I have an older TV, however, it’s got an Apple TV connected to it. On day I wasn’t in the mood to look for the remote to turn it off before going to bed so I just asked Siri to “turn off the TV” and to my surprise, it worked! The Apple TV as well as the actual TV turns completely off using Siri on the HomePod.
Nice overview on this topic Eric! I think the HomeKit TVs are most useful if you use multiple inputs and/or don’t have an Apple TV connected, which is basically what you said. 😃 I have an Apple TV connected to my main (HomeKit enabled) TV and tbh the HomeKit support hasn’t given me much functionality that I didn’t already have since I pretty much use the Apple TV for everything. The Apple TV with CEC enabled I was already controlling the tv in HK scenes and shortcuts, using Siri, etc. But I never switch inputs, so it would be great for anyone who does. I love turning off the tv with my “going to bed scene!” Great video!
Thanks Shane! Yeah I agree for just life with the Apple TV there is less of a need. I was doing the same for a while until I started using Chromecast for UA-cam.
Hey Shane, I’m trying to figure something out and I just can’t. How do you add “waking up the tv” to HomeKit through CEC and Apple TV? I’m deciding between a normal TV + Apple TV VS a HomeKit enabled tv. I’d go for the ATV if I knew there’s is a working way of using it to wake a tv, thanks!
@@MrTR909 I have a Vizio that supports HomeKit. Once the TV is added to HomeKit and placed in the appropriate room, you can make it a part of any scene or just ask Siri to turn on or off the TV.
Did you mean that you were able to select HomePods as your audio output for whatever content you were casting/streaming to your HomeKit TV without an Apple TV?
I struggle to see the point of having a button to access the settings menu of the TV, if you can’t actually control the settings and need to grab the remote anyways.
Pretty sweet. I will have to consider HomeKit TV then next time I buy one. I’ve been using a Harmony Ultimate for years now and I love it. Great video!
+1 on the Harmony remotes. To this day, their $40 ‘XBox Edition’ unit (from back in the XBox 360 era) is one of the best pieces of tech I’ve ever bought. It was the business.
Most TV don’t have built in Bluetooth antenna so airpods can’t connect directly. With Apple TV you can add multiple Bluetooth devices: AirPod, HomePod, headphones, etc
with a HomeKit compatible tv, am I able to have a Picture in Picture kind of view like with a regular Apple TV ? (with the smaller window showing a camera for example)
Roku TCL support says "Apple AirPlay allows you stream TV shows, movies, videos and photos directly from your Apple devices to your Roku TVs. You can also stream music to your Roku TV, as well as stream to any speakers that support Airplay 2." So will my Homekit enabled TV be able to send audio ouput to Homepod speakers?
You would probably do that via Homebridge. Depending on what your trigger is, maybe, your phones connected to WiFi or alarm being off. Look for Presence sensing
Hi Eric Am building my home and seriously considering Homekit. Could you perhaps advise regarding the TV input for others rooms? Lets say I have Apple TV in the living room it's possible to stream this in different room?
I just got the Vizio M556-g1 and I love it. What I don’t love is how when I use HomeKit to turn it on it doesn’t automatically turn on the tv. But if I use HomeKit to turn off the TV it turns off both the TV and the tv. I’m working around this issue by adding my morning scene to a Shortcut. Thank you for this video. I watched it weeks ago when I had no need of a new tv. But my TCL 43s525 broke in less than a year a couple of weeks ago. Hopefully TCL will fix it but I’m not holding my breath for it. My way happier with this TV. I should’ve stuck with Vizio all along, but that Amazon deal was too good to pass up.
@@bb4pugs Except that it doesn’t which is why I use a workaround. I could just turn on the tv as you say. But that defeats the purpose of of have scenes and automations.
