TV and Sound bar Level Displays

[MGB_Bloke]

In Nov 2020 I purchased a Sony Bravia KD43H8196 TV and HT-G700 Sound Bar as a package. Since then, I have had a problem, not a showstopper but nevertheless I find it annoying and have tried to get a solution from Sony Support since purchasing.
Basically, when using the small sound bar controller, I get a display of the volume level on the sound bar and no indication on the TV screen which is what I would expect.
If I use any other controller (the supplied TV controller, a Virgin Tivo controller, a DVD player controller) I get a volume display level on the sound bar but also a different sound level display on the TV. This is independent of the service I use whether HDMI or Internet (e.g. You Tube).
Sony have been unable to solve this so far and have suggested that it is a software problem and that’s how it should work.
My questions are …
Has anyone else had/got this problem? Have you fixed it? If so how?

[MGB_Bloke]

I really am worried that I've wasted a lot of hard earned money on this Sony system.

The latest support information from Sony is "In reference to your enquiry about your Sony KD-43XH8196 and sound bar, kindly note that the symptoms described are normal."

I have further enquired if items 2,3 and 4 in my call are normal - surely not.

Where do I go from here?

[MGB_Bloke]

I've spoken to lots of people in Sony support now and the upshot is that they're telling me that the situation that I'm left in is "normal" which I just don't believe - especially the mute/lower volume problems I'm having.  They say that they are unable to escalate the problem (as I see it) any further and have told me to take the system to my nearest authorised service centre for inspection /repair.  An  inspection fee will apply, "in case there is no fault found".  I despair - my nearest repair centre is n hours drive away!  😩

[HannahEd01]

Hi MGB_Bloke, after reading all the replies on the thread, I can only agree with the support advice, an inspection is required, that's the normal drill anyway in all cases if non of the steps helped.

[MGB_Bloke]

Thanks for the message.  It doesn't seem worth involving anyone else since the last I heard from Sony is that this in normal and the system is working as it should.  If only I bought a Panasonic, Sanyo, Philips, anything but Sony!

[HannahEd01]

Hello again, after digging, I found this on the Manual of a soundbar model:

If the Control for HDMI function is set
to on, the value of the volume level
on the Sound Bar may appear on your
TV as the TV volume. The output
sound levels of the Sound Bar and TV
differ even though the values of the
volume level on the Sound Bar and TV
are set to the same value. The output
sound levels of the Sound Bar and TV
differ depending on the sound
processing characteristics of each,
and it is not a malfunction.

So basically yes, it is normal.