HDMI ARC (There's Something Nobody Has Been Telling You...) 

Hey guys! Some of the info in this video isn't entirely correct! I made a new video that corrects my errors and goes in-depth on HDMI eARC as well! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ar2ombRN1UY.html

"What no one is telling you" is that ARC is just the protocol of the HDMI cable, the purpose of it is actually HDCP, which is copy protection which ultimately does nothing for the end-user.

Jonah! As a fellow home theater nerd AND project 24 member, I just wanted to say thank you! Wow! That’s the best description of ARC I’ve honestly ever come across. And your video organically showed up on my RU-vid feed. Great video, super helpful. Keep it up!

Thanks for teaching people this ! I went weeks some time ago reconfiguring my sound and picture quality utilizing arc to achieve it all. Tons of research got me to that sweet spot of not losing 4k or sound. I was more concerned with my picture over my sound so 5.1 is ok with me for now.

I'd been struggling with ARC for broadcast TV audio. Your hint about HDMI-CEC solved it. Thanks!

So glad you explained the cons with using ARC when using the TV apps. A firestick connection to a receiver and then going out to the TV will provide high fidelity audio. Thanks for the vital info.

Finally found someone who clearly explains how a soundbar/TV connection works.

Hey Jonah, thank for posting this quick, to the point, video. It really helped me.

I like that you addressed the 7.1 / atmos / dtsx limitation of ARC definitively. This is the only vid that does that.

This 4min Video solve my 2 year problems... THANK YOUUUU

While explained in practice, would aid viewer’s understanding if explained that ARC stands for Audio Return Channel. Sometimes knowing what the jargon means helps.

Just purchased a new LG 65" and the first time being able to use HDMI ARC. Love it

please help me. I have 700rf sony home theatre. Also 4k motorola tv. I have selected sound out put as dolby digial in tv and connected home theater through HDMI arc, Im not getting sound in rear speakers

I have a lg oled tv with an lg sound bar connected by arc but I keep getting a loud clicking or chirping sound. Would you happen to know why or what that is? I am connected with ocean hdmi cable. Any help is appreciated

Connecting your devices to your receiver always made the most sense to me. It is after all the centerpiece of your hifi setup.

I didn't know to setup my TV to CEC. Helped a lot thanks.

I have lg oled c8 which i connect through hdmi arc to a soundbar. Only youtube produce sound in arc mode, netflix, prime and other streaming apps doesn't..any idea why ?

This isn't entirely accurate. TV's manufactured within the last 3 years or so with regular ARC are capable of transmitting Dolby Digital Plus (DDP) signals easily. DDP consists of 7 discrete audio channels and one low frequency channel ( the x.1 in 7.1, which is used for the subwoofer). This essentially means that ARC can indeed send your receiver/soundbar 7.1 surround sound, contrary to what this video states. DDP, and below, are lossy compressed audio files, so ARC can easily handle them. Heck, even the newer model TV's, that still only support regular ARC, can transmit Dolby Atmos sound. This is because Dolby Atmos isn't a signal, it's basically just an extra set of special instructions attached to a DDP or Dolby TrueHD signal that tells your Dolby Atmos capable receiver/soundbar how to output sound in each speaker. If you own one of these ARC TV's that are Dolby Atmos capable, then you're rocking Dolby Atmos with a Dolby Digital Plus signal. Not bad, but there's for sure room for improvement... Now if you're looking for lossless uncompressed audio, such as Dolby TrueHD signal, to be transmitted from your TV to your receiver/soundbar, then regular ARC for sure won't cut it. You'll need to upgrade to eARC (enhanced audio return channel) technology on BOTH your TV and your receiver/soundbar to be able to achieve this. If you own an eARC TV that means you're rocking Dolby Atmos with a Dolby TrueHD signal. This is definitely the way to do it since the audio is uncompressed and in it's original state from when the sound engineer mixed it in the studio.

"End of story. There's just no way around that right now." eARC: "Da fuh!?"

Is there a way to split the arc coming out of the soundbar between a tv and projector? That way if either of them turns on, the sound bar automatically turns on and is controlled by either TV or Projector remote?

I have an old plasma TV (no ARC) connected to my SONY 1040 AVR output via HDMI. My PC is connected to the AVR HDMI input to. Audio is being reproduced by the receiver (and speakers) but the problem is it's only stereo. Whatever I do I can't get it to output 5.1 surround sound (even if Windows10 says that the output is configured for 5.1 speaker setup). Any ideas welcome! Thanks!

Hey Jonathan thanks for the video but pls the hdm1 from the cable must connect to the tv or soundboard?

If i get a sonos arc, and i currently have two of the sonos one wireless speakers, how well will that work?

