Bose product name
Cinemate 120
Country
USA
Firmware Version
Unknown
I am unable to get my Cinemate 120 to work with my 2020 LG OLED. I followed the LG instructions for connecting through the HDMI/ARC, ensured the TV sound was disabled and tried to pair the Cinemate to the LG remote. I was able to get the LG remote to turn off the Cinemate during the pairing process but could not turn it back on or off and cannot get sound.
wrote:Bose product name Cinemate 120
Country USA
Firmware Version Unknown
I am unable to get my Cinemate 120 to work with my 2020 LG OLED. I followed the LG instructions for connecting through the HDMI/ARC, ensured the TV sound was disabled and tried to pair the Cinemate to the LG remote. I was able to get the LG remote to turn off the Cinemate during the pairing process but could not turn it back on or off and cannot get sound.
The Cinemate receiver came out early in the release of 4K. Since then, 4K devices changed their encryption tech (called HDCP) and made it incompatible with earlier versions. There is a chance that this might be an HDCP issue, though I cannot say for sure. I made a guide to help people know how they can get the best out of their system.
I hope that this helps solve your question. Let us know what you ended up doing in the end 🙂
Yuk, thanks for reply. Is it possible to retain just the speakers and upgrade to a newer box that is compatible?
Unfortunately not.
Bose make systems that are tightly designed and configured. They have adopted most of the popular standards to help with future proofing.
I have a Cinemate 130 and am also limited by the 4K HDCP 2.x limitations.
The workaround: Run all devices through the TV and the connect the TV Audio using ARC and CEC. Don’t put a lot of faith in the Bose remote, it is pretty old. Your TV remote should figure out your devices through pairing and setup in the TV settings. Pick “audio receiver” or “external speakers” in your audio settings.
Make sure your cable supports HDCP v 1.3e or 1.4e for Audio return support.
You might have to play with the cable connections for a bit to get that handshake.
Your Cinemate 120 is getting in in years in gadget terms. You might want to consider selling your older gear and upgrading.
When replying to a topic, make sure your reply is relevant and keeps the conversation productive. Please be respectful of other community member's opinions. If you are experiencing the issue reported in a thread, the more details you can include the easier it will be for others to try and help.
Thanks for the advice, I think I'm ready to throw in the towel on this. I'm disappointed that I only got 5 years of service from this setup; really liked the sound. Not sure that I will get another Bose system, may go LG to avoid future compatibility issues.
wrote:Thanks for the advice, I think I'm ready to throw in the towel on this. I'm disappointed that I only got 5 years of service from this setup; really liked the sound. Not sure that I will get another Bose system, may go LG to avoid future compatibility issues.
Not sure how you came to that conclusion. If you think the Cinemate can't support 4K, it does. It just needs an HDCP converter as I mention in the guide I linked earlier.
There is a chance this has nothing to do with HDCP and has to do with a setting on your TV or Cinemate. That's why I was sure to let you know that I was unsure if that is the issue. As most who comment here don't work for Bose it might be something entirely different and it might be best to call both Bose and LG up to see if they have any ideas.
Also, I'm sorry to say you'd have the same issue with any 4K receiver from back then: "With all the HDMI terminals updated to 2.0, the TX-NR535 is now capable of passing full 4K/60Hz signals. It is worth knowing though that the Onkyo TX-NR535 won’t support HDCP 2.2 which will eventually become the standard for 4K releases from the studios"
This affected every brand and made 4K TV's sold back then, even LG ones, making them incompatible with newer 4K devices without an adapter: "Some of the earliest 4K TVs from 2013 lacked support for HDCP 2.2. Worse, they couldn't be upgraded because HDCP 2.2 requires a hardware update — it’s not fixable with a firmware update. (..) If you run your HDMI connection through a home theater receiver or sound bar, it’ll need to be HDCP 2.2 compliant, as well. Any device in the chain that prevents the HDCP digital handshake from happening will prevent you from seeing a 4K image."