Question: I have some HomePods and a HomeKit TV. When I ask my HomePod to play music everywhere, the TV turns on...is it somehow possible to play music everywhere (HomePods only) but not on my TV? Greets from Vienna
Thanks for the video Eric! This topic is a difficult one to cover, as there are SO many variables that are associated. Finding the right solution for ‘your’ needs are going to be different in pretty much every household. I just purchased a new TV for my basement in late December, and opted for an LG (because of: brand preference, other features, price, screen size & planned accessories) that doesn’t offer HomeKit support. Since I knew there was going to be an AppleTV 4K connected to it, the television being HomeKit capable was not a dealbreaker. I totally agree that a HomePod being nearby is a HUGE convenience - and is specifically why I wish Apple would release a ‘mini’ version of the smart speaker. So many different directions I could go with comments on this subject. It’s such a deep topic... Rather than going all silly, I’ll just say ‘thanks again’. Good stuff.
Thanks Bradley! Yeah I agree there are a million and one ways to setup home video/entertainment. I wish Apple would make a cheaper HomePod too. $300 is a lot for the added convenience for just this TV control use case.
Just found your channel and love your content. I set up my TV with Homekit, scanned the barcode displayed on the TV, the TV then showed it was connected to HomeKit, but my mobile device indicated it was not able to connect. Any ideas?
So you're seeing it in the Home app but it says not reachable or whatever? Check the energy saver settings in your TV to see if it's fully shutting off when powered down. If so then the Home app might not be able to see it. You might also try removing the accessory from the Home app and re-adding it.
If you use the Apple TV it can control any TV. I can ask Siri to turn off TV already because it's connected via CEC. So with an Apple TV, Airplay is next to useless. What I do is control everything with the Apple TV remote and the Apple TV is connected to HomePods. Can turn TV on and off with the same remote. Works great except for when I need to watch a Blu-ray. Then I have to get out about three more remotes to play the damn thing.
You don’t need to have the HomePod near the tv, just in the same house hold. Also, you said you don’t have a need for AirPlay 2 , with AirPlay 2 you can play music on multiple TVs and speakers, sounds like a plus to me...
Hello! I look forward to more platforms compatible with apple homekit and last but not least an application for apple tv homehit .... in Romania we have not even apple tv + and no apple card
I'm so sorry you have to wait for all the great things from Apple! I will probably have some ideas about multiple platforms talking to HomeKit in a video soon.
In terms of Siri commands from the HomePod, how do you switch inputs and change volume? Also, is it possible to add the TV to the Apple TV remote app? I know it shows in the control centre toggle but doesn’t in the app for some reason.
Use a Harmony hub (they’re discontinued, so you’ll probably want to look on the 2nd hand market), and then you’ll need something like a Raspberry Pi, running Homebridge.
"a lot od power"? 10 mins video about turning on and off the tv?! You did not even mentioned if it is possible to change channels, turn on apps on TV etc.
Idk, I have HomeKit on my lg g1 and it’s pretty worthless. Really all you can do is turn the tv on and off and change inputs. If you want siri support, just buy an Apple TV. Then you can toggle power, change volume, use your phone as a remote. Apple TV is way better
I've scoured the internet and I cannot find any answer to this one question. Are you able to use a HomePod as your TV speaker (without using an Apple TV). Btw, new subscriber here, great content! (I'm also in your neck of the woods, gotta love 3rd St).
thanks for the video eric, i have one question though. were u able to get the tv to play audio on the HomePod (not via the apple tv)? The reason is I have ordered an LG OLED C9 that is HomeKit enabled (and i read that support for apple TV+ is coming to it) via firmware update and airplay 2 support. and im thinking if i should still get the ATV 4k. It seems that with Homekit, apple TV+ app and airplay 2 all on the TV itself, the use case for ATV 4k will only be to get TV audio to HomePod... appreciate if you've on any comments on this
Unfortunately for this use case, TVs that support AirPlay 2 are for sending content to the TV (audio or video). They don't have a way to connect to the HomePod for audio playback from the TV.
