There are plenty of shows and movies we watch that come through our cable TV box. I would like to buy a pair of HomePods but in reading through Apples HomePod site, it seems to completely ignore this type of connection. How can this be achieved? Same question applies to a TiVo box.
This gets more interesting by the minute. So I did install my cable TV providers app on my Apple TV and it does in fact mimic what I get on the cable box. This then solves the issue because I can simply use the Apple TV to watch anything I used to watch via my cable box by using that app. This means the HomePod will do the trick! That's the good news.
The bad news is I just read that Apple has just discontinued the original larger HomePod and will now only concentrate on their newer smaller HomePod Mini :-(
I was interested in buying the larger HomePod for its sound and while I have not yet heard what the mini sounds like, I cannot fathom it will be as powerful to push out the rich bass that the larger one does. I've heard the larger one and liked it. I hesitate to buy SONOS for this but will now start looking at their products due to the discontinued notice on the larger HomePod.
So, while the issue I started here has been successfully NOT solved because you cannot connect a cable or TiVo box to the HomePod, at least I did find a way to address the situation by using the cable company's app on my Apple TV. I wonder if I can label my own post as a solution :-)
This gets more interesting by the minute. So I did install my cable TV providers app on my Apple TV and it does in fact mimic what I get on the cable box. This then solves the issue because I can simply use the Apple TV to watch anything I used to watch via my cable box by using that app. This means the HomePod will do the trick! That's the good news.
The bad news is I just read that Apple has just discontinued the original larger HomePod and will now only concentrate on their newer smaller HomePod Mini :-(
I was interested in buying the larger HomePod for its sound and while I have not yet heard what the mini sounds like, I cannot fathom it will be as powerful to push out the rich bass that the larger one does. I've heard the larger one and liked it. I hesitate to buy SONOS for this but will now start looking at their products due to the discontinued notice on the larger HomePod.
So, while the issue I started here has been successfully NOT solved because you cannot connect a cable or TiVo box to the HomePod, at least I did find a way to address the situation by using the cable company's app on my Apple TV. I wonder if I can label my own post as a solution :-)
Problem solved
So for me, I was able to add my cable providers app to my Apple TV and verified that it contained all the channels we normally watch via the cable box. I then bought two HomePods yesterday and hooked them up and viola, I now can play everything we watch through my Apple TV and listen to it through the HomePods. This is what I wanted.
I wanted the Space Gray HomePods but since the discontinuation announcement from Apple, I could not find them but did manage to buy the last two Space Gray HomePods at our closest Apple Store - whew! I do see plenty of white ones still available on the internet.
Thanks everyone for your comments and suggestions!
You don't. HomePod supports AirPlay over Wi-Fi. No Bluetooth, no line in. There are TVs that are AirPlay capable.
tt2
Bgnmarty Said:
"How can you connect a cable TV box to the HomePod? There are plenty of shows and movies we watch that come through our cable TV box. I would like to buy a pair of HomePods but in reading through Apples HomePod site, it seems to completely ignore this type of connection. How can this be achieved? Same question applies to a TiVo box."
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Ask your Provider:
Is this your own device? Or are you renting it from the Cable Provider? Look at the instruction manual, or contact the manufacturer (i..e the Cable Provider, of it is their own device). Whomever it is, they would have an answer upfront. So, ask the manufacturer. It's worth a go.
Provide Apple Feedback:
Do your Part: Let Apple know what you think should be part of the functionality of the device (HomePod). Apple won't get back to you directly. but the more feedback they receive on this, the more they may consider this feature in future models to come.
How to Provide Feedback
Right, I'd have a lip sync issue which would drive me nutz! I've been searching for some sort of hardware to solve this but have not found one yet. I am now installing my cable providers app on my Apple TV to see if I can get all the channels we normally watch from the cable box, in the app. If so, then this will solve my issue. Time will tell.
That's the conclusion I was coming to but didn't like it :-0 Do you know if there is some sort of device I can buy that I can plug my cable box into and that device will then airplay it to the HomePod?
Bgnmarty Said:
"How can you connect a cable TV box to the HomePod?: Been there, done that. My cable provider is clueless and useless. I will however log some feedback for Apple on this but will not be holding my breath."
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About Providing Feedback:
👍 Recommending this to Apple will do its part for certain.
Well that’s bad news. The big HomePod sounds so much better. Sales weren’t good with it though.
I can’t get many channels on my Apple TV, being in Canada we mostly watch American channels and much of those aren’t supported here.. Or ours aren’t t live and others still ask you to pay twice. Depends on what you watch
Do you believe its still worth buying a pair of them? Not sure how frequently Apple released updated software for them since I've never owned any. If the most current version is top notch and without bugs, maybe its still worth it to buy them since they integrate so well in the Apple realm and we are an all Apple house. What are your thoughts?
There’s only ever been one edition of the HomePod so buying them will be the 2018 model. If you bought now then yes you would be able to install an update. They’re not officially gone yet. As to future updates I’m really not sure how long this will be supported. I have the same question because I’d buy more if they will be supported.
I’m going to suffer having to pair two minis for my Apple TV listening pleasure. The big HomePods are much louder. I have heard the paired mini’s sound good with the Apple TV but these are reviews from people that never had two big HomePods.
I found this: “We are discontinuing the original HomePod, it will continue to be available while supplies last through the Apple Online Store, Apple Retail Stores, and Apple Authorized Resellers. Apple will provide HomePod customers with software updates and service and support through Apple Care”.
https://techcrunch.com/2021/03/12/apple-discontinues-original-homepod-will-focus-on-mini/
If this is true then you would enjoy the big ones more for your Apple TV and if you have an Apple TV 4K you can set up home theatre sound, this cannot be done with the minis, but may change.
Well, after thinking about it a bit more and knowing how easily Apple products integrate with each other, I decided to go to the Apple online store and buy a pair. I wanted Space Gray but they were sold out. Ugh. So I fished around to Best Buy, Newegg, B&H, etc, nobody had space gray except for college book stores and I just didn't want to have yet another account someplace so I went back to the Apple site and found that if I ordered them from my local store, 1.5hrs away, and drove there to pick them up, they had space gray so I bought two. Now I have to figure out when I'm going to get there.
The mini might be ok for the kitchen but not for watching movies, so it was either buy them right now or say goodbye!
Right, I know Argos, I used to live in the UK. Yes, if you order on line from the Apple store, they will only offer you White but if you look to the link on the order page that calls out the physical store near you and allows you to change that store, you may find, like I did, that the physical store has space gray.
My order went through and I received the email from my local physical store that my 2 space gray HomePods are awaiting my pickup!
Yeah, I was a little surprised when I went to buy them and saw that just about no one was offering the space gray and some places simply said "sold out" or "out of inventory" on either color. My guess is Apple is quite good at inventory control, they knew they were phasing these out long before the press release and therefore throttled down their inventory probably months ago, I mean they know how many typically sell per month, its just a math equation. They don't want to be stuck managing a lot of aging inventory.
Say, how did you get your own avatar, I've wanted to do that but the system only offers me the standard pre-produced ones they already have with no chance to upload my own.
I think there is something called AirFoil that can work for music, for video there would likely be unacceptable lag.
tt2
How can you connect a cable TV box to the HomePod?
