How to connect Alice column to Xiaomi TV: expert guide

Integrating a smart home into everyday life often requires connecting devices from different ecosystems. Users who have bought a modern Xiaomi TV and a smart speaker Yandex.Station often wonder about the possibility of synchronizing these gadgets. The main purpose of such a connection is to improve the sound quality or use a voice assistant to manage media content on a large screen. It is important to note at once that direct integration, where Alice completely replaces the TV remote control through the built-in Android TV or PatchWall interface, does not exist.

However, there are proven ways to stream audio from your TV to your speaker, or to display an image from an Alice-controlled smartphone to a Xiaomi screen. The choice of method depends on the specific model of your smart speaker, whether it’s a classic Station, Light or Max, as well as the technical characteristics of the TV. In this article, we will take a detailed look at all the available connection options, consider the nuances of Bluetooth and HDMI-CEC settings, and answer frequently asked questions.

Before you start setting up, you need to make sure that the home Wi-Fi network is stable. It is the router that acts as the link between most smart home devices. If your router distributes a network at 5 GHz, this can improve the stability of video stream transmission, but some older speakers require exactly 2.4 GHz. It is critical that both the smartphone and the TV and the speaker are on the same local network for the correct operation of device detection functions.

Preparatory stage and compatibility check

The first step before any technical manipulation should be to diagnose the current state of the equipment. Make sure your Xiaomi TV is running Android TV or has a built-in Chromecast module. Most modern models, including the Mi TV P1 series, Mi TV 4A and Mi TV Stick, support the necessary data transfer protocols. Older versions of firmware may not correctly display new devices in the list of available devices for connection.

The second important aspect is the account. To make the ecosystem work, you need a single Yandex ID account that will be used in the Yandex app on your smartphone and, if possible, in TV services. If you have multiple accounts, this can lead to conflict when searching for devices.

You should also check the Bluetooth version on your TV. Bluetooth 4.0 and higher is desirable for high-quality audio transmission without delay. You can find this information in the Settings → About TV → Specifications. If the version is lower than 4.0, wireless audio transmission may be accompanied by sound and image dissynchronization.

⚠️ Note: Not all Xiaomi TVs support simultaneous Bluetooth headphones and remotes. When you connect the speaker as an audio device, the remote may stop responding to commands.

Method of connecting via Bluetooth connection

The most common and universal integration method is the use of Bluetooth protocol, which allows you to use the smart speaker Yandex.Station (in Yandex.Station modes, Mini Station, Max Station) as an external speaker system for the TV.

To start, activate the pairing mode on the speaker itself. On models with a screen, you can do this with the voice command "Alice, turn on bluetooth," and on models without a screen, with a long press of the microphone button or through the Yandex app. Then we go to the settings of the Xiaomi TV, you need to open the settings section, find the tab with wireless connections and start searching for new devices.

The search process can take anywhere from 10 to 30 seconds. The list of available devices should show the name of your column, such as YNDX-00000 or the custom name you asked earlier. After selecting the device, a request for confirmation of the access code may appear on the TV screen. Make sure that the codes on the screen and in the voice message are the same.

• 🔹 Go to the Settings menu → Remote and accessories → Add an accessory on the TV.
• 🔹 Press the setting button on the column or say the activation command for visibility mode.
• 🔹 Select the device found from the list and click “Connect».
• 🔹 Wait for the beep to signal a successful connection.

Now, when you connect to Bluetooth, the sound from the TV will be completely redirected to the speaker. Xiaomi's built-in speakers are turned off at this point. If you want to watch a movie at night so you don't wake up your household, this is ideal. However, there may be a slight delay in audio for watching dynamic action movies, because Bluetooth doesn't always provide instantaneous transmission of large amounts of data.

Using HDMI-CEC to control a single button

HDMI-CEC (Consumer Electronics Control) technology allows you to control multiple devices with a single remote, and while it doesn't transmit sound directly to the speaker, it's a key element to creating a single control system. If you connect Yandex.Station (screen or HDMI output models) to your TV via cable, you can turn on the TV with your voice.

To implement this scheme, you will need a cable. HDMI and a column model having the corresponding port, for example, Yandex.Module or Max Station with HDMI-Connect the cable to the port. HDMI (ARC) on the TV, as this port supports reverse audio channel and advanced control. in the settings of the Xiaomi TV you need to activate the function CEC, which may be called differently depending on the region of the firmware.

