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SofiKa_SU
User level: Level 1 (14 points)

Mac HDMI audio to Samsung TV not working, causes video playback issues

Hi everyone!


I'm having a frustrating issue with connecting my Samsung TV to my Mac as a second monitor, and I'm hoping someone can help.


For about a year, I used my Samsung TV as a second monitor without any problems. Both video and audio worked perfectly. Whenever I wanted to play sound through the TV, I would simply go to Sound settings, select "Samsung HDMI," and the audio would immediately switch from my Mac to the TV.


Then I left for the summer, and the TV was completely unplugged from power for about three months. When I returned, the audio connection stopped working. I also installed the latest update on my computer and TV.


What's happening now:

The TV still works perfectly as a second monitor. My Mac recognizes it, and I can extend my display and move windows between the screens without any issues.


However, whenever I select "Samsung HDMI" as the audio output, videos immediately stop playing or start buffering endlessly, almost as if my Mac has lost its internet connection.


This happens on both screens. No sound comes from the TV, and videos won't play properly.


The moment I switch the audio output back to my Mac's built-in speakers, everything starts working normally again.


What I've already tried:


  1. Purchased a completely new HDMI cable, but the problem remained exactly the same.
  2. Tried different HDMI ports on the Samsung TV.
  3. Tried different ports on my Mac, including its built-in HDMI port and USB-C ports using a USB-C to HDMI adapter.
  4. Tested different combinations of cables and ports on both devices.
  5. Changed various settings in System Settings → Sound.
  6. Opened Audio MIDI Setup. My Mac recognizes the Samsung TV as an audio device, but I haven't been able to find any settings that resolve the issue.
  7. Switched between the Mac's internal speakers and Samsung HDMI multiple times.


Nothing has worked.


What confuses me most is that this exact setup worked perfectly for an entire year. I haven't intentionally changed anything about the setup, and even purchasing a brand-new HDMI cable and switching ports on both devices hasn't made any difference.


The display connection works perfectly. The issue only occurs when I try to send audio through HDMI.

Has anyone experienced this before?


Could this be a macOS audio issue, an HDMI handshake problem, or something related to the TV being disconnected from power for several months? Is there a way to completely reset the HDMI audio connection between my Mac and Samsung TV?


I'd really appreciate any advice because I've tried everything I can think of.


Thank you!

Posted on Nov 8, 2026 1:42 PM

3 replies

SofiKa_SU Author
User level: Level 1 (14 points)

Nov 10, 2026 4:16 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Thank you for your suggestion!


I tried checking the TV settings, but unfortunately, nothing changed. Because of that, I contacted Samsung Support, and they remotely accessed my TV to check its settings and run diagnostics. They told me that everything was working properly on the TV's side.


After that, I called Apple Support. They recommended updating my Mac to the latest macOS version, Golden Gate 27.2.1. After almost two hours of downloading and installing the update, I finally managed to get everything working again! My Samsung TV now works perfectly as a second display, including HDMI audio.

However, the update seems to have introduced a completely new problem.


Now, whenever I'm typing in Spanish in Google Chrome, my keyboard input language automatically switches back to English. This happens whenever I open another website, switch between tabs, or even just click somewhere else in Chrome outside the text field where I was typing.


I never had this issue before the update, and it's extremely frustrating because I constantly have to switch the keyboard language back manually.


I called Apple Support again, and they told me that Apple doesn't officially support Google Chrome and that this might be a Chrome-related issue rather than a macOS issue.


However, I'm not entirely convinced, since everything worked perfectly before the macOS update, and the problem started immediately afterward.


So, while the update completely fixed my HDMI audio problem, it seems to have created a new issue with automatic keyboard language switching.


Has anyone else experienced this after updating macOS, or does anyone know how to fix it?

Grant Bennet-Alder
User level: Level 10 (148,617 points)

Nov 8, 2026 2:07 PM in response to SofiKa_SU

I favor the issue being caused by the TV set being disconnected for so long, and losing its custom settings.


I suggest you tour through the TV set's internal settings, looking for parameter settings that might have been set to a factory default after being off power for so long.


in some cases, we call these "on screen display" settings. Your TV set user manual should show how to access them easily and explain what each one does for you.

Grant Bennet-Alder
User level: Level 10 (148,617 points)

Nov 10, 2026 4:30 PM in response to SofiKa_SU

your description of your languages problem is trapped inside a discussion about HDMI. few Users want to get into HDMI issues, so it will languish there.


I suggest you take the gist of what you posted above (even copy and paste it if you like) and use it to start a new discussion with an appropriate Title. That will allow you top get the attention of readers who can help.

Originally posted at discussions.apple.com/thread/256391000