Didn't know ARC was limited? Fortunately everything is hooked up to the receiver anyways! Thanks!

What I am most concerned right now, would a console connected to an AV receiver connected to a TV experience an additional amount of input lag against having the console connected to the tv which then is connected back to the receiver via HDMI ARC or not?

Small note of correction... you might want to highlight that many TVs have an ARC only setting. This should typically be used with any newer Receivers as CEC mode will create control conflicts with devices interrupt the seamless operation....

Good video! What I have noticed is there are discrepancies in HDMI 2.0 vs HDMI 2.1 (not in your video just in general) . Some televisions offer 2.1 but don't offer 4K@120 or even VRR (Variable Refresh Rate). Although the box may say something about it, make sure the TV manufacture actually supports what the end user needs. :) Hope this info helps.

One cam Ginger hair, second cam Black hair lol thanks for the info, very interesting and thanks so much this info ,... appreciate it

Thank you for the help. I have a Polk small system and now the base is popping. Any ideas? Thanks

I have a Samsung Q70T. And a PlayStation 4 Pro. There is a specific gaming HDMI port on the back of the TV. Would you advise I plug the PS Pro into the port on the Q70T, or followed the video and plug everything into the Samsung T650 soundbar??

Thanks for the detail! After a few videos, found my direct direction in this one. Thank you!!! 😊

Jonah, i have an older Bose lifestyle v20 system that does not have HDMI arc my tv is an Lg nano that does have arc is there any way to add something to my Bose so I can stream for the tv apps and get surround sound thanks chuck

Can u answer how do I get 5.1 sound from my tv's hotstar or prime app to my 5.1 speaker via hdmi. I have Mi Tv 32 inch and JBL bar 5.1 true wireless. I am not getting true surround sound

Love it! The end of story part saved me a lot of time. I'll just leave evrything plugged to my receveir:..... end of story 7.1 or nothing txs

Good video and great explanation. Keep up the great content. I just got the Sonos Arc and learned the hard way that ARC can’t carry Atmos. Still a great soundbar, but I’ll only be able to get Dolby Digital Plus at best in my set up - until I get a tv that had eARC.

I have a problem I get picture but no sound from pre- amp, from my cable box, the pre-amp manual say use coax cable or toslink from cable box to the per- amp, both did not work even after I abled the toslink and coax on both cable and pre-amp help

Can I use this splitter to connect a soundbar to the ARC HDMI from the TV (Samsung TV to Samsung soundbar) and connect a stereo from the 3.5mm audio jack at the same time?

Hi Jonah, I have my JBL Soundbar 9.1 and 4k Xiaomi Ultra Short Throw projector. There are 2xHDMI inputs (1x ARC) on the JBL and 3xHMDI (1 ARC) for the UST is label ARC. If I want to plug in my Chromecast with Google TV device, do I plug it into my JBL or UST Projector.?

Hi Jonah, I have a question with my av receiver and samsung Tv, My av receiver has HDMI ARC out port and my TV do not have HDMI ARC port but it has Reg.HDMI is their a way to used HDMI to my TV?

Very informative video. Was wondering if you have any ideas on how to resolve lag when using a soundbar? I just got a Sony HT-Z9F hooked up to the Sony A80J and when watching cable TV, there is a noticeable lag. Thoughts?

Hey Jonah, I just purchased a 75" QN900A 8K TV with a Q950A 11.1.4CH Soundbar. Im not completely impressed with the sound considering the whole thing set me back 10K. Im now looking for an AV receiver that is Dolby and 8K capable. Do you have any recommendations for me? or tips to get the best sound out of these units? Thank you

However , eArc WIIL move dolby and all higher formats to receiver . (e nhanced arc)

Hey Jonah need your help! My Samsung Q60T Soundbar is having audio delays. I only have it connected HDMI ARC from Soundbar to tv. I have it in dolby digital and it has lip sync issues with my Xbox series x. My chromecast only plays the Soundbar PCM not Dolby. How do you fix this? Thank you!

I'm so glad eArc is the thing of the future

So...does that work when you turn on your TV and it automatically turns on your sound bar and turns off when you turn the tv off?

Question: I just received a Yamaha soundbar and a SHU sub... I tried hooking it up to my bedroom TV (Sony A9S Oled 48"), The light's are on on the Sub, I have the sub connected to the Soundbar but there's no sound from the sub. The soundbar plays but not the sub. Suggestions? Thank you Joe

Great info! Some I already knew some I didn't, I had to subscribe. Thanks so much!