@@EricWelander could this be achieved by adding an AirPlay 2 compatible receiver into setup and selecting your HomePod as the audio output source? I’m thinking of picking up a Denon receiver to do the job. Great video! Exactly what I was looking for.
I’m going out of my head trying to find any info on moving home with homekit. I was hoping to just plug everything back in on a new network but it won’t work.do I need to reset everything? Hue, eve? Sorry to be off topic 🤯
Thanks for the review! I was looking at Apple TVs but found that this path would be MUCH more economical (not to mention less clutter on the TV stand). The only con I can think of (besides not being able to use Homepods as speakers or play Apple Arcade) is not being able to change settings without picking up the remote!
So I just got a Vizio , specifically because it was Homekit compatible, and I wanted to see what the fuss was about. I thought it would be kind of a no-brainer, if it's synced up with my devices, to be able to customize the screen saver to pull from my iCloud photos, or at least easily Airplay those photos from my phone. Apparently not. Google Home, however, lets you pull photos from google photos as well as many other sources. Ridiculous that Homekit can't do it. Literally all it can do is turn the TV on and off, which I can do from the Vizio remote, the Vizio app, or the TV itself. Homekit is literally pointless unless you have so many devices you can't remember which ones were on or off, but apparently you still care about their negligible energy usage for some reason. Sorry for being overly negative, but where's the imagination? Gimme some features. Guess I'll futz around with some shortcuts and see what I can finagle. SMH Apple.
@@ncastle13 I think it was exclusive for some period of time early last year. Samsung probably doesn't put HomeKit in their TVs because they want you to use their SmartThings platform.
I have an older TV, however, it’s got an Apple TV connected to it. On day I wasn’t in the mood to look for the remote to turn it off before going to bed so I just asked Siri to “turn off the TV” and to my surprise, it worked! The Apple TV as well as the actual TV turns completely off using Siri on the HomePod.
Nice overview on this topic Eric! I think the HomeKit TVs are most useful if you use multiple inputs and/or don’t have an Apple TV connected, which is basically what you said. 😃 I have an Apple TV connected to my main (HomeKit enabled) TV and tbh the HomeKit support hasn’t given me much functionality that I didn’t already have since I pretty much use the Apple TV for everything. The Apple TV with CEC enabled I was already controlling the tv in HK scenes and shortcuts, using Siri, etc. But I never switch inputs, so it would be great for anyone who does. I love turning off the tv with my “going to bed scene!” Great video!
Thanks Shane! Yeah I agree for just life with the Apple TV there is less of a need. I was doing the same for a while until I started using Chromecast for UA-cam.
Hey Shane, I’m trying to figure something out and I just can’t. How do you add “waking up the tv” to HomeKit through CEC and Apple TV? I’m deciding between a normal TV + Apple TV VS a HomeKit enabled tv. I’d go for the ATV if I knew there’s is a working way of using it to wake a tv, thanks!
Please do an updated video 😭
@@EricWelander hey any change with HomeKit tv all these years later?
Thanks Eric. Great overview of your HomeKit TV setup. Valuable for those of us wondering what the benefits of having a HomeKit-capable TV might be.
I really like my HomeKit TVs from Visio. They work especially well with the HomePod and night scenes in our bedroom.
Oh yeah I bet night scenes and a bedroom TV and a Homepod works well. Thanks for sharing.
What TV do you have? I want to be able to do stuff like this in my bedroom
How did u manage to connect ur TV with HomePod?
@@MrTR909 I have a Vizio that supports HomeKit. Once the TV is added to HomeKit and placed in the appropriate room, you can make it a part of any scene or just ask Siri to turn on or off the TV.
Did you mean that you were able to select HomePods as your audio output for whatever content you were casting/streaming to your HomeKit TV without an Apple TV?
Can you airplay the audio from the tv to a HomePod ti make your HomePod a tv speaker like you can airplay the Apple TV to the HomePod?
