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2-Function Remote Stopped Controlling my Sound Bar

When my service was set up last year, the field tech brought me the newer 2-function remote (TV power and STB power buttons only) to use with the Motorolla QIP 7232-2 multi-room DVR. I'm not sure how he did it, but he programed the remote to control the volume through my sound bar. Fast forward to this weekend. I unplugged my sound bar and subwoofer to move them and reposition power cables, and now suddenly the remote won't control volume through the sound bar. It won't even control volume through the TV (Samsung). Channel selection works just fine.

I've searched high and low but can't figure out how to restore this functionality. Please do not tell me that I must have the 4-function remote in order to do this. That is absolutely NOT the case as my 2-function remote has been controlling my sound bar just fine since my equipment was installed.

Anybody have any ideas?

Comments

lacticacidtrip1

I can think of 2 possible solutions. One is Controlling the Volume through the DVR. The other is called a Key Fix. Neither of these explain why your remote stopped functioning as it used to. But one or both might solve your problem. To help understand why this issue happened and which solution is more likely, I have a few questions:

Are you using the same remote control on the same DVR, TV, and sound bar as you were when it was working correctly?
Did you reprogram the remote before it stopped functioning?
Does this remote still turn on the TV and DVR when pushing the power buttons?
Did the remote ever turn on the sound bar, or have you been controlling that with another remote or manually?
Does the sound bar have power and is it turned on when you are trying to control the volume now?
Does the sound bar or TV have sound (sound but not volume control)?
How are you connecting the audio to the sound bar (composite/RCA, digital audio coax, digital audio optical, HDMI)?
Are you sure that these connections are correct or at least the same as they were?
When you pressed the VOL +/-, or Mute keys before, did a gray volume bar show up in the top right corner of your television screen?

t-dubber

Are you using the same remote control on the same DVR, TV, and sound bar as you were when it was working correctly?

YES, I AM USING THE SAME REMOTE.

Did you reprogram the remote before it stopped functioning?

NO. THE REMOTE HASN'T BEEN TOUCHED IN THAT REGARD SINCE THE FIELD TECH GOT ME SET UP.

Does this remote still turn on the TV and DVR when pushing the power buttons?

YES, THE POWER BUTTONS DO STILL POWER ON/OFF THE TV AND THE DVR.

Did the remote ever turn on the sound bar, or have you been controlling that with another remote or manually?

NO, UNFORTUNATELY THE FIOS REMOTE NEVER POWERED ON/OFF THE SOUNDBAR - I HAD TO USE THE DEDICATED SOUNDBAR REMOTE FOR THAT OR TURN IT ON MANUALLY. THE FIELD TECH INDICATED THAT HE COULDN'T PROGRAM THE REMOTE FOR POWER, BUT HE *COULD* (AND DID) SET IT UP TO CONTROL VOLUME. AND THE FIOS REMOTE *DID* CONTROL THE VOLUME WITH NO ISSUE, EVER. UNTIL NOW.

Does the sound bar have power and is it turned on when you are trying to control the volume now?

YES.

Does the sound bar or TV have sound (sound but not volume control)?

YES.

How are you connecting the audio to the sound bar (composite/RCA, digital audio coax, digital audio optical, HDMI)?

IT'S JUST A SINGLE RCA-TYPE PLUG THAT CONNECTS FROM THE 'AUDIO OUT' ON THE BACK OF THE TV TO THE BACK OF THE SOUNDBAR. THE SOUNDBAR DOESN'T HAVE CONNECTIONS FOR HDMI, DIGITIAL AUDIO, ETC.

Are you sure that these connections are correct or at least the same as they were?

ALL CONNECTIONS ARE THE SAME NOW AS THEY HAVE BEEN ALL ALONG.

When you pressed the VOL +/-, or Mute keys before, did a gray volume bar show up in the top right corner of your television screen?

