Seeking HDMI kit and soundbar options advice please.

Forums › Home Theatre (including HTPC and EPG Collector) › Seeking HDMI kit and soundbar options advice please.

kiwifidget

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#322689 12-Sep-2025 11:32

This is the setup at mums. Its worked quite well for many years (since 2007??), but lately the audio has become scratchy.

The dining room situation is all good, its the lounge thats got the problem.

The lounge TV is a gorgeous but ancient Pioneer Kuro 720p 50" plasma (PDP-507XG), with no built-in speakers.

The receiver is an equally old NAD T750 unit with no digital audio inputs at all, only the yellow red white RCA inputs.

The SmartVu is connected to a HDMI switch as sometimes I connect my laptop to the TV. There are only 2 HDMI ports on the TV and they are very difficult to reach as the TV is wall-mounted and does not move.

99% of the time, SkyTV is what is being watched.

Trying to kill 2 birds here: make the audio better, and reduce the complexity.

Solution 1 is obvious but a bit expensive, new SmartTV with built in speakers. Would be a shame to retire the Pioneer, but also makes the NAD, room speakers, SmartVu, HDMI switch all redundant as well.

OR....

Something that can make this achievable...

Is there either, a magic HDMI box that can take 2 or 3 HDMI sources and output HDMI video and audio to a soundbar,
or is there a soundbar that can do all that by itself?

I have been googling but I'm wondering if I'm searching for things that dont exist as I'm not getting anywhere.

If these things do exist, they would need to be significantly cheaper than a new TV to be considered as an option.

Thanks.

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littlehead

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#3414117 12-Sep-2025 12:51

If I understand correctly, you could be looking for an HDMI matrix switcher that can also extract audio. Don't know a specific model specifically but a google found this:

https://www.jaycar.co.nz/concord-4x2-4k-hdmi-matrix-switcher-splitter/p/AC5012?srsltid=AfmBOoolMYKF-USYmb8hh-MKVLo_vD2Conopw4QmWVp74vLNvtckTxp7

May work for what you need. Likely also need a 3.5mm to 2 RCA cable adapter as well with that model if it doesn't come with one. would set the audio output to ARC off and to the lounge tv output.

Depending on how you want it setup, you may not need the extra HDMI switch with this setup as the switcher would cover that with 4 inputs, and have a bonus of the smart vu as well as your laptop being able to be sent to the other tv.

kiwifidget

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#3414121 12-Sep-2025 13:11

aha! a matrix switcher! it helps to know the terminology.

That would work I think.

Presumably the same picture is emitted on both outputs.

And initially I can use the pukey headphone to stereo RCA cable to the NAD like it is now, and then look for a soundbar with an optical input later. Ideally would like to retire the NAD and the room speakers.

The dining room TV is a standard non-smart LG 1080p.

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richms

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#3414125 12-Sep-2025 13:18

If 1080p is all you need then there are some very affordable options on aliexpress that will give you an audio out that goes with one of the HDMI outputs. Not all have an analog so pay attention to that.

The matrix switch lets you choose each output independently with its remote or buttons on the front of it.

Richard rich.ms

kiwifidget

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#3414190 12-Sep-2025 14:28

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006063131158.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.8.4318f0bcFUPh3m&algo_pvid=9e8ab976-87c7-46fd-b6bb-373055a0bc5f&algo_exp_id=9e8ab976-87c7-46fd-b6bb-373055a0bc5f-7&pdp_ext_f=%7B%22order%22%3A%2256%22%2C%22eval%22%3A%221%22%7D&pdp_npi=6%40dis%21NZD%2199.66%2136.24%21%21%21413.35%21150.30%21%402101ead817576420017845968ec950%2112000035567681718%21sea%21NZ%210%21ABX%211%210%21n_tag%3A-29910%3Bd%3Aefcde7a1%3Bm03_new_user%3A-29895%3BpisId%3A5000000174048051&curPageLogUid=V7vKmxe5SZGT&utparam-url=scene%3Asearch%7Cquery_from%3A%7Cx_object_id%3A1005006063131158%7C_p_origin_prod%3A

my goodness thats a long url

anyways, this sort of thing??

4 hdmi inputs: check

2 hdmi outputs: check (neither tv has ARC or eARC, is that a problem?)

3.5mm jack: to connect to existing NAD receiver: check (probably wont fix audio issue though)

spdif output: (to connect to future soundbar, will fix audio issue, and can be used with a newer tv if required): check

matrix and splitter mode: check

This might make some laugh.

The 2 TVs are less than a metre apart, facing opposite directions.

Its not unusual for both tvs to be on, and watching the lounge tv while listening to the dining room tv which has perfectly good sound!

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nitro

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#3414192 12-Sep-2025 14:38

looks to me like a soundbar with 2 HDMI inputs (mysky via HDMI splitter and SmartVu) will do the job. am i missing something?

kiwifidget

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#3414195 12-Sep-2025 14:49

nitro:

looks to me like a soundbar with 2 HDMI inputs (mysky via HDMI splitter and SmartVu) will do the job. am i missing something?