I struggle to see the point of having a button to access the settings menu of the TV, if you can’t actually control the settings and need to grab the remote anyways.
Pretty sweet. I will have to consider HomeKit TV then next time I buy one. I’ve been using a Harmony Ultimate for years now and I love it. Great video!
Thanks! You're not the first person I've heard say they love the Harmony Remote system. I think you can even connect it to HomeKit with Homebridge.
+1 on the Harmony remotes. To this day, their $40 ‘XBox Edition’ unit (from back in the XBox 360 era) is one of the best pieces of tech I’ve ever bought. It was the business.
I would love to see a follow-up story on this subject, to see where we are a year later. Cheers Eric, for this in-depth review. 👍
Thanks for the video. But can you Connect your AirPods to the tv like this to the tv ?
Most TV don’t have built in Bluetooth antenna so airpods can’t connect directly. With Apple TV you can add multiple Bluetooth devices: AirPod, HomePod, headphones, etc
@@drdrew3 the video was about earc and a tv. Was wondering if I can use AirPods like this
with a HomeKit compatible tv, am I able to have a Picture in Picture kind of view like with a regular Apple TV ? (with the smaller window showing a camera for example)
Roku TCL support says "Apple AirPlay allows you stream TV shows, movies, videos and photos directly from your Apple devices to your Roku TVs. You can also stream music to your Roku TV, as well as stream to any speakers that support Airplay 2." So will my Homekit enabled TV be able to send audio ouput to Homepod speakers?
Can you control volume with your iPhone if you have HomeKit on your tv? Just like if you had an ATV. Thanks.
Hi, i have a question, i can turn off the tv with siri command but i never can turn it on
At 6:45 ish the app shows a “Home Occupied” switch. Do you have a tutorial on that?
You would probably do that via Homebridge. Depending on what your trigger is, maybe, your phones connected to WiFi or alarm being off. Look for Presence sensing
Hi Eric
Am building my home and seriously considering Homekit. Could you perhaps advise regarding the TV input for others rooms? Lets say I have Apple TV in the living room it's possible to stream this in different room?
Is this only working with the HomePod or can I use Siri on my phone or watch as well?
Siri on your phone or watch should also work great. The only reason I highlighted the HomePod is that it's always there for all smart home residents.
We just need to find a way to replace control 4.
I just got the Vizio M556-g1 and I love it. What I don’t love is how when I use HomeKit to turn it on it doesn’t automatically turn on the tv. But if I use HomeKit to turn off the TV it turns off both the TV and the tv. I’m working around this issue by adding my morning scene to a Shortcut.
Thank you for this video. I watched it weeks ago when I had no need of a new tv. But my TCL 43s525 broke in less than a year a couple of weeks ago. Hopefully TCL will fix it but I’m not holding my breath for it. My way happier with this TV. I should’ve stuck with Vizio all along, but that Amazon deal was too good to pass up.
Just turn on the Apple TV, the tv should follow
@@bb4pugs Except that it doesn’t which is why I use a workaround. I could just turn on the tv as you say. But that defeats the purpose of of have scenes and automations.
Question: I have some HomePods and a HomeKit TV. When I ask my HomePod to play music everywhere, the TV turns on...is it somehow possible to play music everywhere (HomePods only) but not on my TV?
Greets from Vienna
Thanks for the video Eric!
This topic is a difficult one to cover, as there are SO many variables that are associated. Finding the right solution for ‘your’ needs are going to be different in pretty much every household.
I just purchased a new TV for my basement in late December, and opted for an LG (because of: brand preference, other features, price, screen size & planned accessories) that doesn’t offer HomeKit support. Since I knew there was going to be an AppleTV 4K connected to it, the television being HomeKit capable was not a dealbreaker.
I totally agree that a HomePod being nearby is a HUGE convenience - and is specifically why I wish Apple would release a ‘mini’ version of the smart speaker.