I just got a new tv. As a gamer, I previously has inputs going into my receiver then a single HDMI out to TV. It worked well. My new tv handles gaming at 4k 120 hz refresh rate, so I am direct into the tv now with an optical out to my receiver. I cannot get 5.1 audio thru my system. my PC, which is a device, only offers stereo despite me trying new drivers. After some google searches, I find this isn't too uncommon. Do you have any insight to help workaround this nightmare? Otherwise, I'm relegated to wait for a receiver with 4 HDMI 2.1 inputs for a similar setup to my previous arrangement. I have an older onkyo without ATMOS, and those ports only pass 60hz refresh rates. So I suppose I forego 5.1 for 4k or visa versa for now. Is that right?

I have the new Sonos Arc connected to my LG OLED C7 via HDMI ARC-CEC, and I’m getting Dolby Atmos in Dolby Digital Plus. Sounds great!

I have fangor projector with normal HDMI port, I decided to attach a sound bar to that port. I want your advice whether this HDMI port in the projector will support the Dolby atmos or DTS-X if I want to have a surround experience, or the HDMI will not support that, so, it will be a waste of money to purchase such high spec sound bar like sony x9000f?

Hey Jonah. Thank you for that very interesting video. I have just one question: I have a sound bar from LG - that 11 series - with one HDMI ARC switch and two "normal" HDMI switches. I want to use a ATMOS HDMI splitter to connect my fire TV, and my ATMOS blue ray player with the HDMI ARC switch on my soldbar and than the sound bar with my Samsung TV ( is around 5 years old), which has one HDMI ARC switch. Is that practical and useful to get the best sound out of my blue ray player etc.? Thank you in advance, Christian

If I using monitor not TV is it video still appear by using this configuration l, I'm using xbox to soundbar and from soundbour to monitor (not TV) that only have just hdmi in?

So I have 7 speakers , and the Xbox had HDMI going from Xbox to TV, should I get a second HDMIl chord to hook up from Xbox to receiver to get the best sound quality ? But receiver is 7.1 .. so you said I could be loosing sound quality from the Xbox ? So do I need a second cable going from Xbox to receiver as well as cable for from Xbox to TV

I have a vizio 5.1.2 soundbar with 4k pass-through and my 4k player connected directly to the soundbar. Would I get better video quality if the player was connected directly to the tv? Thanks!

The speakers I have are RCA and does not have anything to connect. Is it possible to use an HDMI Arc converter? What would you recommend?

Great information....I enjoyed it!

How can i connect my sound bar to my laptop and computer monitor at the same time using just the hdmi arc on the same input?

Is HDMI Arc faster than optical. I have lip sync delay with a sonos soundbar using optical and trying to solve this lip sync issue.

Great video… and this is why, (If you are using a sound bar, instead of a receiver with traditional speakers), if your TV has an ARC rather than an EARC, Sonos is a No-Go… Also, Sonos only has one HDMI connection, so everything has to go to the TV…. And since the TV with only an ARC, doesn’t support all of those fancy DD signals, your whole system is FUBARd!

Hello, I have a samsung qled q60R smart tv and this have atmos compatibility but when attached my pioneer vsx 933 with atmos I noticed the sound setting on the tv become PCM instead of Dolby Digital + everything is grayout and default on PCM, But when I watch my 4k movies with atmos its fine I see dolby atmos. I'm wondering I did not select PCM it just default on PCM. Is this fine or something not right.

My tv is gets its signal via wifi,that being said,i plug my yamaha sound bar to the tv,it shows it is conected but no sound comes on,am i doing something wrong? Ppease help. Thats it,no other devices are conected,just the tv and the soundbar

How do I get HD / DTS Master Audio to work from my PC ? Atmos is working fine when I play MKV Files but HD / DTS Tracks only play in Stereo ? How do i fix this ?

Hey John, I seek advice. I have the Bose tv sound bar. It has an output the takes an AUX cable, now if a subwoofer (Yamaha or Non Bose) only has the standard white and red RCA inputs, is there an adapter you can get that would go into an aux to make it work? The subwoofer is also a powered type that plugs in the wall. Thanks and yep I’m subscribing as your content is pretty decent!

Hi my Panasonic tv TH-49F5435Q doesn't have the Hdmi Arc its got Hdmi sound out but l been trying to connect to my sound bar but l am not managing

Thanks for putting this up.

Thanks for this. Help me out a lot.

Yeah I'm using arc as I only have a 5.1 receiver..so if I upgraded to an Atmos receiver how do you connect an Amazon firestick direct to the receiver ( or do I run another cable from the TV..optical? Although optical cannot carry Atmos yeah?)

With the Xbox connected to the soundbar and not directly to the t.v.. Will there be any images lags or inputs lags on the Xbox because it is not connected to the t.v?

Is there any compulsion to Monitor having a HDMI(ARC) to connect with denon av or 5.1 sound bar ? Because i have projector and that projector have only HDMI port so can i use the denon av or 5.1 soundbar with that projector? Pls answer me

Hey Jonah, I'm just getting into all this Dolby Atmos and just purchased a Denon AVR. I have an older Sony Bravia (8 yrs old) and I don't see a ARC HDMI input. Does this matter and if so how do I get around it? Thx for any info!

Hi all. So, I have a Sony bluray player / audio receiver with speakers. I connected my smart TV to it via Arc ports with an HDMI cable. It worked for streaming/broadcast tv for some time, but now the speakers only sound when playing bluray discs. I unplugged and plugged back the hdmi cable and checked settings and CEC is enabled, and everything else seems correctly set. What’s weird is that any time I select a different input in the tv (nintendo, or smartcast) or the tv turns on the audio receiver automatically turns too and drops the tv volume. If I turn the receiver off then the tv puts its volume. So they’re connected, it seems. Any ideas? It’s driving me a bit crazy! Thank you.

I currently have a 7.1 setup. I use a second gen 2021 apple 4K tv to my older av receiver that has only 1.4 hdmi ports. The av receiver has an arc port. How do I hook it up to my lg c1 tv to get full hdr video and not lose 7.1 surround sound using the arc the hdmi port? If I hook the Apple TV to my av receiver and connect another hdmi (out) to my tv I will get 7.1 sound but only sdr picture since my av receiver port is only 1.4 hdmi. 1.4 hdmi only goes up to 4K sdr at 30hz (30 frames per second) Thanks!

very informative video and thanks for making this video. I have tv with Only HDMi IN. I want to use it for my soundbar but in soundbar is HDMI ARC. so my question is can I connect my tv with sound bar or I will have to buy new tv with hdmi arc or any another solution. thanks I will wait for your reply.

Can you do firmware upgrade from arc to eARC on Denon x4500x?

Great summary and explanation. Quick question: Is it normal to induce an audio delay when using ARC to connect say a console, soundbar, and compatible display and selecting the Bitstream output (for Dolby or DTS) instead of PCM? My soundbar can decode those formats and the console can push those signal outs but I find in either case this introduces visible audio delay when running through ARC (console into TV HDMI and TV ARC into soundbar ARC) , with more delay using the Dolby option. The TV is set to do audio bypass, but even when trying to play around with the sync settings it would not adjust audio to be perfectly in sync). Very curious here. I imagine if it was possible to connect a console directly to the soundbar and pass through the video this would not be a problem maybe?

How do I pair the roku remote volume controls with the the receiver instead of the TV? The remote can’t find the receiver.

Good video Jonah but I'm still a bit confused on the Atmos systems. I have a Vizio 70 inch smart tv and the Vizio SB46514-F6 SB46514-F6 Soundbar. I've connected them with the HDMI cable to the arc. Is this giving me the best sound ? The system is amazing just as it is so just wasn't sure

Jonah Matthes tqsm for this info.. I'm working with Bose Malaysia nd really needed this kind of info to increase my knowledge nd in the same time sharing good info with my customer.. ☺️

hi quick question i have the lg c7 tv and the pioneer 920 how do i get 7.1 from my tv to my amp thanks.

Possibly you could address the audio dropouts when using sound bars. Even with both tv and sound bar the same recently purchased brand name equipment, dropouts are common using ARC or Fiber optic connection. Vizio tech assist was no help after trying all the suggested fixes. Mostly happens with streaming but also OTA signal sometimes. Finally just stuck with RCA jacks. I believe it has to with the chip set that ALL the manufacturers use regardless of brand name.

I have a Sony 7.1 receiver and I have all my stuff (ps3, ps4, computer, directv) connected to the back of the receiver. Then I have a single hdmi (video out) going to my tv on the eARC input of my Samsung 4k TV. If I watch Netflix or any other app from the TV, i select tv input on my receiver and the audio plays through my receiver. If I play any of the other inputs, I select that, and the audio is direct to my receiver and plays as such and the video goes to tv obviously. One strange occurrence i have, is that my tv (samsung 50 inch tu8000) instantly recognizes every device I have instantly, except my ps3. I will select my ps3 input on the receiver and turn on the system and literally sit through 5 minutes of "no input" on tv, then it just magically appears. Then, when I start a game, the display disappears again for another 5 mins and appears. Any ideas?

For most users it won’t matter because their main sources come from streaming like Netflix. They all use the compressed DolbyDigitalPlus anyway. So even you connect your Apple TV directly to your soundbar, it wouldn’t make any difference at all. Not many people use BluRays these days.

Hi, How do I get 7.1.2 sound out of my smart TV? Do I need to use 2 HDMI's? 1 for ARC and 1 for surround sound? Or do I use HDMI for ARC and an optical cable? Or is there no way to get surround sound when watching Netflix or such directly on my smart TV? :/

This is the exact video i was looking for.....Thanks for clearing it up...helped a lot!

My TV has a hdmi arc port but I have an old Sony grx-8 music system which doesn't have hdmi port it has only rca port will it support dolby atmos and will I have to connect my firestick to hdmi arc port ? And the firestick says it supports Dolby atmos through hdmi passthrough what is that ? Please help

Hello I have a Yamaha Rx-V371 Receiver and after getting ARC signal to work I now am trying to figure out how to use my other devices that are plugged into my Receiver, such as xbox and PC. I'm not getting audio or video now once I switched to ARC port on my LG Webos. I have to unplug ARC and use HDMI1 to play other devices other than the LG

Thank you! This got me going!

Thanks a lot man for the help and information 👍

My tv sony bravia 40bx400 lcd. . .converted to a smart tv with a stb.tv does not have a hdmi arc or optical port. My HTS is sony bar HT rt3 have optical and HDMI ARC. How can i connect those?

I have an LG C8 and a Marantz 1509 but... I think that through ARC my TV emits 2.0 signals and not 5.1, because when I use Amazon Prime Video app on TV to see 5.1 movies, on Marantz display appear "Dolby Pro Logic II" indication, that should be a trasformation of 2.0 signal to 5.1 by algorithms, while when playing from Blu-ray appear DTS or "Dolby Digital 5.1". Any ideas about this thing?

Hi Jonah, love your channel bud. Had a question: I just bought my first smart TV after my old plasma finally gave out. The TV has an eARC port while the soundbar only has normal ARC port. Will this still work?

My TV does not have CEC.. is there any other option I should look into? I can see ARC but donot see CEC.. Myne is LG 47" tv 2013 Model.. If I donot see CEC then is there any other option to look for?

Can any new hdmi cable run 4K 4:4:4 @60hz at 10m?

I have a LG Atmos soundbar. I ran an HDMI cable to my LG tv. Everything is working great until I bought another device. Now, because I have the soundbar using an HDMI port, I’m one port short. I bought a switcher with arc, that I haven’t hooked up yet. But, I was wondering if I decide to go optical, to free up that port, will I lose any sound quality, compared to the HDMI cable?

How do I connect an old pioneer receiver, that just has analog cables (red/white) to my new Smart TV , Samsung? I would like sound from the TV back into the 5.1 surround sound again.

My TV has eARC and my Yamaha SR-B20A has ARC, my current cheap HDMI cable works in controlling volume and turning on and off using the TV remote. Is it worth buying a high speed HDMI cable for better sound quality and able to use the Dolby features of the soundbar? Many thanks in advance for your reply.

I have the Sony - 85" ClassX900H Series LED 4K UHD Smart Android TV that says it has Dolby atmos and an Onkyo - TX 9.2-Ch. Hi-Res 4K HDR Compatible A/V Home Theater Receiver that is Dolby atmos. I am running a 5.2.2 atmos system (2 front 2 surround 1 center 2 front height and 2 subs) so if I connect HDMI arc from the smart tv to the receiver and stream HD dolby atmos movies from Netflix or HBO max etc. am I still not going to get the Atmos out if my sound system? Would it be better to run a 4k amazom fire stick through the receiver and not stream from the smart tv?

Is there a way to get an HDMI ARC smart TV to send to a standard HDMI receiver in order to get surround sound off of netflix etc. My TV has HDMI ARC output and optical outputs, my receiver has HDMI and RCA inputs. Is there some kind of adapter that will make this work (I want to avoid the RCA has I won't get surround sound).

Can i connect additional subwoofer to a tv Without losing the audio from the TV itself?! Please help.

Maybe y'all can help me out or point me in the right direction. I recently purchased a Yamaha TSR-700 to pair with my 5.1 surround system. I'm using a year old Samsung 4k UHD smart TV an have it connected to the receiver via ARC. When watching regular cable everything works fine or if using the Xfinity apps(Netflix, Prime video ect) everything also works fine. I adjusted all audio settings on the TV itself and within the Xfinity system itself. My issue arises when using the TV's built in apps, the receiver auto switches from the input my cable is plugged into(HDMI 1) to just (TV) and I lose all sound. For some reason when I use the built in apps on the TV my receiver acts as though it's not receiving an audio signal. Any help would be so very much appreciated.