Hi Mark,
I'm working with a friend who has an Apple TV 4K, Samsung TV and SONOS Beam with surround set-up.
Please specify the TV model, to minimize guessing on our part, by us looking up specs (and optionally known quirks).
None of the HDMI inputs on the TV is labeled for ARC.
ARC on a TV would be a special HDMI-in port that also allows HDMI-out for audio. Also check the TV manual for this. Does the TV have any port labeled HDMI-out? Else you may need to do workarounds for the lack of ARC, see below.
Does it matter which HDMI port I plug the SONOS and Apple TV into?
Sometimes there are differences between the HDMI ports on a TV. See the TV manual if they are equal.
Apple TV will work on any HDMI-in port, but higher end ports may enable more video functionality.
HDMI soundbars would often (when supported) connect to the HDMI-ARC/HDMI-eARC port on the TV for audio passthrough.
If optical audio (S/PDIF) is available on TV and soundbar, then that could be an alternative (Dolby Digital). For optical also set Apple TV to Dolby Digital audio format.
Apple TV →[HDMI]→ TV →[HDMI-ARC/HDMI-eARC]→ soundbar
or
Apple TV →[HDMI]→ TV →[optical]→ soundbar
or
Apple TV →[HDMI]→ HDMI Audio Extractor →[HDMI-video]→ TV
↘︎[optical]→ soundbar
or
Apple TV →[HDMI]→ HDfury Arcana adapter →[HDMI-video]→ TV
↘︎[HDMI-audio]→ soundbar
You’ll want this last option if the audio system supports Dolby Atmos.
Also, all components come on when I press the power button on the Apple TV remote, but when I switch off the Apple TV remote, the TV power remains on.
Verify that CEC is activated on all HDMI devices.
For Apple TV: Settings﹥Remotes and Devices﹥Control TVs and Receivers﹥On
For TV: See its manual. Samsung may say “Anynet+” for CEC; their trade name for it.
For some TVs, some CEC functions are not supported. Nothing is mandatory for CEC. Inquire with the manufacturer for details.
Note that CEC doesn’t work from the remote directly, but through the Apple TV box. It is about HDMI devices suggesting what other HDMI devices should do.
