A Samsung The Frame LS03D whose soundbar or receiver will not play the TV's sound over eARC or ARC has a port, cable or setting problem, and The Frame's slim design adds a detail: its connections are on a separate Slim One Connect box. The Frame is a matte QLED lifestyle TV that mounts flat to a wall, with four HDMI 2.1 ports on the box, one of which carries eARC. A soundbar plugged into a port that is not the eARC port gives no sound, and a cable that is not up to it causes dropouts. Find the eARC port. On the One Connect box, one HDMI port is marked eARC or ARC.
The checks in more detail
Run an HDMI cable from that port to the eARC or ARC port on the soundbar or the receiver, using a high-speed or ultra high-speed cable that is fully seated; a long or low-grade cable drops audio. Match the soundbar's input to the connection; the options are normally TV, ARC or eARC. The connection between the box and the panel is a single cable, which must be seated at both ends. Then the TV's settings. Open Settings, Sound, Sound Output, and select the soundbar or Receiver (HDMI) rather than the TV speaker. In Expert Settings, leave the HDMI input audio format on Auto, and put the Digital Output Audio Format on Auto or Pass-Through, dropping to PCM if the soundbar will not decode a format.
Turn on Anynet+ (HDMI-CEC) in General, External Device Manager, and make sure the soundbar has HDMI-CEC enabled. If the TV shows the soundbar in the list but no sound plays, switch the soundbar off and on, then the TV, and unplug both for a minute to renegotiate. In Art Mode the TV does not play sound by default, since Art Mode is silent unless music is enabled; check that the TV is in TV mode when you test. Update the TV software and the soundbar. If a console takes the eARC port for gaming, move the soundbar there and the console to another 2.1 port. If every setting fails, test a different cable and then ring Samsung with the model number.
The Frame is usually hung flat on a wall, so reaching the Slim One Connect box and its cables is a chore you want to do once. Put the soundbar on the box's eARC port when you install it and leave a little slack in the cables so a change does not mean taking the TV off the wall. If you use Art Mode, remember that the TV treats art as silent; to have music with the art, turn on the Art Mode sound options, and the soundbar will follow if eARC is working.
A Frame placed in a cabinet recess can overheat the box, so keep the box where air can reach it. After a power cut, the soundbar may need to be switched on before the TV to find the eARC link again.
Differential
Likely causes of “Samsung The Frame LS03D TV ARC or eARC soundbar audio is not working”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
The soundbar not on the eARC port
What separates it No sound from the soundbar
How to confirm Use the port marked eARC on the box
- 2
A poor or loose HDMI cable
What separates it Dropouts or silence
How to confirm Use a high-speed cable and reseat it
- 3
The wrong sound output or CEC off
What separates it The TV plays on its own speakers
How to confirm Select the soundbar and enable Anynet+
- 4
An audio format the soundbar cannot decode
What separates it Silence or crackle
How to confirm Set the output to Auto or PCM
- 5
Art Mode silence or a stale link
What separates it No sound in Art Mode
How to confirm Test in TV mode; power cycle both
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- Which port the soundbar uses
- What Sound Output is set to
- Whether Anynet+ is on
- The soundbar model
Try in this order
0 of 6 completedUse the eARC port
ReversibleOn the Slim One Connect box.
Use a good HDMI cable
ReversibleSeated firmly.
Set Sound Output
ReversibleTo the soundbar.
Enable Anynet+
ReversibleOn both.
Set the audio format
ReversibleAuto or PCM.
Contact Samsung
ReversibleIf it still fails.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- The box
- The ports are on the Slim One Connect box.
- The eARC port
- One port carries audio back to the soundbar.
- Sound Output
- It must select the soundbar.
- CEC
- Anynet+ lets the devices talk.
- Art Mode
- It is silent by default.
- Samsung help
- Quote the model number.
- Installing once
- Plan the eARC connection when the TV is hung.
- Art Mode sound
- Art Mode is silent unless music is turned on.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !Do not force an HDMI plug
- !Unplug before moving the box
- !Contact Samsung if no port carries audio
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Exact questions
Common questions
Why will my soundbar not work with The Frame?+
The wrong port, a cable or the sound setting.
Which port is eARC?+
The one marked eARC on the box.
Is Art Mode silent?+
Yes, by default.
What is Anynet+?+
Samsung's HDMI CEC.
Which format should I use?+
Auto or PCM.
Can I play music in Art Mode?+
Yes, if the Art Mode sound option is on.
Where should the Slim One Connect box go?+
Where air can reach it and its cables have slack.