-through". If it does not, PCM. A television set to bitstream feeding a bar that only handles PCM produces silence, which looks exactly like a broken cable.
Why does it work on some apps and not others?
Because apps use different formats. Silence on one service and sound on another points squarely at format handling rather than at the connection.
Last reviewed 4 September 2026