Activation of the function usually occurs in the Settings section. → Preferences → device → Turn it on. HDMI-Once this option is enabled, the TV remote will be able to control the volume of the connected station, and the station itself will be able to turn the TV on and off, which creates a single device effect, which greatly improves the comfort of use.

It's important to understand that not all cables are equally useful. HDMI controls require wire quality to work properly. Cheap analogues can transmit video but ignore CEC service commands. If the TV menu doesn't see speaker control, replace the cable first.

Screen and sound broadcast via Chromecast

Because Xiaomi TVs are powered by Android TV, they have built-in support for Chromecast built-in technology, which allows you to stream content from your smartphone to your TV, and the sound can be directed to Alice's column if she is selected as the output device in the app, but more interesting is the scenario where the column itself is the source of the content.

If you want to display an image from a smartphone controlled by Alice on a TV, use the Translation function. In the Yandex or Yandex.Music app, click on the broadcast icon and select your Xiaomi TV. The sound will go through the TV speakers. To redirect the sound to the speaker, you need to click on the output device icon at the time of playback and select your Station.

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To minimize the delay of sound when broadcasting via Chromecast, close the background apps on your smartphone that consume traffic.

There is also the possibility of using Miracast protocol to duplicate the screen, in which case the TV acts as a wireless monitor, the sound in this mode is duplicated automatically, if you run the video on the phone and display the picture on TV, then you can delegate the playback control to Alice by saying, "Alice, turn on the video on the TV" (subject to a customized script or integration).

• 📺 Open the application with content on your smartphone (YouTube, Movie Search).
• 📺 Click the broadcast icon (rectangle with waves).
• 📺 Choose your Xiaomi Mi TV from the list TV.
• 📺 Enjoy the content on the big screen.

The quality of the broadcast depends on the speed of the Wi-Fi connection. To view video in 4K resolution requires a stable channel speed of at least 25 Mbps. If the image slows down or falls into squares, try to bring the router closer to the TV or switch to a frequency of 5 GHz.

Setting up scripts and voice control

The power of the smart home ecosystem comes from automated scripting, you can set up a command that will turn on the TV and play the content you want at the same time. This uses the scripting app from Yandex. Although Alice can only wake up the Xiaomi TV directly through an IR remote (if there is one in the speaker) or HDMI-CEC, the programming bundles work great.

Consider the example of a movie scenario. You say, "Alice, I'm home," and the chain of action happens: lights turn on, curtains close (if there are smart eaves) and the TV goes into a waiting mode. To implement control of the TV on through voice without HDMI-CEC, some users use IR remotes connected to the station, but in the case of Xiaomi, a built-in IR transmitter in some models of Stations or using HDMI-CEC is enough.

⚠️ Warning: Voice control only works when the TV is in standby mode, not completely off. Don't pull the cord out of the socket if you want to control the TV voice.

To customize the script, go to Devices → Scripts → Add script. Select the launch condition (voice phrase) and action. In actions, you can select Device and find your TV. If there is no direct integration, use the bundle through your Mi Home account, which can be linked to Yandex, although the functionality may be limited to basic commands.

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The most stable operation of voice control is achieved using HDMI-CEC, rather than IR emulation or network protocols.

Resolving and eliminating delays

In the process of operation, users can face a number of technical problems, the most common of which is the desynchronization of audio and video stream (lags), when the actors' lips move and the sound is half a second behind, watching a movie becomes impossible, often when using low-quality Bluetooth adapters or an overloaded Wi-Fi channel.

To eliminate lags, try the following methods: first, reboot the router and all the devices involved. Second, in the settings of the Xiaomi TV, find the "Sound" section and look for the "Sound Lag" or "A/V Sync" option. By adjusting this setting, you can manually adjust the timings, and it also helps to disconnect unnecessary devices from the Wi-Fi network while you watch.

If the TV doesn't see the speaker at all, check if the device is hidden in the Yandex app. Sometimes, after updating the firmware, access to the device for other gadgets is blocked for security reasons. Go to the column settings in the app and make sure that the option "Available for other devices" is enabled.

• 🛠 Reboot the router by turning it off the network for 10 seconds.
• 🛠 Update the TV firmware through Settings → On TV. → System update.
• 🛠 Untie the device in Bluetooth and pair again.
• 🛠 Check if the router is not the isolation of customers (AP Isolation).

In rare cases, the problem is codecs. The TV may be trying to transmit sound in a format that the speaker is processing for a long time. Try changing the format of the output in the TV settings on PCM instead of Auto or Dolby Digital. This will reduce the load on the decoder of the speaker.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)