No Sound or Video? TV, Soundbar, or Cable Box Not Working?

Earlier this week, we received a call from a client who lost both sound and video after a thunderstorm. They weren’t sure which device—TV, soundbar, or cable box—had been affected. Fortunately, with just a few questions and a short conversation, we were able to help them pinpoint the issue.

Troubleshooting Tip: It's All About Elimination

When diagnosing audio/video issues, it's important to remember two key things:

1. Troubleshooting is a process of elimination.

2. Every signal has a starting point and an end point.

In this case, the setup began with a cable box, connected to the TV via HDMI, and then routed audio to a Sonos Arc soundbar using the HDMI ARC connection.

Because none of the components seemed to be working, we started ruling things out one by one.

• Step 1: Test the Soundbar

  Since the Sonos Arc supports streaming music independently, we asked the client to try streaming music through the Sonos app. It worked—so the soundbar wasn’t the issue.

  
  

• Step 2: Test the TV

  Next, we checked the TV by attempting to stream a video service (like Netflix or YouTube) directly on the TV—bypassing the cable box. However, the client normally used the cable remote to turn the TV on.

  
  

• Step 3: Rule Out the Remote

  To make sure the issue wasn’t just a dead remote, we had them use the TV’s original remote instead. The TV powered on, video played, and sound came through the soundbar. So both the TV and soundbar were working properly.

  
  

• Step 4: Test the Cable Box

  Now we were down to the cable box or the HDMI cable from the box to the TV. We had the client try turning the cable box on manually using the buttons on the front—still no response. That confirmed it: the cable box was most likely the issue.

Final Diagnosis: Faulty Cable Box

By following a step-by-step approach and eliminating each component, we were able to quickly determine that the cable box was damaged, likely due to the storm.

Need help troubleshooting your setup?We’re happy to help! Call us at 888-775-2673 to schedule a virtual service call or visit www.wbsouth.com/freeconsultation2 to schedule a free virtual DESIGN consultation.