I confess I know diddly squat about soundbars, but I've not seen one that 2 things plug into it, and it makes all the sound, and passes the video through to a TV.

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richms

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#3414249 12-Sep-2025 15:00

Mine only has a single input and it can pass that on to the TV thru the same HDMI that the ARC comes back on, but its a pain to switch sources for it so I do not use that input.

Its only real HT recievers that have multiple inputs on them, and as some have multiple outputs and multizone that may make a matrix switch redundant. I like my Chinese one as it shows as its own display to the connected sources and seems to do a nice job of sorting out all the HDCP problems, whereas when I used one from a legit brand (cant recall if it was kramer or extron) it would negotiate and pass on HDCP and drop out all the time. when displays were turned on or off.

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nitro

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#3414274 12-Sep-2025 15:58

kiwifidget:

I confess I know diddly squat about soundbars, but I've not seen one that 2 things plug into it, and it makes all the sound, and passes the video through to a TV.

thankfully there are a few that have more than one. considering you're coming from a proper surround setup powered by a NAD, you're probably not looking at the cheapest soundbars available. you should be able to find one that serves your needs.

A quick hunt shows these two have 3 HDMI inputs:

JBL Bar 1000 - 7.1.4 ch
Polk Audio MagniFi Max AX SR - 7.1.2 ch

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#3414296 12-Sep-2025 17:28

nitro:

considering you're coming from a proper surround setup powered by a NAD, you're probably not looking at the cheapest soundbars available.

I can see how one might get this impression.

But when I look at what is connected, I cant see how its operating as a proper 5ch surround setup.

Audio sources are the red/white L/R outputs on the black Sky box, and a 3.5mm headphone port on the TV, to red/white RCA inputs on the NAD.

The Sky audio is going straight from the Skybox to the NAD, and the SmartVu audio is going into the TV via HDMI input and then out to the NAD via the headphone jack. EEK! So they are both analog stereo connections.

EDIT TO ADD: its just occurred to me that the Sky audio can also be routed back out thru the headphone jack.

I am undecided on what to get by way of a soundbar.

I know that apps on the SmartVu will have multi-channel audio options, but I forget what the black Sky box is capable of.

I guess it doesnt need to be all singing and all dancing, but should be capable of working with the current TVs and any future TVs, and be a reasonable replacement for the speakers connected to the NAD.

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kiwifidget

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#3414297 12-Sep-2025 17:42

ON THE TV: Instead of the headphone jack, could I use these audio outputs instead? They are very hard to access with the TV being on the wall, but would they work better?

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nitro

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#3415045 15-Sep-2025 09:03

with the current interconnections, surround sound would be matrixed/upscaled by the receiver from the stereo input it's getting. obviously not the distinct channels as mixed for the source material.

audio lineout from the tv should be fine. but what sound would come from the tv if the source is MySky and SmartVu connected to the soundbar?

the question is... does the display have an HDMI input to use per your original plan/diagram?

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richms

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#3415058 15-Sep-2025 10:07

kiwifidget:

ON THE TV: Instead of the headphone jack, could I use these audio outputs instead? They are very hard to access with the TV being on the wall, but would they work better?

Its labelled monitor out and grouped with a composite video, so I doubt there would be anything coming out of it when its on a non composite input, which having 3 of them really dates this TV.

Richard rich.ms

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#3415195 15-Sep-2025 15:40

@richms its a 2007 TV I think. Mum thinks they got it for the Rugby World Cup.

I managed to turn myself into a pretzel and connected RCA cables from those 2 audio ports on the TV to Video1 on the NAD.

The audio is still scratchy.

So thats audio 3 ways for MySky, all crappy.

Either the NAD is poo, or the speakers are poo, or both. All very ancient as well.

Mum would like to get rid of all the speakers, and the NAD and all the remotes blah blah blah.

Her hearing is on the way out, so clearer audio is the goal, and preferably without ditching the Pioneer.

I have warned that a new TV might be the only solution, even though I dont really believe that.

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kiwifidget

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#3415197 15-Sep-2025 15:45

nitro:

with the current interconnections, surround sound would be matrixed/upscaled by the receiver from the stereo input it's getting. obviously not the distinct channels as mixed for the source material.

audio lineout from the tv should be fine. but what sound would come from the tv if the source is MySky and SmartVu connected to the soundbar?

the question is... does the display have an HDMI input to use per your original plan/diagram?

Yes, the TV has 2 HDMI inputs.

My thinking was to plug the MySky and SmartVu via HDMI into 1 device, and then output video via HDMI to each TV.

One TV would also get audio via that HDMI connection.

The Pioneer has no speakers, so its audio needs to be output to a soundbar or similar, either extracted from the magic HDMI box (aka matrix switcher) or routed back out from the TV via the analog audio ports.

Wouldnt the soundbar sound better getting its audio from the magic box, instead of from the TV?

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