TV ARC is flaky

SteveMartinUSA
SteveMartinUSA Posts: 4
edited January 2019 in Troubleshooting
Sometimes my Polk Magnify Mini soundbar doesn't come on when I turn on the TV. It's really flaky. I'm on v33 of the firmware. The soundbar and TV are connected via the TV ARC HDMI port and the TV's input has been configured.

2 out of 3 times the soundbar turns on correctly, but I bought this particular unit so I could use only one remote. Any ideas?
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Answers

  • SteveMartinUSA
    SteveMartinUSA Posts: 4
    BTW, I'm using the Polk Magnify Mini
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  • K_M
    K_M Posts: 1,629
    SteveMartinUSA wrote: »
    Sometimes my Polk Magnify Mini soundbar doesn't come on when I turn on the TV. It's really flaky. I'm on v33 of the firmware. The soundbar and TV are connected via the TV ARC HDMI port and the TV's input has been configured.

    2 out of 3 times the soundbar turns on correctly, but I bought this particular unit so I could use only one remote. Any ideas?

    HDMI ACR stuff in general tends to get "out of line" at times, simply from the on/off process either getting "confused" or somehow upset.
    Every so often we have the same types of issues with a totally different type set up but that also used HDMI control features.

    The best thing we found was to simply unplug the HDMI cords, AND the power cords to all associated units, wait 30 seconds, and replug it all back together and try to restart it.

    If that does not help, part of the issue may lie simply with the fact that at times HDMI control signals simply are a bit flaky in general, and it tends to happen once in a while.

    If it is happening frequently, you may have deeper issues, such as either a bad HDMI cord, loose connections or deeper issues with the internal boards that control the on/off signals and so on.
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  • SteveMartinUSA
    SteveMartinUSA Posts: 4
    Hey, thanks for your reply! Are you having the "same types of issues with a..." Magnifi Mini also? I ask because I can still return the Mini. Yes, unplugging everything always fixes the issue, but it takes 5 minutes or so for my TV to reboot and it's just a pain, and it happens frequently. Simply using the Polk remote to turn on the Mini also works.

    I wonder if the Sonos Beam Soundbar has these kinds of issues because that was my first choice if not for the very high price...
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  • 3Mpower
    3Mpower Posts: 1
    Hey there Steve, Did your issue get resolved? I recently bought the 3.1 magnifi max and it worked great for about 2 weeks. Now the soundbar does not turn on when turned on with the tv remote like it used to. The Polk remote wont turn it on either. Also the power button on the soundbar doesnt work either. Its not until i unplug the power and plug it back in that everything works again. But my settings get reset as well. Any help is greatly appreciated. The unplugging of the cord is getting old already as this happens every day. This is a brand new OLED tv so i dont think its the tv.

    Thank you in advance for any help.
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  • motorhead43026
    motorhead43026 Posts: 3,900
    edited January 2019
    Yes ARC with the Mini is good at best. I have 2 Mimi's on two different tv's and both are flaky. From on off to lip sync issues. Not a big deal as I really like the mini.
    The best way to predict the future is to invent it.

    It is imperative that we recognize that an opinion is not a fact.
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,647
    I've never had an HDMI ARC problem, ever.

    As for the Mini problem it's not the HDMI cable or an inherent issue with that type of connection, it's the Mini.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • SteveMartinUSA
    SteveMartinUSA Posts: 4
    The only solution I've found is unplugging the TV, like the first reply suggested (thank you). I have issues like these pretty much every day. I have no confidence in the programming skills of the Polk staff, which is probably why they were discounted so heavily. I'd really wonder if others have more positive experience with other products before my return period expires, or if everyone has these issues.

    The Mini was on sale for $250 over the holidays but then dropped to $200 and Crutchfield refunded me the $50. Amazon's got it for $214 today. I'm limited on space so my 2nd choice is the Sonos Beam, with Alexa built in.
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