I thought it would be easy...

[MrLanders]

I bought an LG sound bar to replace a decrepit stereo system to deliver some "punch" to the sound while watching TV and movies on the DVD. It came with one cable...an optical cable. Seemed so simple. Problem is, my Westinghouse TV doesn't have an optical cable input. Both the TV and sound bar DO have HDMI ports. Will the HDMI cable I just bought do what the optical cable was supposed to do? I've plugged the HDMI cable into the bar and into the TV and haven't yet been able to get it to work.

 

[americanaudiophile]

Unless your TV and soundbar both have ARC (audio return channel) an HDMI cable will not work for you. If you connected the soundbar to an HDMI input that is labeled ARC then you may still have to activate ARC in the TV settings menu.
If your TV doesn't have any audio outputs or ARC then there is no easy way to connect the soundbar to it.
If it has analog audio line outputs or a headphone jack you can use an ADC to convert to optical for the soundbar.
http/www.bestbuy.com/site/agptek-analog-rca-to-digital-optical-audio-toslink-outputs-cable-converter-adapter/1306577166.p?id=mp1306577166&skuId=1306577166
You should start with the TV volume down if you have a variable audio output or use the headphone jack because excessive input level to the ADC will cause a lot of distortion.

 

[MrLanders]

americanaudiophile, thanks so much for a thorough (and thankfully understandable) answer. I'll have to check the television manual when I get home and see what it offers in external connectivity. It sounds like that converter is going to be my only option. I appreciate your help.

 

[MrLanders]

Unless your TV and soundbar both have ARC (audio return channel) an HDMI cable will not work for you. If you connected the soundbar to an HDMI input that is labeled ARC then you may still have to activate ARC in the TV settings menu.
If your TV doesn't have any audio outputs or ARC then there is no easy way to connect the soundbar to it.
If it has analog audio line outputs or a headphone jack you can use an ADC to convert to optical for the soundbar.
http/www.bestbuy.com/site/agptek-analog-rca-to-digital-optical-audio-toslink-outputs-cable-converter-adapter/1306577166.p?id=mp1306577166&skuId=1306577166
You should start with the TV volume down if you have a variable audio output or use the headphone jack because excessive input level to the ADC will cause a lot of distortion.

Hi again americanaudiophile. Now that I'm actually home where the tv is, and can look at it, it has a coaxial audio out port and a headphone jack. Looks like I'll need a converter from coax to toslink, right?

 

[americanaudiophile]

If that is a single RCA jack labeled digital audio out then yes you need a coax to optical digital audio converter.
http/www.amazon.com/C2G-40018-Coaxial-Toslink-Converter/dp/B0002J2MV4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1439051671&sr=8-1&keywords=digital+coax+to+optical
If it has 2 RCA jacks labeled audio out then you will need a DAC to convert to optical audio like this one
http/www.parts-express.com/parts-express-dac-digital-to-analog-converter-%2851-compatible%29--180-999

 

[MrLanders]

If that is a single RCA jack labeled digital audio out then yes you need a coax to optical digital audio converter.
http/www.amazon.com/C2G-40018-Coaxial-Toslink-Converter/dp/B0002J2MV4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1439051671&sr=8-1&keywords=digital+coax+to+optical
If it has 2 RCA jacks labeled audio out then you will need a DAC to convert to optical audio like this one
http/www.parts-express.com/parts-express-dac-digital-to-analog-converter-%2851-compatible%29--180-999

Hi again. I bought a converter which will only work through the headphone jack. The coax output on the TV is not labeled digital audio out. It's just labelled Coax. I tried to get some help from Westinghouse, which made the TV and they sent me a link to a converter that has the INs and OUTs in reverse of what I need. If the Coax output on the TV is not digital, but is mono RCA, perhaps that's why the converter I bought will not work through that port. I got the sound bar to produce sound through the headphone jack, but unfortunately plugging into that jack does not disable the TV's own speakers, so I've got sound coming out of both the soundbar and the television, with a microsecond or two of delay which gives it an echo that's annoying.