But there's no reason anyone has to settle for poor TV sound when there's such a great selection of soundbars out there to satisfy a range of budgets and features. Plus, with eARC, you don't have to wonder whether you're getting lip-sync correction, as it's required under the new standard.While the latest TVs get bigger, brighter, thinner, and offer ever-more gobsmacking picture quality, one of the sacrifices of all this sophisticated tech has, and perhaps always will be, sound. However, if you want to listen to higher-quality lossless formats like Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, you'll want to ensure that you're connected over eARC. Fortunately, there isn't much difference in the audio quality between the two.īoth connections support stereo audio as well as common surround sound formats like Dolby Digital. That said, if you have an older device, you may need to use an optical connection instead. If you can, use HDMI ARC to connect your soundbar to your TV. You can enjoy movies and TV shows without lip-synching issues and control your bar via your TV remote with ease as a result. For example, it can pass Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, which are found on many Blu-rays and 4K Blu-ray discs.Īdditionally, eARC standardizes lip-sync correction and HDMI CEC support. While regular ARC supports Dolby Atmos via Dolby Digital Plus, eARC's improved bandwidth lets you stream higher-quality lossless audio formats. What's the difference compared to regular ARC? How do you know which one is best? You've likely come across soundbars that advertise support for eARC (or enhanced Audio Return Channel). To take advantage of those formats, you'll need a setup with HDMI eARC. Like optical, HDMI ARC also doesn't have the bandwidth to support high-quality formats like Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD Master Audio, which are commonly found on Blu-rays. Manufacturers also aren't required to support all relevant audio formats, so a soundbar may not be able to send formats like Dolby Digital or DTS over an ARC connection. That means that not all ARC-enabled products help with lip-syncing issues. On the downside, it's up to manufacturers to decide which parts of the ARC standard they want to include. It may even assist with HDMI CEC setup so you can easily use your TV remote to control your soundbar's basic functions, like the volume level or turning it on and off. In some cases, ARC can also help sync up your audio and video to reduce lip-synching issues. If both your TV and your soundbar support HDMI ARC, it can streamline your setup process. After all, it doesn't make a difference in the overall audio quality. Some devices, like older TVs, don't support HDMI ARC, so in those cases, you'll need to stick with an optical connection. To take advantage of the benefits of HDMI ARC, you'll need to ensure that both your soundbar and your TV have an ARC-enabled HDMI input. With ARC, the HDMI cable connected to the TV can send audio back to the soundbar itself.īefore and after HDMI ARC. It's especially helpful if you want to passthrough video from a gaming console or DVD player to your TV while playing the audio through your soundbar. Essentially, you can use HDMI ARC ports as both an input and an audio output. Listeners who want fewer cables in their setup will find an HDMI ARC connection is ideal.Īlso, HDMI ARC enables two-way data transmission between devices over a single connection, unlike Optical. If you use an optical connection, you need to use two cables to connect your devices: an HDMI cable for the video signal and an optical digital audio cable for the audio signal. HDMI cables that support the Audio Return Channel standard (ARC) can pass both audio and video signals on one cable. So, how do you choose between them? Well, for starters, there is one big difference. Most importantly: for most setups, there isn't a noticeable difference in sound quality between the two. They can both stream stereo content, including most music and older TV shows, as well as 5.1 surround sound formats like Dolby Digital, which you're likely to find on both streaming platforms and Blu-rays. Both HDMI and optical cables can pass digital audio from one device (like a TV) to another. It's worth going over the similarities and differences between these two options to help you understand what's best for your setup. That said, there may be some instances in which you need to connect over Optical, also known as Toslink or S/PDIF. HDMI ARC vs Optical: What's Best For My Soundbar? The simple answer is that it's usually best to connect your TV to your soundbar via HDMI ARC.
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