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Question

Connecting to a Television

Nov 11, 2013 7:44AM PST

Hi All,

I'm running Windows 8 on a laptap and connected my computer to a Panasonic Television via the HDMI 2 port. The picture is fine but I do not get any sound through the television.

Please tell me what the problem is.

Thank you,
Bob

Discussion is locked

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Answer
Usually you have to tell it to send audio over hdmi.
Nov 11, 2013 7:49AM PST

There is no standard here so without the make/model I can't be specific. And if you upgraded it, it gets harder.

But in short, for most laptops you head to the control panel, Sound, playback and change where you want to send the sound.
Bob

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Very Confusing
Nov 11, 2013 9:38AM PST

Thanks for your response.

I am using a Toshiba Satellite L875D-S7332 that was configured with Windows 8 when I purchased it new.

I have been playing with my computer and I accidentally got sound out of my television but then I lost the sound in my computer. I then got the computer sound working again in my computer but again it was an accident so basically I don't know what I'm doing.

Please help.

Thanks again.

Bob

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What does your user guide say?
Nov 11, 2013 9:47AM PST

On my Toshiba L755 when I plug a HDMI cable from my laptop to the TV, it automatically transfers both picture and sound to the TV. The laptop screen retains the picture as well. Every model is different though, so you really need to see what your user guide says. On my laptop it's in a folder called Toshiba -> Support & Recovery. YMMV.
`
Good luck.
P.S. Reading the user guide will NOT give you leprosy. Laugh

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OK, I have this Tosh s855d-s5120
Nov 11, 2013 2:07PM PST

And just for you I connected it up. It's all stock without ANY nonsense about driver updates from Windows Update (great way to break stuff) and without any ado, it switched to HDMI High Definition Audio Device in the control panel area I noted.

Bob

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More Information
Nov 11, 2013 9:55PM PST

Hi All,

I finally figured out what is happening.

If I am listening to something on my laptop and I then plug in the HDMI cable, I will get a picture on the TV but no sound. The sound continues on my PC and the picture disappears on my PC.

If I am using the television and I unplug the HDMI cable, I get a picture on my computer but I don't get any sound.

It seems to me that I must plug in the HDMI cable before I start using the device. In another words, if I am not viewing anything on my computer, I can plug the HDMI cable into the jack and get the desktop. The TV will then respond correctly to anything that I do with the computer.

Bottom line: You can't change from the computer to the television or from the television to the computer while in the middle of a video.

Bob

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Good find.
Nov 11, 2013 10:25PM PST

Here I never did that. I thought about it and always set up before I begin using the machines.
Bob

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Makes Sense
Nov 11, 2013 11:24PM PST

Yes. It really makes more sense to set it up first before you start using it. But it was just driving me crazy because I didn't know what I was doing in that it worked sometimes and not other times.

Thanks again for your help.

Bob

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Answer
I had this problem also that happened all at once
Nov 12, 2013 9:10PM PST

after I had connected many times. When I investigated the issue I noticed whenever i was plugged into the TV in sound settings the I would see a new sound device popup when I was connected and I enabled it. When I wasn't connected the device would disappear. I never had to do this then one day i had no sound and I just investigated and discovered the new sound source.