So many different directions I could go with comments on this subject. It’s such a deep topic...
Rather than going all silly, I’ll just say ‘thanks again’. Good stuff.
Thanks Bradley! Yeah I agree there are a million and one ways to setup home video/entertainment. I wish Apple would make a cheaper HomePod too. $300 is a lot for the added convenience for just this TV control use case.
You got your wish.
Is it a Homekit Base/Bridge like an Apple TV or HomePod??
HomeKit TV can not be a HomeKit hub. It's simply another HomeKit accessory in your home.
Eric Welander ok. Thanks for that quick answer
Just found your channel and love your content. I set up my TV with Homekit, scanned the barcode displayed on the TV, the TV then showed it was connected to HomeKit, but my mobile device indicated it was not able to connect. Any ideas?
So you're seeing it in the Home app but it says not reachable or whatever? Check the energy saver settings in your TV to see if it's fully shutting off when powered down. If so then the Home app might not be able to see it. You might also try removing the accessory from the Home app and re-adding it.
Can u select tv channel using homepod? And how?
If you use the Apple TV it can control any TV. I can ask Siri to turn off TV already because it's connected via CEC. So with an Apple TV, Airplay is next to useless.
What I do is control everything with the Apple TV remote and the Apple TV is connected to HomePods. Can turn TV on and off with the same remote. Works great except for when I need to watch a Blu-ray. Then I have to get out about three more remotes to play the damn thing.
Samsung when will it be compatible with siri and homekit?
They seem to be all in on their Smart Things platform for home automation right now
I’m trying to connect my roku tv to it but it’s not working
You don’t need to have the HomePod near the tv, just in the same house hold. Also, you said you don’t have a need for AirPlay 2 , with AirPlay 2 you can play music on multiple TVs and speakers, sounds like a plus to me...
“Hey Siri turn off the TV”.....oh shit, my HomePod is down in the basement. #FAIL
My HomeKit TV doesn’t show up in the Eve app. Is anyone else having this problem. I have a LG (70UM7100PLA)
Same
Can't you just use your iPhone to control the tv instead of the home pod?
Can I connect the HomePod directly to the tv with homekit without using an Apple TV??
Unfortunately not. The HomePod doesn't have any ports and the Apple TV is the only way to connect to it over Wi-Fi for TV audio.
@@EricWelander what if my smart tv has AirPlay2 and HomeKit
How did you add your tv to HomeKit?
Easy to add TV to HomeKit in System Settings of television
Hello! I look forward to more platforms compatible with apple homekit and last but not least an application for apple tv homehit .... in Romania we have not even apple tv + and no apple card
I'm so sorry you have to wait for all the great things from Apple! I will probably have some ideas about multiple platforms talking to HomeKit in a video soon.
Why not just use homebridge on a raspberry pi to control your tv with Siri
can you make it turn on you tube tv on a channel or change off and on
In terms of Siri commands from the HomePod, how do you switch inputs and change volume? Also, is it possible to add the TV to the Apple TV remote app? I know it shows in the control centre toggle but doesn’t in the app for some reason.
Yeah how do you do that?
“Hey Siri, change input on living room tv to ChromeCast”
So can I just ask Siri “turn on Apple TV” and she’ll turn the tv with the Apple TV as well?
Why don't I get all the TV-controlling options you have when my Apple TV box/Homekit Hub is plugged into my TV?
You need to wire it through the dedicated CEC input on the TV. Then enable CEC in System Settings of both Apple TV and television
How do I control a receiver with HomeKit?
Use a Harmony hub (they’re discontinued, so you’ll probably want to look on the 2nd hand market), and then you’ll need something like a Raspberry Pi, running Homebridge.
"a lot od power"? 10 mins video about turning on and off the tv?! You did not even mentioned if it is possible to change channels, turn on apps on TV etc.
