Apply Airplay Issues

[sjd1001]

Just bought an A8. Thought I would try Apple Airplay as Apple TV store miles ahead of Google Play in relation to 4k content and Dolby Atmos.

However only way to watch Apple content is via Airplay so gave it a go. Picture was fine however only way to get sound was via speakers on the TV. I have a Denon Amp and it couldn't pick up the audio signal.

Does anyone know of a way to get this to work or is it a case of having to wait for a dedicated Apple TV app or buying an Apple TV to plug into the App?

Thanks in advance

[royabrown2]

@sjd1001 

Assuming your Denon amp supports ARC, you should connect an HDMI cable between the one HDMI port on your TV marked ARC (or possibly eARC), and the video out of the Denon amp.

Then you will not only get the Airplay sound to the amp, you will also get the TV sound to the amp when watching broadcast TV, or any of the apps on the TV, or any devices plugged into the TV.

Not to mention video up from any devices plugged into the Denon.

Though I wonder if you haven’t got this largely in place anyway, and just need to check that the Denon goes into the (e)ARC HDMI input, that it supports ARC, and that, if necessary, both ARC and CEC (BraviaSync to Sony, but I don’t know what Denon call it) are enabled in the Denon settings?

[sjd1001]

Hi

Thanks for the reply. Full set up all goes into the amp, Sky, Blu Ray, PS4, Chromecast. Then one HDMI from amp to TV plugged into HDMI Arc. 

Chromecast only works as have dongle in the amp so I'm thinking maybe need Apple TV box into Amp. From what I have read that does appear so. Happy to be proved wrong!

[royabrown2]

@sjd1001 

That setup looks fine.

But you say ‘Chromecast only works as have dongle in the amp‘, which doesn’t sound right, as there is a virtual Chromecast dongle built in to the TV, which you should be able to cast to, as described (quite a long way down) here:-

https://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/televisions/a8-series/specifications

Can you try disabling the amp temporarily, so it is out of the picture (pun!), and see if you can, actually, cast to the TV?

And when you have established such casting, try it with the amp back on and set to ‘listen’ to the TV via ARC, where I would expect that the amp would play the sound from the media being cast to the TV.

This is relevant to Airplay, since this should be pretty comparable to Chromecast** in that the A8 has a virtual Airplay receiver built in, also as described in the A8 specification referenced above, so you should be able to use it from any suitable piece of Apple kit, without needing any extra piece of Apple hardware. (You might want to, for some other reason, but that’s a different matter we can leave aside for the moment.)

So again, with the amp off, establish some media from an Apple device playing via Airplay to the TV. And when it is, put the amp on, set exactly as it was to listen to Chromecast on the TV, and see if it does the same thing for Airplay, with the sound now coming from the amp, not from the TV speakers.

And let us know if this is what you find, or if you find different.....

** I know Airplay doesn’t take over the heavy lifting like Chromecast does, and so doesn’t free up the sending device like Chromecast does. But for what we are testing here, that is not a distinction that matters.

[sjd1001]

Ok

So fired up TV without Amp. TV speakers turned right down. Streaming picture has not been an issue. Initiated Airplay no problem. Picture, no sound. Fired up the Amp and sound kicked in for the first time. So that was positive.

Then started to look at Sound format. Amp only outputting sound in Dolby Digital 5.1.

Done some more research. See link

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT204069

It does appear that Dolby Atmos is only available with content if you have Apple TV Box from reading that link. Some TV and dongles (Amazon Firestick) offer Apple TV App. Not sure if you can access Atmos via pre installed App. Until Sony and Android do a deal don’t suppose we will find out. May buy a Firestick to test.

Forgot TV had Chromecast built in but don’t think it’s CC Ultra which is what is plugged into Amp. Standard CC does not support 4K. 

Will let you know if Firestick works. Thanks for your input

[sjd1001]

Found this. Looks like App does not support Atmos but may in future.

https://www.flatpanelshd.com/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1580989784

Will Sony follow suit?

[royabrown2]

@sjd1001 

I suppose having got sound to the soundbar, the next step was to look at what sound.

I'm juggling a soundbar that is more capable in the sound department than my TV is with a TV that is more capable in the video department than the soundbar is. Working over ARC, which has limitations only recently overcome by eARC.

Only my UHD BluRay player, which offers separate video and audio HDMI outputs, is capable of getting the best out of both, so I have to think carefully with all my other devices which of soundbar and TV it is best plugged into.

So you will almost certainly find that a dedicated Apple TV box will do more than the built-in Apple TV on the TV will do.

But we started out trying, at least, to get the built-ins on the TV feeding through to the soundbar, as best they can; and I think we got there, didn't we? 😎

[sjd10001]

Yep.  Thanks for your help.  Lets hope Airplay starts to be more effective is streaming the excellent content on Itunes.  Its miles ahead of Google