Sony Soundbar Serial Number

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Jeanett Fite

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Aug 3, 2024, 5:34:27 PM8/3/24

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I recently got a new sound bar. It connects fine with no issues and I can control the volume with the Samsung remote but I no longer have a number for the volume, only a plus / minus when I move the volume up and down. Is there anyway to have the numbers appear?

I was also frustrated by this when I purchased my soundbar last Summer. Then, suddenly in Fall, Samsung sent an update to my TV, and the numbers began appearing on my screen again. Yesterday, my soundbar suddenly disconnected from my TV. When I turned it on again, the volume numbers disappeared again. Sooooo frustrating! I spent an hour chatting with Samsung and received no help.

Okay, after some trial and error I think I kind of figured this thing out. For those of you out there still having this issue, try this and maybe it helps. First I updated soundbar firmware via usb drive, I have no idea if this made any difference at all. Then I connected the soundbar to the tv using bluetooth, the numbers appeared on the screen here but it was still connected via bluetooth which is not optimal. So I switched audio back to optical from the tv audio settings menu. Now it is connected via optical and I can see volume numbers, can turn up and down as smooth as before.

I also have the problem, only see the + and -. My sound bar is sonos beam connected with HDMI arc. Worked fine on 5 year old tcl Roku tv. Volume level displays when no sound bar attached, but doesn't with sound bar?!!

I recently purchased a sony tv and soundbar to replace my old Samsung system. The TV failed so I replaced that with a samsung but now the soundbar keeps dropping the sound when on Netflix. The code PCM-M shows on the Bar display and the sound returns after a couple of seconds but this occurs continually and the only way we can watch Netflix is to switch off the sound bar. We are connected with optical and HMDI-arc cables all in the correct positions. Has anyone got an y ideas please

And if you can still only get audio through optical, disconnect the HDMI cable to the soundbar, or at least, if you need video to come up it from the soundbar, plug it into a non-ARC HDMI input on the TV.

as you have connected both optical and HDMI (probably ARC) - to which input do you have the soundbar set? If it is optical, check whether the cable is slotted in on both sides. Sometimes optical cables can sit slanted in the connector, leading to the optical signal being very dim, causing the signal to drop out.

Thanks for that. I have it set to HMDI(arc) but for some reason it would not work at all without the optical lead being connected which suggests I have a setup problem somewhere. Unfortunately the dealer has no clue either.

After changing the HDMI cable without success I was searching through Settings/ Expert Settings and came across a Digital Output Audio Format key which was set to Auto but gave me the option of setting to PCM. As the error code was showing PCM-MC I decided to change the setting and hey presto problem gone. Brilliant.

@mike.brew was kind enough to accept my answer above as a solution, but needing the two items to be connected by both HDMI ARC and Optical is unusual, and any solution that settles for PCM, even PCM-MC, should only be implemented if Bitstream has to be completely ruled out.

I recently bought the Sony HT-ST5000 soundbar, which is quite a beast, with much excitement. Unfortunately, I have not been able to enjoy it to its optimum as it refuses to play nice with my home WiFi setup.

The issue seems to be a result of the wireless link between the soundbar and the subwoofer, as a result of which the subwoofer makes random crackling/fluttering sounds. I saw other people (who also seem to be using an Orbi system) run into the issue and the solution they suggested, of turning on the Secure Link setting on the soundbar and specifying a band, helped the problem a great deal (in my case the 5.2GHz Channel 3 worked best). The problem was not entirely mitigated though and I was still able to hear the occasional crackle. I then ran into a new problem, which was that every time I powered on my soundbar the WiFi on MacBook Pro broke down to the point where downloads crawl and it became practically impossible to surf the web.

After much digging around and thanks almost entirely to this post by Nakamichi customer support, which is just as applicable to my Sony soundbar, it seems that the dedicated backhaul on the Orbi, which operates on channel 157 at the 5.785 GHz frequency, prevents me from using the 5.8GHz link between the soundbar and the subwoofer, forcing me to use the 5.2GHz link instead, which interferes with the 5GHz WiFi network. So the main question now becomes which channel should I use for the 5GHz WiFi network (since I cannot change the channel for the backhaul)? The Orbi only offers a choice between channels 36, 40, 44 and 48.

(in my case the 5.2GHz Channel 3 worked best). Is this seen on the speakers UI? There is actually no channel 3 on the 5Ghz spectrum. There is 36 thru 48 and 149 thr 165 which is only used by Orbi and not configurable for anyone.

Yes, the UI for the soundbar offers the options to connect on RF channels 1, 2 or 3 on either of the two RF bands, 5.2GHz or 5.8GHz (so, 6 options in total). The channel numbers confused me too and so I have included a screenshot for you to take a look.

Thank you all for your replies. I have been trying out the various options and am happy to report that specifying channel 48 on the 5GHz band on the Orbi, reducing the Transit Power Control to 50% and choosing 5.2GHz, channel 2 on the soundbar for it to communicate with the subwoofer has helped a lot. There is a minor popping sound at times but it is exponentially better and for all practical purposes non-existant when compared to before. Even the issue with the Internet on the Mac crashing and becoming unusable has been resolved (though it is perhaps 70% of what it used to be but at least it works). I did try stepping the Transit Power Control on the Orbi back up to 75% but 50% was better and so I went back down to it.

Now that the issue has been identifed I was thinking of trying out the other channels too. Given that the soundbar is talking to the subwoofer on the 5.2GHz band, is there another channel that you would recommend or is channel 48 my best bet? Are there other options on the Orbi that I should consider toying around with? Currently I have:

Unfortunately I continued to experience disturbance on the subwoofer and so have had to replace the Orbi with my older NETGEAR R6400 router for now. This resolves the issue as the R6400, unlike the Orbi, operates only on the lower or upper end (as specified) of the 5GHz spectrum and so I can isolate the portion not used for the soundbar.

Sony has just released firmware update M40.R.0445 for the HT-ST5000 that promises "Improved connectivity with wireless subwoofer". I replaced my Orbi a long time ago after getting frustrated with not being able to resolve the issue but wonder if this update fixes it. Have heard a few promising things about it on other forums and would be very interested to see if anyone here has been able to test it. @RoyHobbs, would be definitely worth a try!