How to turn on the sound of Xiaomi: fixing problems

The situation when the screen lights up and the speakers are silent, familiar to many owners of Xiaomi Mi Box and TV Stick. Most often the reason is not a hardware failure, but a failure of software settings or the wrong choice of output signal. HDMI digital interface transmits video and audio in a single stream, so synchronization error can drown out the system.

The first thing to check is the physical connection and the state of the TV itself. Android TV is a smart system, but it depends on the correct handshake with the display. If you just plugged in the device or updated the firmware, the settings could be confused with standard, incompatible with your acoustics.

In this article, we'll look at all the possible causes of the lack of sound, from the banal Mute button to the complex codec settings. You don't have to be an engineer to return the audio to your movies. A systematic approach to diagnosis will help identify the problem in a few steps.

Basic diagnostics and physical connections

Before you go into the menu, make sure the cables aren’t the problem. HDMI-You can get damaged or have poor contact. Try to change the cord to another port on the TV or replace it with a port that is known to be working. Sometimes oxidation of the contacts leads to loss of the audio channel while preserving the video signal.

Check the settings of the TV itself. Make sure that the TV remote does not activate the “Mute” mode and the volume level is not twisted to zero. It is also worth checking whether the correct signal source (for example, HDMI 1 or HDMI 2) is selected, which is connected to the Xiaomi console.

If you use an external speaker system or soundbar, check their power and mode. Make sure they are on and switched to the correct input. When using an optical output (if there is an adapter), you need to manually select the type of sound in the set-top box settings, since automation often makes mistakes.

It is important to eliminate trivial human factors. Often users forget that there is a separate volume control on the console, which can be independent of the TV. Press the volume button on the Xiaomi remote several times to make sure that the software mixer is not at a minimum.

Customization of audio output in the interface of Android TV

The main source of problems is the wrong choice of output device or encoding format. To get into the settings, go to the main menu and select Settings (cogs). Next, follow the path: Device settings → Sound → Output. Here you should select "Automatically (recommended)" or a specific type of connection if the auto choice does not work.

The critical parameter is the audio format, and if you have an old TV or receiver, it may not support modern codecs like Dolby Digital Plus or DTS, and you have to force the format to switch to PCM. It's a universal format that can be read by any device, although it doesn't support multichannel surround sound.

• 🔊 PCM — Stereo sound, maximum compatibility with older TVs.
• 🎧 Dolby Digital – 5.1 surround sound, requires support from TV or receiver.
• 📡 Pass-through – transfer of the original signal to an external audio system without processing by the prefix.

When you change the settings, the system may ask you to restart, and don't ignore that, because the audio drivers are only initialized when you start the system, and if you start the PCM format, you have a sound, and your TV doesn't directly stream complex formats.

HDMI-CEC and ARC/eARC problems

HDMI-CEC allows you to control the volume of your TV from the console and automatically turn on the audio system. However, in practice, this feature often works unstable on Xiaomi devices. If the sound appears, then disappears, try turning off the CEC. To do this, go to Settings → Preferences → Android TV → Power Management (or similar item depending on the version of the Mi Box).

If you are connected via the Audio Return Channel (ARC) port to the soundbar, make sure that this type of output is selected in the audio settings. The mistake of choosing a regular HDMI over an ARC will result in the signal only going to the TV speakers, ignoring external acoustics.

⚠️ Attention: Activation of the function HDMI-CEC On some TVs, you can block the ability to adjust the volume from the Xiaomi remote. If the remote control stops controlling sound, turn off the first thing. CEC prefixed.

Sometimes, resetting HDMI settings helps. Turn off the TV and the console completely. Wait 1-2 minutes. Turn on the TV first, wait for the download, and then turn on the Xiaomi Mi Box. This causes the devices to re-enact the EDID handshake procedure.

Use of Bluetooth audio devices

Xiaomi consoles work perfectly with wireless headphones and speakers. If you want to bring the sound to a Bluetooth headset, go to Settings → Remotes and accessories → Add accessory. Press the pairing button on the headphones before the display appears.

Once you've successfully connected, the sound should switch automatically. If it hasn't, go to Settings → Sound → Output and select your Bluetooth device from the list. Note that when you connect your Bluetooth headphones, the system sound of the interface will also switch to them.

There is a nuance with latency: when watching video via Bluetooth, you can experience lip and voice desynchronization, in which case using the aptX Low Latency codec, if it is supported by both devices, or returning to a wired connection helps.

• 🎧 Headphones, speakers and sound panels are supported.
• ⚙️ You can connect up to 2 devices at the same time (depending on the Android version).
• 🔋 Don’t forget to charge your devices as battery discharge affects signal power.

If the Bluetooth device is connected but no sound, try Forget the device in the accessories menu and re-pair. Often accumulated cache errors interfere with the correct transmission of the audio stream.

Specifics of working with popular applications

Streaming services like Kinopoisk, YouTube, or Netflix may have their own setting priorities, such as if an app has an audio language called “Original” and no audio tracks are available or not supported by a TV, there will be no sound. Always check the audio track settings inside the video you’re running (usually a dialogue icon or gear).

Some applications require certain features to be enabled in the developer settings or special versions. If there is sound in the interface but only disappears in one application, try clearing its cache. Go to Settings → Apps → Show all applications, find the problematic application, and select Clear Cache.

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If the sound is only lost in the browser (Chrome), check if the tab is worth it on mute. Click right (or long tap) on the tab and make sure that the icon speaker is not crossed out.

In the case of IPTV-Players like Peers.TV or TiviMate often have a codec problem, and they usually have a "Decoder" section in their settings, and try switching it from Hardware to Software or vice versa. Hardware decoder is more efficient, but software compatible with a large number of formats.

Table of typical problems and solutions

For a quick diagnosis, use the following table to help you match symptoms with the likely cause and treatment.

If none of the software methods worked, it might be a hardware malfunction of the HDMI port on the console or TV. Try connecting the Xiaomi Mi Box to another display. If there's a sound there, then the compatibility or port of your main TV is a problem.

⚠️ Note: Do not use adapters HDMI-DVI Sound transmission. DVI It does not support audio, you will need a separate cable for sound (3.5 mm or optics).

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Changing the sound format from Dolby Digital to PCM solves 90% of the problem with no sound on older TVs and monitors without built-in acoustics.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions