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Oct 19, 2023

How To Connect A Smart TV To A Receiver Without HDMI

HDMI cables are not the only option for connecting audio devices to a TV, with

HDMI cables are not the only option for connecting audio devices to a TV, with other cables just as accessible and pretty easy to set up.

Connecting a smart TV to a receiver without HDMI might seem a little bit daunting, but it is very easy. HDMI has been an all-in-one audio and video solution for over 20 years. The ease of transmitting audio and video content using one cable from a television to a receiver has made connecting devices a cinch. Simply plug an HDMI cable from the output on the television and run the cable to the back of a receiver. The result carries a digital video and audio signal from the television into the receiver.

However, for those without access to HDMI connections or cables, they will have to consider using alternate solutions, such as legacy audio cables. These types of cables then are fed into the input jacks on modern receivers that can accept them. Using analog or digital cables from a smart TV into a receiver offers users an alternative to HDMI. Overall, there are three common solutions to choose from and these consist of either using analog RCA left-and-right stereo cables, a single coaxial digital cable, or an optical audio cable.

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Provided the smart TV has RCA outputs and analog RCA stereo cables are on hand, this is probably the easiest and quickest option for connecting a TV and a receiver. Generic RCA cables are generally colored white and red – the white cable is for the left channel and the red cable is for the right channel. Therefore, it is important to make sure that the colors match with the TV's output jacks that are located on the back of the display. Plug the white RCA cable into the white output and the red RCA cable into the red output. Reversing them will cause the stereo signal from the smart TV to be incorrect. Take the other end of the RCA cables and plug the white and red ends into an available RCA input on the back of the receiver.

Before setting up the inputs on the receiver, check your TV's menu system to make sure that audio is set to "audio out" or something similar. Access your receiver's menu with your remote control that came with it. Go into the receiver's menu system on the front display and choose the correct analog input. Play something on the TV to make sure sound is now coming out of the receiver.

Alternatively, digital coaxial audio cables send a digitized digital signal from the smart TV to a receiver. The digital coaxial audio cable is a single cable making it easy to run from the TV into the rear input of the receiver. The barrels of the cable are round. Plug the coaxial audio cable into the smart TV's rear output jack and take the cable from the TV and plug it into an available input jack on the rear of the receiver. Set the TV audio through its menu to "audio out." Use your receiver's remote to find the coaxial audio selection in the menu and choose it. Audio should now play out of your speakers hooked up to your receiver.

Lastly, there's the optical audio cable and this works similar to a digital coaxial audio cable. Digitized audio from the smart TV can be carried by the optical audio cable and this type of cable is also commonly known as a TOSLINK. The ends of the cable are square. Plug in the optical audio cable into the back of your smart TV and run the cable to an open optical audio input jack on the receiver. Again, chose the menu selection on the TV to "audio out." Plug in the optical cable into the receiver. Use your receiver's remote to choose the correct input and play audio from your TV to check for sound.

All the methods above are fairly outdated now, with many modern TVs no longer offering legacy ports. However, there's a way to connect TVs to an audio source like a soundbar without using any wires, relying on a simple Bluetooth connection instead. Not all TVs support this method, so users will need to check if their smart TV is compatible. Samsung offers a feature called SoundShare that works with its soundbars, but it also lets users connect third-party Bluetooth speakers. The method for connecting a Bluetooth speaker varies according to the TV model, but generally, users will need to navigate to the 'Sound' menu on their TV and then select an option like 'Bluetooth Speaker,' 'Bluetooth Audio,', or 'TV SoundConnect.'

LG TVs offer a feature called Sound Sync that lets users connect LG TVs with LG soundbars and home theater systems. Users will need to enable the 'LG Sound Sync Wireless' option from their TV settings to transmit audio wirelessly. Most modern smart TVs offer Bluetooth, letting users pair wireless headphones, gaming connectors, and keyboards with their TV. Not all smart TVs support audio output to Bluetooth speakers, but for those that do, going wireless might be the best option.

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Source: HDMI.org