u/Shoddy_Plastic2404

Setup: LG C1 OLED, Samsung soundbar connected via TV’s eARC port. Sources include Apple TV 4K and PS5, routed through an ambient LED backlight sync box before the TV.

Issue: Every time the TV is powered on from a full power-down (or sometimes just from standby), the soundbar connection resets and audio defaults to internal TV speakers. Have to manually switch back to eARC/soundbar output every time. Happens multiple times a week.

Confirmed this predates my current source devices — it happened even before I added Apple TV/PS5/sync box to the chain, so it’s isolated to the LG TV ↔ Samsung soundbar eARC/CEC handshake itself, not a source device issue.

Already tried:

**•** Updated LG TV firmware (current)
**•** Updated Samsung soundbar firmware via SmartThings (current)
**•** Disabled Quick Start+ on the LG (forces slower cold boot)
**•** Full power-cycle: unplugged TV, soundbar, and sources from the wall for 5+ min, powered back on TV → soundbar → sources — issue persisted through a full cold power-up today

Suspected cause: Timing race condition — TV finishes boot/wake and checks for an active eARC device before the soundbar finishes its own wake/negotiation sequence, so TV falls back to internal speakers

Question: Has anyone found an actual permanent fix for this exact LG↔Samsung pairing, or is this just a known unresolved firmware limitation? Curious if a specific webOS or soundbar firmware version resolved it for anyone, or if there’s a CEC setting combo that’s worked.

Thanks in advance

Hey everyone,

I have the FancyLeds 2.1 Sync Box (1 HDMI Port model) and I’m trying to get seamless auto-switching between an Apple TV 4K and a PS5.

Current Hardware & Setup
Sources: Apple TV 4K (Port 1) + PS5 (Port 2)
HDMI Switcher: Tested both the OREI BK-21 (8K 2x1) and a J-Tech 8K HDMI 2.1 switch
Chain: ⁠[Apple TV + PS5] -> [HDMI 2.1 Switch] -> [FancyLeds Sync Box 1-Port] -> [TV]⁠

The Problem
PS5 Power ON: The switch detects the new signal immediately and switches over to the PS5 with full 4K@120Hz/HDR/LED sync. Works great.
PS5 Power OFF / Rest Mode: The switch does not auto-revert back to the Apple TV. Because the Apple TV maintains a persistent 5V standby power line, the switch never registers a "new" wake pulse on Port 1 to trigger a fallback.

Questions for the Community:

1. Is there any HDMI 2.1 auto-switcher on the market that handles priority fallback to an idle Apple TV without touching a remote?

2. For those running the 1-port box with this exact combo, what tricks are you using to address this issue, or is there a better switcher/setting I’m overlooking?

Thanks in advance!