Audio Return Channel (ARC)

[BuShuang]

HDMI ARC

Hi guys,

Just gotten myself a sound bar and trying to figure out how HDMI ARC works. This is how i connect:

Is it normal that i cannot get sound from Media Box 2 to come out from the sound bar? The moment i select the audio to go to the sound bar instead from TV, i only get silence.

Would appreciate any advice on this. TIA.

 

[Silverback84]

did u select tv speaker to external speaker?

 

[BuShuang]

Hi Silverback84,

I selected HT system on the TV settings which allows me to choose either TV speakers or HT system.

 

[psychophant]

Does your TV have Optical output and your soundbar has optical in? If they do, then i'd rather connect all the players to the tv's hdmi, and then tv to soundbar via optical. Less messy. Soundbar will get sound regardless of the input on the tv.

 

[Silverback84]

could be the sound bar reading from media box 1 n blue ray player
try n unplug these two. and try again.

 

[BuShuang]

Does your TV have Optical output and your soundbar has optical in? If they do, then i'd rather connect all the players to the tv's hdmi, and then tv to soundbar via optical. Less messy. Soundbar will get sound regardless of the input on the tv.

Hi psychophant,

Thanks for your advice. This sounds like a good idea. Will I still be able to get Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS Digital Surround if i go thru this method?

Not knowledgeable with configuring sound systems here

 

[BuShuang]

could be the sound bar reading from media box 1 n blue ray player
try n unplug these two. and try again.

Hi Silverback84,

will give it a try later when i'm home

 

[psychophant]

Hi psychophant,

Thanks for your advice. This sounds like a good idea. Will I still be able to get Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS Digital Surround if i go thru this method?

Not knowledgeable with configuring sound systems here

Quoted from AVSForum:

"For those sources, or really for anything (currently) except Blu-ray or devices playing back BD content (from a server, for example), there should be no difference. Those sources will be producing, at best, DD5.1 content, which will be identical over optical digital or HDMI. (ok, if you play a DVD through the Xbox, you could get a DTS soundtrack, which would not likely be passed through the TV - yet).

Blu-ray will have the advanced HD audio codecs (DTS-MA and Dolby Digital Plus), which cannot be passed over the optical digital cable, and so there will be an audio performance difference vs a direct HDMI connection to the receiver.

Now, hooking everything through the TV does mean you have to ensure the TV supports DD5.1 over HDMI, and that it properly passes audio received from HDMI back out its optical output. As long as it does that, do whichever path works best for you from a usability standpoint. If you want to sometimes use your TV speakers, run the stuff through the TV."

Summary: depends on your tv, whether it has the capability to pass-through Dolby/DTS signals from HDMI to Optical. Both my year-2012 LG TVs do, FYI. Both are similarly set-up: all players connected to TV HDMIs and optical output to soundbar (bedroom) and AVR (living room).

 

[BuShuang]

Hi psychophant,

I'm using a LG LW6500, not sure if it has the capability. Is it documented or hv to test to know?

 

[psychophant]

Just checked my LG TV manual, and it doesnt state which audio signals that the optical output carries.

Perhaps you might have to spend some time to test.

 

[kun1he2]

Hi psychophant,

I'm using a LG LW6500, not sure if it has the capability. Is it documented or hv to test to know?

I'm using LW6500 too, confirmed pass through.

 

[BuShuang]

I'm using LW6500 too, confirmed pass through.

Hi kun1he2,

u mean our LW6500 pass through both DTS and DD 5.1?

 

[kun1he2]

Hi kun1he2,

u mean our LW6500 pass through both DTS and DD 5.1?

Sorry, my bad - confirmed DD 5.1 yes.
DTS should be no.

 

[BuShuang]

Sorry, my bad - confirmed DD 5.1 yes.
DTS should be no.

Hi kun1he2,

no worries and thanks for the clarification.

Managed to get the sound to pass thru to the soundbar. Turns out that I only enabled Simplink but did not enable ARC in the audio settings

 

[tekster]

do you guys make use of your ARC?

just discovered this feature and it's quite nifty. now watching youtube on my smart TV just sounds better. lol

do all TVs have ARC or is it just smart tv?

 

[sphwee]

Hi BuShuang,

Do you enable ARC in the TV or at the sound bar?

 

[Windowlover]

Hi BuShuang,

Do you enable ARC in the TV or at the sound bar?

Yes, need to switch on but depend on model of TV.

 

[BuShuang]

Hi BuShuang,

Do you enable ARC in the TV or at the sound bar?

Sound bar's ARC is enabled by default.

TV's need to enable it myself.