NO. NOTHING AT ALL SHOWED ON THE TV ITSELF. THE INDICATOR LIGHT ON MY SOUNDBAR WOULD FLASH EACH TIME I HIT THE VOL UP/VOL DOWN BUTTON, BUT THAT WAS THE ONLY VISUAL INDICATOR ANYWHERE IN RELATION TO CHANGING THE VOLUME.

lacticacidtrip1

Thank you for all of that information. There were two answers that interested me. The first was that you say that there is only a single RCA-type plug connecting your TV to your sound bar. Unless that plug is connected to a digital audio coax in/out, I don't think your sound bar is getting stereo (L/R). But that's not the problem you're interested in. The more pertinent answer was that nothing displayed on your TV screen when the remote was controlling your sound bar. This means that your installer actually took the longer route and performed a key fix on your remote control. If you still have your remote control manual lying around, this function is listed on page 8. Officially this function is only supposed to work on TV's. But that doesn't mean that there isn't a code on the remote that couldn't work on your sound bar.

KEY FIX

On the remote control press & hold the OK & * buttons, release together. (The LED will blink twice, then stay lit.)
Press and hold the key that does not work correctly. The remote control will try a new code every second.
Once the (sound bar) responds correctly, release the button.
Press the OK button to save the setting.

I've never tried this option since I've never had your issue. I do not know if you have to do this with each button (Mute, VOL+, VOL-), or if programming one fixes the other two. I think I would start with Mute since the code changes every second and you need an easily recognized response in such a short period of time. Other areas of the instructions say that this process could take up to 8 minutes to search through all the codes. If you reach the end of the codes before you release the button, the remote buttons should blink 4 times rapidly and then go dark.

The other way to solve this issue is simpler. Set your sound bar volume level about where you usually put it. Then do the following:

Set the STB to control the volume.

Menu > Settings > Audio > Volume Control > Variable > OK > Exit

On the remote control press & hold the OK & 2 buttons, release together. (The LED will blink twice, then stay lit.)
Press 9 - 5 - 5. (The LED will blink twice, then stay lit.)
Press the STB button. (The LED will blink 3 times, then stay off.)

The volume and mute will now be controlled through the STB.

You may have to adjust the volume level on the sound bar further (I would put my amplifier level as high as possible before I start to hear speaker hiss). You may also want to connect the sound bar directly to the box using the second set of audio outs if your TV interferes with the volume control of the sound bar.

Hope these options work for you.

t-dubber

Sorry about the delay in my response. I've been tied up with work and haven't been home to try out your suggestions until today. At any rate, neither suggestion worked, unfortunately. Now, though, the volume buttons on the remote will bring up a sound bar on the tv, and the sound bar will move up and down in conjunction with the volume up/down remote buttons. It does not actually affect the volume in any way, however.

Any other ideas?

t-dubber

should probably have clarified. TV is connected to STB via HDMI cable. Soundbar is connected to TV via single RCA-type plug. Unless the STB has a connection like that, I can't connect it to the soundbar. Since I'm fixing to head to bed, though, I'll have to check it out tomorrow. I'll report back tomorrow evening..... Thanks for bearing with me!

lacticacidtrip1

Okay, that does explain it. In most cases HDMI sends digital audio. Digital is all or nothing. In order to control the volume through the box, you would need to connect it directly to your soundbar via analog audio outs. Your other choices are to purchase a 4-device remote from Verizon and hope that it has a code to control your soundbar (can't get it to control my DVD or blu-ray players), buy a universal remote that can control everything, or just keep searching for how that tech got it to work with your soundbar in the first place.

If you post or PM me a picture of your soundbar audio inputs (either from the back of the device or from its manual), I might be able to help you figure out how to connect it to the DVR directly.

t-dubber

There is no way to connect the soundbar to the DVR. The only available connection is an RCA-type plug that doesn't quite fit the RCA jacks on the back of the DVR. I'll just try to track down the tech. Thanks anyway.

georgeny1

Don't knwo if you still ready forums or if you ever tracked down the tech but if you did I would the solution.

George in NY

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