Idk, I have HomeKit on my lg g1 and it’s pretty worthless. Really all you can do is turn the tv on and off and change inputs. If you want siri support, just buy an Apple TV. Then you can toggle power, change volume, use your phone as a remote. Apple TV is way better
The big big disappointment is that u can’t connect ur HomePod to a Airplay/HomeKit TV to stream ur audio with.
Aw man that sucks :( Does that mean the only way to use the HomePods is to have an Apple TV box?
@@sharulllll if wanna use the HomePods as tv speaker, than you will need an apple tv. For music streaming over airplay, iphone, ipad, iPod, Macs
I've scoured the internet and I cannot find any answer to this one question. Are you able to use a HomePod as your TV speaker (without using an Apple TV). Btw, new subscriber here, great content! (I'm also in your neck of the woods, gotta love 3rd St).
No, you can’t. You still need an tv.
thanks for the video eric, i have one question though. were u able to get the tv to play audio on the HomePod (not via the apple tv)? The reason is I have ordered an LG OLED C9 that is HomeKit enabled (and i read that support for apple TV+ is coming to it) via firmware update and airplay 2 support. and im thinking if i should still get the ATV 4k. It seems that with Homekit, apple TV+ app and airplay 2 all on the TV itself, the use case for ATV 4k will only be to get TV audio to HomePod... appreciate if you've on any comments on this
Unfortunately for this use case, TVs that support AirPlay 2 are for sending content to the TV (audio or video). They don't have a way to connect to the HomePod for audio playback from the TV.
Eric Welander thank u
@@EricWelander could this be achieved by adding an AirPlay 2 compatible receiver into setup and selecting your HomePod as the audio output source?
I’m thinking of picking up a Denon receiver to do the job.
Great video! Exactly what I was looking for.
Wonderful video Eric! I love my Vizio HK TV but the addition of the ATV 4K does seem a bit redundant.
I’m going out of my head trying to find any info on moving home with homekit. I was hoping to just plug everything back in on a new network but it won’t work.do I need to reset everything? Hue, eve? Sorry to be off topic 🤯
With a new beetl network (wireless router) you need to reconstruct HomeKit from scratch.
Great video! Home tech is great.
Nice. Video.
HomeKit is great the worst thing about it is the rooms
Thanks for the review! I was looking at Apple TVs but found that this path would be MUCH more economical (not to mention less clutter on the TV stand). The only con I can think of (besides not being able to use Homepods as speakers or play Apple Arcade) is not being able to change settings without picking up the remote!
So I just got a Vizio , specifically because it was Homekit compatible, and I wanted to see what the fuss was about. I thought it would be kind of a no-brainer, if it's synced up with my devices, to be able to customize the screen saver to pull from my iCloud photos, or at least easily Airplay those photos from my phone. Apparently not. Google Home, however, lets you pull photos from google photos as well as many other sources. Ridiculous that Homekit can't do it. Literally all it can do is turn the TV on and off, which I can do from the Vizio remote, the Vizio app, or the TV itself. Homekit is literally pointless unless you have so many devices you can't remember which ones were on or off, but apparently you still care about their negligible energy usage for some reason. Sorry for being overly negative, but where's the imagination? Gimme some features. Guess I'll futz around with some shortcuts and see what I can finagle. SMH Apple.
Sucks Samsung made a deal to have the Apple TV app exclusive for their TVs .... id rather have HomeKit🤬
Haha! I like Apple TV+ but I can see how you would feel that way.
nick34377 Apple TV app is on my 32” tcl tv so it’s not exclusive or maybe it’s because roku is built in and is the interface?
@@ncastle13 I think it was exclusive for some period of time early last year. Samsung probably doesn't put HomeKit in their TVs because they want you to use their SmartThings platform.
Eric Welander finally Apple TV app is coming to Sony and Vizio TVs this summer and we have it already on LG :)
Maybe this is what Steve Jobs meant when he said “I’ve figured it out!!” in regards to TVs. :)
Good memory. I bet you're right!
Hey