A Vizio sound bar is, essentially, the one component of the home theater system that is placed under the television and serves as the primary component of a product. A Vizio sound bar is a perfect solution to all your home entertainment needs, whether you want clear audio quality, cutting-edge features, or an elegant design.
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Vizio Sound Bar not Connecting to TV: Troubleshooting Steps
This article describes troubleshooting steps and offers tips if you still have problems with your Vizio sound bar.
Read on.
Check if the Sound Bar is Turned On
If the sound bar is not connected to the tv, check if the sound bar is turned on. Press the power button on the back of the sound bar at the bottom. If you don’t see a blue light around the power button, press it again until you do see it.
Make sure your TV remote is working properly by pressing any button. If you don’t see any response from your TV or sound bar, try using another remote control or remote control app if available.
Check whether a yellow cable connects your TV to the wall outlet or surge protector. If no yellow cable is connected, connect one end of an HDMI cable to the back of your TV and connect the other end to an open input on your sound bar. It should be labeled HDMI or ARC audio return channel.
Set the Source Correctly in Your Sound Bar
If you have a VIZIO sound bar and you are having trouble connecting it to your TV, the first thing to do is ensure that the source is set correctly in the soundbar.
Turn on your TV and then press the Source button on your remote control until the correct input is selected on your TV screen. If multiple inputs are available, press Source repeatedly until you see one of them. This may be labeled as HDMI 1 or something similar.
Press Input on your remote control until you see HDMI 1 or whichever input was chosen in step 2 above appear onscreen.
Check that your HDMI cables are securely connected at both ends, the back of your sound bar and the back of your TV and that they’re not bent or broken in any way.
If they’re not damaged or bent out of shape, try re-connecting them anyway to ensure they’re still secure after disconnecting them during the troubleshooting steps above.
Check if your TV is Muted
If you have muted the volume on your TV and cannot hear it, then this might be why your Vizio sound bar is not connecting to it. To do so, go to the settings menu on your TV and find the Mute option.
You can also check for a mute button on the remote control or at the back of the device. Now press all buttons related to the audio output, like Volume Up or Volume Down, to see if they work.
Check if the Volume is set too Low
You can check if the volume is too low by using the remote control to turn it up to a high volume. You should check if the TV speakers are turned off if you don’t hear any sound. If this is not the case, try resetting the Vizio sound bar.
Press and hold the power button on the back of your Vizio sound bar for 30 seconds. When done, wait for 30 seconds and then release it. After that, plug your power cord into an electrical outlet and turn on your Vizio sound bar again.
Reset Factory Settings
Resetting factory settings on your sound bar is a way to try and solve the issue of being unable to connect. This can also be done when you are having issues with your TV or if there are problems with the cable box.
You will want to start by resetting the soundbar itself. If this is not successful, follow these steps:
- Shut down all devices that are connected to the Vizio sound bar. Unplug them from their power source and allow them to sit for a few minutes before plugging them back in and turning them back on.
- Unplug your Vizio sound bar from its power source for about 30 seconds, then plug it back in and turn it back on again
Update the Firmware Manually
If you’re having trouble connecting your sound bar to your TV, try updating the firmware on your Vizio sound bar. To update the firmware, ensure you have a USB flash drive or external hard drive with no more than 2 GB of data. If you don’t have either of these devices, create one using an empty thumb drive or external hard drive and follow these steps:
- Connect the USB flash drive or external hard drive to one of the USB ports on your sound bar.
- Press the HOME button on your remote control and select Settings > Network Settings > Network Setup Wizard > Update Firmware From USB Drive.
- Follow the directions on the screen until you see “Updating Firmware.” The progress bar will appear in the lower right corner of the screen while updating takes place. Once complete, remove your USB device from its port and reconnect it to another computer by inserting it into an empty USB port on that machine.
Replace the HDMI Cable
If your Vizio sound bar is not connecting to your TV, you may need to replace the HDMI cable.
First, turn off your TV and unplug it from the wall outlet. Then unplug all cables from the back and remove them from the wall outlet.
Next, disconnect all cables from the back of your Vizio sound bar and remove them from the wall outlet. Finally, disconnect any other cables that may be connected to both devices.
Now that you have removed all the cables from both devices, you will need to purchase new HDMI cables for each one. Once you have purchased new HDMI cables for both devices, connect one end to its corresponding port on each device; cable A goes into port A.
If only one port is available on either device, i.e., two ports, but only one has a cable attached, then plug in only one end of the new HDMI cable into either device. You should now be able to connect both devices again with no issues if they were previously working correctly before disconnecting them.
Final Verdict
If the sound bar is connected via a digital optical cable from your media receiver to the input labeled “Optical” on the back of the soundbar, disconnect it and try connecting a different device via an optical cord. This will verify that the optical port is working correctly and eliminate any interference caused by another device sharing the line with your sound bar. If you have tried this and are still having issues, there may be a problem with your Vizio sound bar.